Zimbabwe
From Bahaikipedia
Thousands of people from all major tribes of Zimbabwe have become Bahá’ís. In hundreds of localities in urban and rural areas of the country Spiritual Assemblies have been formed. Almost 99 percent of the membership of these Assemblies consists of indigenous people of Zimbabwe. The Bahá’í Faith has been registered with the Company Act as a non-profit making religious organization. In Harare and Bulawayo and in several other growth points Bahá’í Centres (equivalent of church) have been built. In accordance with principles of Bahá’í administration members of National and Local Spiritual Assemblies are elected by Bahá’ís residing in Zimbabwe.
[edit] History
The first Bahá’í to set foot on the soil of Zimbabwe was Shoghi Effendi, the Guardian of the Bahá’í Faith. He visited in 1929 in the course of an overland trip from Cape Town to Cairo. In 1940, during the Second World War, Shoghi Effendi again visited Zimbabwe, this time with his wife. He was fascinated by the beauty and power of Victoria Falls. He and Mrs. Rabbani also visited Matupo and the city of Bulawayo. A photograph shows him standing at the grave of Sir Cecil Rhodes. Both fell in love with the beauty of the country and its people
The first Bahá’í pioneer to Zimbabwe arrived two months after the start of the Ten Year Plan (1953). An Iranian citizen, his application for residency was rejected by the authorities of the time and he had to leave the country. However, immediately afterwards some pioneers from the United Kingdom and the United States moved to Zimbabwe and obtained permanent residency. Among these were Dr. Kenneth and Mrs. Roberta Christian who stayed in Zimbabwe for six months before moving on to Greece. Larry Hautz, a Bahá’í from the United States, arrived later and bought a property on Bulawayo Road, opened a motel, a service station, a rose garden and a snake park. In spite of stiff opposition from the government, he succeeded in establishing the first primary school for indigenous children on a supposedly "white-owned" property. Sue and Sylvia Benatar were the first white people to become Bahá’ís in then Southern Rhodesia — they first heard of the Faith from Larry Hautz.
In 1955 the first native person from Zimbabwe joined the Bahá’í community and a number of other indigenous people followed his lead shortly thereafter. In April of the same year the first Bahá’í administrative body at the local level was formed. Designated as a [[Local Spiritual Assembly Spiritual Assembly]] it consisted of 9 members. It was established in then Salisbury, now the capital city of Harare. Today it is known as The Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá’ís of Harare.
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