Bahá’í World Community

Africa 1973

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After volunteering at the International Bahá’í Convention in Haifa in 1973, my travels visiting Bahá’í communities took me down the East Coast and up the West Coast of Africa.

Click to jump to:
Ethiopia  Kenya  Tanzania  Malawi  Rhodesia  S. Africa  Lesotho  Swaziland 
Botswana  Zambia  Zaire  Cameroon  Benin  Ghana  Liberia  The Gambia

Eritrea 16-17 May 1973

The National Bahá’í Center in Asmara, and a meeting there.

Ethiopia 18-19 May 1973

The National Bahá’í Center in Addis Ababa.

Kenya 19-23 May 1973

A teaching trip to the village of Gatimu, and a view of Mount Kilimanjaro.

Simon Muchiri (pictured above) teaching Bahá’í songs to the children in the village of Gatimu:
 

Tanzania 24-30 May 1973

The National Bahá’í Convention at the National Bahá’í Center in Dar es Salaam, pioneers Shanaz Furudi, Janboz, and Mr. Yazdani, and the Bahá’í Teaching Institute in Kibamba, near Dar.

Spontaneous singing and a newly-composed song (in Kiswahili) during the National Bahá’í Convention:
 

Malawi 30 May – 3 June 1973

Scenery near the Amalika Teaching Institute in Blantyre; National Spiritual Assembly members with friends at the National Bahá’í Center, Blantyre; and the Amalika Teaching Institute.

Bahá’ís of Blantyre at the National Bahá’í Center, including members of the National Spiritual Assembly, singing a Bahá’í song:
 

Rhodesia (now Zimbabwe) 3-6 June 1973

A view of Salisbury, at a school established by pioneer Larry Hautz near Salisbury, and at a school in Darwindale.

Children at the Hautz school singing a Bahá’í song:
 
 

South Africa 7-8 June 1973

Counsellor Shidan Fat’he-Aazam and Greg Dahl at the Tropic of Capricorn, and the National Bahá’í Center in Johannesburg .

Lesotho 9-13 June 1973

Visiting Bahá’ís in the countryside with Counsellor Shidan Fat’he-Aazam, scenery near Maseru, a Bahá’í gathering in Maseru, and a new Bahá’í Center being built.

Swaziland (now Eswatini) 15-17 June 1973

Scenery near the small towns of Hlatikulu and Nhlangano, a group in Nhlangano (including pioneers David Garcia and Ravichandran) singing Bahá’í songs, and the National Bahá’í Center, Malagwane Hill, Mbabane.

The group of Bahá’ís pictured above, singing some of their well-known Bahá’í songs:
 
 

Botswana 21-25 June 1973

Street scenes in Gaborone, Members of a Bahá’í group in a government high school in Molepolole, scenes in Thamaga where there is a Bahá’í Institute building, and the National Bahá’í Center in Gaborone.

Zambia 25-29 June 1973

The National Bahá’í Center in Lusaka, and with pioneer Manouchehr Agahi and his daughter at the Temple site.

Zaire (now Democratic Republic of the Congo) 1-2 July 1973

The National Bahá’í Center in Kinshasa.

Cameroon 3-9 July 1973

Youth travel teachers Homa Sobhani, Samuel Akale and Parvin Behi preparing to depart from Yaoundé on a month-long teaching trip, shown with National Teaching Committee member Iraj Yaganeh; and the National Bahá’í Center in Yaoundé.

Dahomey (now Benin) 9-11 July 1973

Cotonou street scene, and children of the Charles family in Cotonou.

Ghana 12-18 July 1973

The Temple site and Bahá’í Center in Jankama, and the National Bahá’í Center in Accrá.

Liberia 21-24 July 1973

Street scenes and Bahá’ís in Monrovia, a rubber plantation, the National Bahá’í Center in Monrovia, and Bahá’í friends there.

The Gambia 24-27 July 1973

Pioneers Kanniyah & Louise Adaikkalam and Reza Haidari in Banjul, the National Bahá’í Center there, and the Temple site where peanuts are grown.

Click for my report on this trip.