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| Bahá’í News | March 1988 | Bahá’í Year 144 |
The use of mass media
in service to the Faith
Bahá’í News[edit]
Hand of the Cause of God Amatu’l-Bahá Rúhíyyih Khánum in France | 1 |
An assessment of the use of mass media to serve the Cause of God | 4 |
Zeroing in on village radio, a new and useful way to communicate | 7 |
Brazil’s Bahá’í School of the Nations marks its seventh anniversary | 12 |
Around the world: News from Bahá’í communities all over the globe | 14 |
Bahá’í News is published monthly by the National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá’ís of the United States as a news organ reporting current activities of the Bahá’í world community. Manuscripts submitted should be typewritten and double-spaced throughout; any footnotes should appear at the end. The contributor should keep a carbon copy. Send materials to the Periodicals Office, Bahá’í National Center, Wilmette, IL 60091, U.S.A. Changes of address should be reported to the Office of Membership and Records, Bahá’í National Center. Please attach mailing label. Subscription rates within the U.S.: one year, $12; two years, $20. Outside the U.S.: one year, $14; two years, 24$. Foreign air mail: one year, $20; two years, $40. Payment must accompany the order and must be in U.S. dollars. Second class postage paid at Wilmette, IL 60091. Copyright © 1988, National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá’ís of the United States. World rights reserved. Printed in the U.S.A.
Special report[edit]
Recounting a memorable visit to France[edit]
The recent visit to France by the Hand of the Cause of God Amatu’l-Bahá Rúhíyyih Khánum was undertaken primarily in memory of her mother, May Maxwell, who established the Faith there and was the first Bahá’í in Europe. Arriving on November 11, 1987, she visited 17 places during her 33-day stay: Nice, Vence, Monaco, Cannes, Hyères, Marseille, Annecy, Chapareillan (near Chambéry), Lyon, Paris (four times), Rouen, La Celle-Saint-Cloud, Bordeaux, Nantes, Rennes, Chartres and Strasbourg.
During this time a two-day National Teaching Conference was held in Paris; seven regional gatherings throughout the country in Nice, Marseille, Annecy, Bordeaux, Nantes, Rennes and Strasbourg; and a National Youth Conference in Lyon. Amatu’l-Bahá Rúhíyyih Khánum declared that although her French was imperfect, she would give her talks in that language, and she often spoke for five hours a day at various occasions.
The general impression had been that it was almost impossible to teach the Faith in France: the community was weak, and things were not progressing fast enough. She found, on the contrary, that the French community was very much alive, with immense potential for growth. The majority of Bahá’ís there are French, devoted, active, often young people, college students, musicians, married couples with young children—in all, she said, an extraordinarily vital and dynamic group of people, friendly, responsive to the meetings she had with them, and eager to serve the Faith. Although many communities are small, they are quite active, holding regular Feasts and firesides. The French, she said, are an alert and progressive people, and Amatu’l-Bahá Rúhíyyih Khánum feels there are presently great
... (She) feels that there are presently great teaching possibilities in France, and that if the French Bahá’ís are encouraged and helped, receive pioneers and traveling teachers to reinforce their limited manpower, great progress can be made now.
teaching possibilities in France, and that if the French Bahá’ís are encouraged and helped, receive pioneers and traveling teachers to reinforce their limited manpower, great progress can be made now. The hour is ripe.
On her arrival in Paris, accompanied by Violette Nakhjavání, all nine members of the National Spiritual Assembly met Amatu’l-Bahá Rúhíyyih Khánum at the airport, where she had a three-hour stop-over en route to Nice, the first place she visited. Nice, on the famous Côte d‘Azur, has a lovely local Bahá’í Center in an old building with fine ceilings and a spacious meeting hall, on an important street; in the large front window is an electric sign that passes words written in light along a band, proclaiming the teachings of the Faith; far from being vulgar, the Hand of the Cause observed, it fit in quite well and was both interesting and decorative. During one meeting two people came in from the street and said, “We were passing by, we know the Bahá’ís, and we saw something going on, so we stopped in to say hello.”
The Bahá’í community of Marseille owns a similar local Center, situated likewise in an old building, ornate and dignified, in a good neighborhood. On successive weekends, Regional Teaching Conferences were held in these two famous southern cities, with more than 140 people from 21 localities attending in Nice, and 80 friends from 11 places in Marseille.
During the conference in Nice (and later at the National Teaching Conference in Paris), an excellent evening program of sound and light was presented: the music, quotations, and photographs of flowers created a most moving spectacle. In Nice, Marseille, Lyon, Paris and elsewhere, talented and enthusiastic young Bahá’ís played and sang, often their own compositions, to the delight of the Bahá’ís and their guests. Amatu’l-Bahá Rúhíyyih Khánum was thrilled by the wonderful Bahá’í youth in France, their talent and enthusiasm.
Throughout France the Bahá’ís took full advantage of her visit to invite friends and relatives who were not Bahá’ís to attend special meetings and receptions; as a result, a number of those already interested accepted the Faith.
One of Amatu’l-Bahá Rúhíyyih Khánum’s precious experiences was a trip to Hyères to call on a 91-year-old believer; not only she (frail, but on her feet, clear of mind, and eagerly waiting) but the director of the home and the matron were touched and delighted by the visit.
Coverage by the media in France is hard to obtain; however, in Marseille, the Hand of the Cause had an interview with a well-known columnist published in one of the large papers in southern France, followed by a number of others in various cities.
Conference on Swiss border[edit]
The third Regional Conference was in Annecy, on the Swiss border. More than 200 friends participated, most of them from Switzerland; a social evening and concert ended the event, and were attended by the deputy mayor of Annecy and his wife. The mayor’s remarks were cordial and full of praise for the teachings and goals of the Ba-
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há’ís. A meeting for the friends in the
Chambéry district took place in the
home of a Bahá’í in Chapareillan,
where a hospitable dinner was followed
by an enthusiastic meeting.
From Annecy, Amatu’l-Bahá Rúhíyyih Khánum went to Lyon to address a National Youth Conference. When one thinks of the distances involved, it was encouraging to find more than 100 present from all parts of France, Switzerland and Belgium; many excellent questions were asked. A meeting and dinner also took place with the Lyon and neighboring Bahá’ís, at which 45 were present.
Visits with high officials[edit]
The most important part of her visit to France took place during the first visit to Paris. The National Assembly had arranged a number of interviews with officials. The Prime Minister of France had delegated Mme. Albanel Delagard to meet with Rúhíyyih Khánum on his behalf. Mme. Delagard is “in charge of the Affairs of Cultes” (the French use the word “culte,” not religion). She was an intelligent, agreeable person, surprised to hear so many things about the Faith, about which she evidently had little knowledge, interested in the material Amatu’l-Bahá Rúhíyyih Khánum was able to show her, and particularly to note that the Bahá’í International Community had recently joined the Conservation and Religion Network of the World Wide Fund for Nature.
Another of the important engagements in Paris, perhaps the most important, was with Mme. Simon Veil, who is at present the representative of the Republic of France in the European Parliament, and formerly its president. On that body she had raised her voice publicly in defense of the persecuted Bahá’ís in Iran and is keenly interested in events affecting the Faith in that country. She was interested to hear from Amatu’l-Bahá Rúhíyyih Khánum the history of the relationship of the Faith with the State of Israel.
The National Spiritual Assembly of Canada had requested that Amatu’l-Bahá Rúhíyyih Khánum call on the Canadian Ambassador; as he was out of town, she was courteously received by the Canadian Chargé d’Affaires, Mr. Wright, and for more than half an hour had a pleasant conversation with him: the persecutions in Iran were discussed at length, as well as the progress of the Faith throughout the world, especially in the Third World.
Paris Teaching Conference[edit]
On November 28-29, a weekend National Teaching Conference was held in Paris, the largest of its kind ever held there. Four hundred-fifty to 500 people from all parts of France as well as from other countries attended, including Counsellor Agnes Ghaznavi and a number of Auxiliary Board members. In addition to talks by Rúhíyyih Khánum, the gathering was addressed by the Counsellor and members of the National Spiritual Assembly of France, all of whom underlined the needs of the Six Year Plan. There was, she reported, a wonderful sense of oneness and enthusiasm, to which, undoubtedly, the spirit of the many Bahá’í youth present contributed.
Photograph at the Eiffel Tower[edit]
The Spiritual Assembly of Paris, after entertaining Amatu’l-Bahá Rúhíyyih Khánum at lunch, commemorated her visit by adjourning to the Eiffel Tower for a photograph in the same place where, 75 years ago, the beloved Master had been photographed.
Amatu’l-Bahá and Mrs. Nakhjavání were able to attend the meeting at the Hazíratu’l-Quds in Paris marking the anniversary of the Ascension of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá; about 200 of the friends were present at the beautifully conducted meeting.
During this visit, the Bahá’í youth had an evening meeting with Amatu’l-Bahá Rúhíyyih Khánum following a dinner with her at the National Center. About 80 young Bahá’ís were present, and a happy evening was spent together.
The National Spiritual Assembly had rented a hall in Paris for a general meeting at which about 100 people were present; after a talk, many questions were asked.
Meetings in suburbs of Paris[edit]
In addition to all the other activities in Paris, Amatu’l-Bahá Rúhíyyih Khánum was able to have two happy meetings with communities near that city: in Rouen, an active and devoted group of the friends, many of them refugees from Iran, entertained her and all the friends at lunch; in La Celle-Saint-Cloud, some 50 people were present, a number of them from neighboring suburbs of Paris, in the home of one of the believers.
After the eventful days in Paris, Amatu’l-Bahá Rúhíyyih Khánum left for Bordeaux where she met the official who was, to her, the most important of her entire trip.
Interview with mayor of Bordeaux[edit]
The small but active community in Bordeaux had arranged an interview with the mayor, Jacques Chabon Delmas, a one-time Prime Minister of France, and at present the Speaker of its House of Representatives. Although the visit in his private office at City Hall lasted only about 15 minutes, she was able to mention many things about the Faith, of which he knew little. The mayor had, however, heard about the persecutions in Iran, which he strongly deplored. She was also able to inform him that the Bahá’í International Community had been accepted, on an equal basis with other world religions, into the WWF Network on Conservation and Religion. It was an extremely cordial interview.
Vitality of small communities[edit]
The vitality of these small French communities, she noted, is truly remarkable. The Regional Conference in Bordeaux, attended by more than 50 Bahá’ís and their guests from six localities, was preceded by a lavish dinner prepared by the local community; Bahá’ís had come from as far south as Saint-Jean-de-Luz in the Basque country—six of them were Basques.
After Bordeaux came Nantes, the scene of the fifth Regional Conference with about 100 of the friends attending from 11 localities; there were a number of dynamic and happy meetings including one with the children. Every place that Amatu’l-Bahá Rúhíyyih Khánum went, in Paris or the provinces, invariably, the Bahá’ís had gathered their children together and insisted she should meet with and speak to them. It was clear that the French Bahá’ís are paying attention to the fundamental duty of raising their children in the Faith.
The Hand of the Cause was deeply touched to meet in Nantes with an Auxiliary Board member from Niger, Africa, whom she and Mrs. Nakhjavání had known on their African safari and who had come all the way from Niger just to see them again.
Stories of village Bahá’ís[edit]
Throughout France it was clear that French Bahá’ís and Persian Bahá’ís work well together: at Nantes, a French Auxiliary Board member and his Persian wife gave a reception for about 50 people, half of them non-Bahá’ís who had heard about the Faith from them. Amatu’l-Bahá Rúhíyyih Khánum was struck by the fact that although these people were well off, sound, middle-class “petit bourgeois,” they seemed deeply interested in what she felt strongly moved to talk about, namely, her experiences in Africa and in villages, and how there are village Bahá’ís all over the world, many of whom are illiterate. When she had finished, a young, very charming woman came to her and said: “You know, what you said interested me so much because I have been coming to these meetings and I have been reading the Bahá’í Writings, but I didn’t see how it could apply to the whole world; I thought it was only for people like us, and all the time my thoughts go to these people in the developing countries, these masses of illiterate and uneducated people in villages, and it didn’t seem to have any connection with them, and yet these are the people that interest me, and for whom I have a very strong feeling. Now you tell me that hundreds of thousands of these people are Bahá’ís!” She was one of those who, with her husband, accepted the Faith shortly after the visitors left.
From Nantes Amatu’l-Bahá Rúhíyyih Khánum went to Rennes, the capital of Brittany. Over and over, she was astonished by the capacity for organization of these small Bahá’í communities, many of them just managing to hold their local Assemblies. The National Spiritual Assembly of France left it to the local Spiritual Assemblies to make the arrangements for activities connected with Rúhíyyih Khánum’s visit, and she was impressed by how smoothly everything was planned and carried out. In Rennes, there is a Cambodian Bahá’í who accepted the Faith in a refugee camp in Thailand. As he worked all day, his amiable non-Bahá’í mother-in-law cooked a delicious Cambodian lunch for 30 or so people in their home. The man is truly exemplary; he has the determination, devotion and stability to be a Bahá’í wherever he is and to raise his five children as Bahá’ís, as well as to show his hospitality and love, even when neither he nor his wife can be present. This was indicative of the fine spirit encountered by Amatu’l-Bahá Rúhíyyih Khánum in communities all over France. At a small meeting held that same evening, three of the friends who had been attracted to the Faith expressed their desire to be enrolled, which made the gathering a memorable and happy one for all.
In Strasbourg, the last of her engagements in France and the seat of the European Parliament, two important interviews with officials had been arranged. The first was with Mme. Knorr, whom the mayor—absent from Strasbourg—had deputized to meet her. Mme. Knorr, who is in charge of religious affairs and education in the local government of the Department of Alsace, spent a long time with Amatu’l-Bahá Rúhíyyih Khánum, showing a lively interest in the Faith. The second interview was with a prominent figure in France, Mr. Hoeffel, a Senator who is also president of the Conseil General of the Bas-Rhin District. Looking tired after an all-day meeting and an evening session the previous day with the Parliament of Europe, he said to Rúhíyyih Khánum, “What can I do for you?” “Do for me?” she replied. “I didn’t come here to have anything done for me; I don’t want anything.” Mr. Hoeffel looked absolutely astonished; evidently, he had thought he had an appointment with someone who had some kind of a demand, petition or complaint. The Hand of the Cause continued: “I have come here to pay my respects to you as a member of the government; I haven’t come to ask for anything. I don’t want anything at all.” Mr. Hoeffel was taken aback, and said, “Well, won’t you sit down?” They had a worthwhile and pleasant chat about the Faith, and mention was made of the persecutions in Iran.
Amatu’l-Bahá Rúhíyyih Khánum spent two nights in Strasbourg where the local Bahá’ís held a dinner in her honor at the Bahá’í Center on the first evening, followed by an informal and happy meeting with all the friends; on the second night, her last in France, a large meeting was arranged. Strasbourg is on the German frontier, and the Rhine River runs through it. In a hall on the border, more than 200 of the friends from that area of France, as well as from Germany, Luxembourg, Belgium and Switzerland gathered in a befitting final occasion for Amatu’l-Bahá’s historic visit.
Returning to Paris, on the last day before her departure, Amatu’l-Bahá Rúhíyyih Khánum had a long meeting with the National Spiritual Assembly of France during which she not only commented on her trip and experiences in France but expressed her deep conviction that now is the time to push forward as never before with teaching the Faith, as there is a new receptivity stirring in the land. After that meeting, the National Assembly invited its beloved guest and her companion to a delicious lunch, and the next day the entire membership of the National Assembly saw her off at the airport, just as they had so lovingly greeted her on her arrival.
Uruguay[edit]
Eighty-two delegates from 13 Departments in Uruguay gathered last September 20 for a National Teaching Conference at the National Center in Montevideo to analyze the goals of the Six Year Plan.
Among those taking part were Counsellor Eloy Anello and Auxiliary Board members Shahnaz Rassekh and Teresa de Lugo.
A decision was made to increase the national community by 400 new believers and to add four localities to the 96 now open to the Faith in Uruguay.
In connection with an architectural conference sponsored last October by the Bahá’ís of Paysandu, Uruguay, the Sunday edition of the newspaper El Telégrafo featured the Temple in India in page after page of stunning photographs and a text filled with superlatives describing the “Lotus of Bahapur.”
Seventy-five architects, builders, skilled workmen, architecture students, draftsmen and others were present at the municipal cultural center of Paysandu where a slide show, talk and photo exhibit on the Temple were presented.
The media[edit]
A closer look at ‘mass communication’[edit]
As the Six Year Plan is implemented in countries throughout the Bahá’í world, there is a need in many places to assess the way in which the media can best serve the Faith at this particular time in our history. Until now, our approach to media use has been sporadic, with local and national Bahá’í communities being happy with whatever exposure could be obtained. As recently as a decade or two ago, many areas were still being opened by pioneers who had to assume responsibility for whatever publicity was given to the Faith; indeed, many of them rendered sterling service in this area, and continue to do so.
Now, however, the Faith of God is firmly established in most places, and Bahá’í communities the world over have drafted their own Six Year teaching plans calculated to achieve a dramatic increase in admirers and sympathizers as well as new declarants. With this step forward should come more systematic use of the media, big and small, electronic and print, through live events, recorded presentations, artistic works or written themes. It is time to move from the “pioneering phase” of media use to well-orchestrated campaigns involving a broad base of largely local manpower, with central coordination and constant communication among responsible agencies.
At “campaign level”—national, regional or local—thoughtful analysis
It is time to move from the ‘pioneering phase’ of media use to well-orchestrated campaigns involving a broad base of largely local manpower, with central coordination and constant communication among responsible agencies.
can be made of the general goals of the Faith for the area in the current plan, as well as an assessment of its status in the eyes of the government, other leaders and the general public, its level of consolidation, and its present and possible manpower base. From this overview, consultations can center on how media use can assist each need, with due consideration for the ideas of concerned institutions, committees and individuals.
All media—large and small, local and national—should be used to the greatest extent possible, dictated by need, opportunity and human and material resources. This suggests a media-coordinating body with ready access to the Teaching Committee and other arms of the Faith (e.g., Public Relations; Social and Economic Development; Women, Youth and Children’s Committees, and so forth) as well as the National or local Spiritual Assembly itself from time to time. This central agency would maintain the necessary overview, considering media in light of Bahá’í needs and objectives. Once plans are formulated, more specialized work can take place: coordinating the use of radio, television, newspapers, billboards, direct mail, sidewalk and park displays, exhibits, flyers, shoppers, posters and public presentations as necessary and practical for the achievement of specific ends.
At this level enter budgetary and human resource considerations, the latter including the training of Bahá’ís native to the area in various facets of media use. This step should lead to the development of production skills and, particularly, train local Bahá’ís to be the “presenters” of the Faith in their area to the greatest extent, whether on-camera, on-microphone, meeting with government officials or newspaper editors or reporters, or on-stage as speakers or performers. Production hardware (for radio or TV presentations, graphic arts, etc.) may or may not be efficient to own and use, depending on what is accessible, quality available, cost, and Bahá’í manpower, among other factors.
| This article, “Use of the Media in Service to the Faith,” was written by K. Dean Stephens, a member of the executive committee of the International Bahá’í Audio-Visual Centre (IBAVC) and professor of development communication at the Amoz Gibson Training Centre for Bahá’í Media in Arecibo, Puerto Rico. |
In defining how the media might best serve the needs of the Faith at any given time, we must first assess such needs:
I. Systematic proclamation—to impart “the fact and general aim of the new Revelation” to a large and measurable segment of the population (preferably 100 per cent). Many forms of media may be used in concert for proclamation, whose goals are most often realized when a person hears a theme (radio, meeting, friend), sees the same message (TV, exhibit, billboard), and reads it somewhere (newspaper, poster, flyer) so that various media become reinforcing.
We must first define objectives: what should someone in the target area derive from a sustained campaign to proclaim? If the goal is to impart to 10,000, 100,000 or one million people the news that God has sent a new Messenger; that He is Bahá’u’lláh and His followers are Bahá’ís; and that He came to unite mankind and bring universal peace, then we should state these facts simply and directly by every avail-
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able means: through spot ads in electronic and print media, via posters,
billboards, stands, exhibits, dramatic
and musical presentations, in person,
by mail, and so forth.
One activity during such proclamation endeavors might be a survey undertaken by teams of youth and others to areas representative of various income and cultural groups within the target populace who would explain the campaign and ask the interviewee whether he/she has heard of Bahá’u’lláh, and when or how. Obviously, this not only gives hard data on the progress and effectiveness of the campaign, but also provides an opportunity to proclaim and often to teach on the spot.
As a universally available medium in most of the world, radio is especially suited for proclamation. A single station in an urban center might potentially be heard by four million listeners; stations in 100 large cities could similarly reach 400 million souls with the healing Message, a figure representing 10 per cent of the entire population of the earth. This makes the use of radio a “must” if we wish to be faithful to our mandate to proclaim to all mankind. Bahá’í radio stations could very well structure proclamation formats, but few exist in larger population centers, where high cost usually rules out ownership. In some regions, however, bulk time can be purchased, allowing an hour or two at regular intervals for presentation of a Bahá’í radio block including messages of peace and harmony interspersed with Bahá’í spots about God and His Prophets, His promises to mankind, His Messenger for this Day; music; cultural and educational vignettes; and other spiritual fare.
In other situations, series of spot announcements can proclaim the information desired. In either case, first-year goals can be set:
- That a high percentage of the populace agree that God exists, and that He does send Messengers from time to time as He promised.
- That 50 per cent of the population hear that a new Messenger has come, and that His name is Bahá’u’lláh.
- That 30 per cent of the population hear that Bahá’u’lláh has come to unite mankind and to bring peace on earth.
- That 20 per cent of the population know how to get more information about the Bahá’í Faith.
Mark Sametz (left), a non-Bahá’í graduate student at Cornell University, makes a recording during a radio broadcasting course at the Amoz Gibson Training Centre in Arecibo, Puerto
Rico, while Bob Brown of WLGI Radio in South Carolina and Bob Posthlethwaite of Kansas look on.
These are examples of goals that can be measured in surveys of various kinds. It should be remembered that radio is more effective if used systematically and combined with other media in a campaign.
II. Sustained teaching—to make the principles and ideals of the Faith of Bahá’u’lláh readily available to persons awakened by proclamation. The mass media are largely too impersonal to undertake direct teaching to any extent. They are far better utilized to support teaching activities: by publicizing a gathering or concert, giving out information (of a Bahá’í meeting or Center), focusing on a single principle (world peace, brotherhood), or indirectly presenting the Faith through performing or other arts, sponsoring a well-known speaker on a Bahá’í theme, etc. In areas where systematic teaching is being undertaken by the Bahá’ís, proclamation activities should be heightened to prepare waiting souls.
III. Enrollment—the integration of those souls newly afire with love for Bahá’u’lláh and His teachings into the mainstream of the Bahá’í community—is indirectly rather than directly related to media use. In fertile areas where teaching is taking place, the media can provide important help in this heart-to-heart process: giving credibility to the Bahá’ís doing the teaching and support to the one being taught by establishing that the Faith is a presence in the area. Such support may be crucial in helping an awakened soul to declare allegiance to the Blessed Beauty.
IV. Deepening—to make available a wealth of writings, literature and community experience to every Bahá’í, veteran or newly declared; to inspire and stimulate until the fire within burns of its own accord. Electronic media can be useful in this process if programs are kept short and simple, dealing with only one theme at a time. Too often, we try to teach and deepen by radio, for instance, using half-hour or even longer formats rather akin to sermonizing. Better to present a single concept—unity in diversity, equality of men and women, universal peace—in mini-programs of 1-5 minutes each, a tactic that elevates the function of the program to proclamation, teaching and deepening simultaneously.
On the other hand, print media can be used in certain situations for deepening and even teaching. For example, “The Promise of World Peace” might be serialized in a daily newspaper. Direct mail, a viable media form, can similarly be used in deepening new be-
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lievers. Within the Bahá’í community,
music and other presentations can help
the deepening process: dramatizing the
Faith’s history, highlighting a principle, teaching a prayer, a song or a
Hidden Word.
V. Likewise for consolidation—the process of community-building going forward in every corner of the world. Bahá’í radio is especially useful to this process, since it can impart the rhythm of Bahá’í community life, with special programs for Feasts and Holy Days, individual and institutional deepenings, programs about the Administrative Order, and local Bahá’í news including conferences, activities and Assembly elections. The commercial media can be used to some extent for such purposes, but less effectively; however, a number of alternative media forms exist which may excel in areas not blessed with Bahá’í radio. These include sound trucks; direct mail; film, slide and video presentations; and “road shows” with drama, dance and musical offerings.
VI. Public relations and community service—these activities can well include Bahá’í troupes: an interracial, international group of Bahá’ís of all ages might travel from place to place with songs, dances, speeches and dramatic presentations emphasizing world unity, peace, or some other great theme. Such presentations attract non-Bahá’í media for advance publicity, direct coverage of the events themselves, interviews with visitors, and follow-up stories. And in each region, local Bahá’í talent and culture can be incorporated into the show, at once infusing new life into the Bahá’í communities visited and giving the presentations more local appeal.
Highway Department engineer Irving Ocasio de Leon (left) consults with a machine operator about a new access road at the Amoz Gibson Media Training Centre in Arecibo, Puerto Rico. The old road was damaged during a Highway Department feasibility study and rebuilt at no charge.
Successful Bahá’í social and economic development projects are the stuff of which good feature stories are made, in both print and electronic media. We should not count on others to do this important work for us, but rather become so skilled as to appeal directly to existing media channels. Wherever there is a Bahá’í-operated radio station, the local culture is promoted through festivals, indigenous musical groups, children’s art, dance and song, marathons, parades and similar events. Bahá’ís in other areas can initiate these activities as well, easily drawing favorable media coverage for a popular annual presentation. Thus a media event may in itself be a social or economic development activity, and vice versa.
As the Faith continues to grow and consolidate, opportunities to use the media effectively are ever more available. But media use should be much more systematic and focused upon proclamation, teaching and other Bahá’í-related goals, a process requiring new creativity, training, sophistication and dedication. If we make the effort, the rewards promise to be great as our Faith, now having emerged from obscurity, becomes the guiding force in the forward march of humanity.
Hawaii[edit]
Carol Padilla presents a framed certificate of tribute from the Bahá’ís of Honolulu, Hawaii, to Myron Thompson, president of the Polynesian Voyaging Society, to honor the voyages of the double-hulled canoe Hokule’a. More than 250 people including more than 20 of the Hokule’a’s crew attended the ceremony as the Neil Blaisdell Center in Honolulu. The program included a video record of the canoe’s second voyage of 16,000 miles that included stops in Tahiti, the Cook Islands, New Zealand, Tonga, Samoa and Rangiroa. The voyages have demonstrated that early Polynesians could have sailed the largest oceans using non-instrument navigation techniques.
The media[edit]
Village radio: opportunity knocking?[edit]
“Is there any greater blessing conceivable for a man, than that he should become the cause of the education, the development, the prosperity and honor of his fellow-creatures? No, by the Lord God! The highest righteousness of all is for blessed souls to take hold of the hands of the helpless and deliver them out of their ignorance and abasement and poverty, and with pure motives, and only for the sake of God, to arise and energetically devote themselves to the service of the masses, forgetting their own worldly advantage and working only to serve the general good.”
The above passage was written by ‘Abdu’l-Bahá in 1875, as part of a work now known as The Secret of Divine Civilization. In this remarkable discourse, the Master speaks of “establishing new bases for human happiness and creating and promoting new instrumentalities toward this end.” More than a century later, the Universal House of Justice mobilized the Bahá’í world for social and economic development activities:
“Now, after all the years of constant teaching activity, the Community of the Greatest Name has grown to the stage at which the processes of this development must be incorporated into its regular pursuits; particularly is action compelled by the expansion of the Faith in Third World countries where the vast majority of its adherents reside ... all, irrespective of circumstances or resources, are endowed with the capacity to respond in some measure; all can share; all can participate in the joint enterprise of applying more systematically the principles of the Faith to upraising the quality of human life.
| This article, “Village Radio,” was written by K. Dean Stephens, a member of the executive committee of the International Bahá’í Audio-Visual Centre (IBAVC) and professor of development communication at the Amoz Gibson Training Centre for Bahá’í Media in Arecibo, Puerto Rico. |
Students from the summer 1987 radio courses at the Amoz Gibson Training Centre in Arecibo, Puerto Rico, relax between sessions.
“Progress in the development field will largely depend on natural stirrings at the grassroots, and it should receive its driving force from those sources rather than from an imposition of plans and programs from the top. The major task of National Assemblies, therefore, is to increase the local communities’ awareness of needs and possibilities, and to guide and coordinate the efforts resulting from such awareness....” (Letter to the Bahá’ís of the world dated October 20, 1983)
Participatory community Bahá’í radio is one such possibility, offering a potent “instrumentality” for communication and development. The above paragraph continues:
“Already in many areas the friends are witnessing the confirmations of their initiatives in such pursuits as the founding of tutorial and other schools, the promotion of literacy, the launching of rural development programs, the inception of educational radio stations, and the operation of agricultural and medical projects. As they enlarge the scope of their endeavors, other modes of development will undoubtedly emerge.”
Bahá’í radio models[edit]
Three Bahá’í educational radio stations were on the air in 1983: medium wave (AM) and shortwave stations in Ecuador, and an AM unit in Peru. By 1987, the number had grown to eight stations worldwide, with the addition of AM facilities in Bolivia, Panama, Liberia and Chile, and an FM station
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in the United States. All these stations
serve communities of largely indigenous peoples, whether Guaymi or Mapuche Indians, rural blacks in the
southern U.S., tribal cultures in Liberia, or Quechua-speaking peoples
descended from the Inca Empire; all
broadcast in the languages of the people, promote the local culture, and
thrive on the participation of their audiences. In such aspects, village radio
can emulate these full-size stations,
performing the same services on a
smaller scale. But village radio, as presented here, is quite distinct in other
respects.
What is village radio?[edit]
Village radio is a small and informal broadcast station staffed by volunteers who are devoted to serving the needs of a community or area isolated from other means of communication, power and utilities. It consists of a low-power, low-cost, self-contained “table top” radio station capable of broadcasting to the village or region in question. The package outlined below features a 3- to 5-watt AM transmitter, but power levels can vary from fractions of a watt to hundreds, depending on conditions and desired coverage area. Various village radio models can broadcast on AM or FM, radiate from an antenna or be contained in a cable or wire. Very low power (milliwatt) transmitters, carrier current or closed circuit modes may not require a license in some areas; the legal requirements must be ascertained for each country and locale.
Village radio hardware[edit]
A typical village radio system broadcasts over a range of 10-20 km (6.5-13.5 miles) from a wire antenna and requires a government license to operate. Such a package includes a three- to five-watt AM transmitter tuned to an assigned frequency, a 12-volt studio complete with five-channel mixer, two D.C. servo turntables, two cassette players, table and floor microphones, and headsets. Also included are an an-
Commercial radio stations in various parts of the world may have an operating budget ranging to several hundred thousand dollars a year; the annual operating cost for a 1,000-watt Radio Bahá’í facility in South America is more like $24,000.
tenna tuning unit, wire and mounting hardware, extra cartridges, styli and other spare parts, tape stock, and portable cassette recorders for interviewing and gathering news of community interest, music, and folklore indigenous to the area. The package may also contain an alternate energy system including solar panels, batteries and lighting. A complete village station, with all studio and transmitter equipment, can fit atop a 75 x 150 cm (2.5 x 5 ft) table, with room to spare for papers and microphones.
Whereas an average station on the AM radio band transmits 1,000 to 5,000 watts of power, village radio might broadcast with 1 to 25 watts. On FM, South Carolina’s WLGI Radio radiates 50,000 watts; a village radio FM station might emit 50 watts. The cost of equipping a conventional 1,000-watt AM station varies from about $50,000 to $150,000; a five-watt village radio station could cost as little as $1,500 to $3,000 to equip. Commercial radio stations in various parts of the world may have an operating budget ranging to several hundred thousand dollars a year; the annual operating cost for a 1,000-watt Radio Bahá’í facility in South America is more like $24,000. On the other hand, a rural village station with volunteer staff could cost as little as $1,200 a year to operate. Comparisons are given in the chart at the bottom of this page.
Village radio costs and benefits[edit]
Under similar propagation conditions, a five-watt AM village transmitter can cover a 27 km (17.5 mile) radius, versus an 87 km (56.5 mile) radius of coverage for a 1,000-watt AM station. So, for an initial outlay of 1/25 the equipment cost compared to 1,000-watt Radio Bahá’í, a village station covering 1/3 the radius can be realized. Even de-rating village radio’s coverage to a 10-mile radius around the transmitter (to allow for a simple wire antenna), such a station can provide adequate coverage to most small communities and their immediate surroundings.
| EQUIPMENT COST | YEARLY OPERATING COST | RADIATED POWER | COVERAGE AREA |
| Commercial AM: $100,000 |
$100,000 | 1,000 watts | 23,800 km2 |
| Radio Bahá’í AM: $50,000 |
$24,000 | 1,000 watts | 23,800 km2 |
| Village Radio AM: $2,000 |
$1,200 | 5 watts | 2,300 km2 |
| Commercial FM: $200,000 |
$100,000 | 50,000 watts | 74,350 km2 |
| Village Radio FM: $5,000 |
$2,000 | 50 watts | 744 km2 |
Energy independence[edit]
Village radio can run entirely on 12-volt D.C. power. In areas without electric mains, the station comes equipped with its own energy source, one or more photovoltaic solar panels that charge a heavy-duty automotive battery during daylight hours. In an area with an average of six peak solar hours per day (clear sky, high-angle sunlight), one 40-watt solar panel sends a 15-amp charge to the battery, power that is sufficient to keep a five-watt station on the air for six to eight hours. In this example, the added cost of self-sufficiency is about $300; double that amount to maintain the station on the air for 12 hours under similar conditions.
“The Cause ... must now develop new ways and means of interesting the masses and teaching them, and both radio and moving pictures can be of very great help....”
“The Bahá’ís should not always be the last to take up new and obviously excellent methods, but rather the first, as this agrees with the dynamic nature of the Faith which is not only progressive, but holds within itself the seeds of an entirely new culture and civilization.” (Letters from Shoghi Effendi through his secretary to an individual believer, dated October 16, 1944, and May 5, 1946)
How can village radio serve a community?[edit]
Like its full-sized Radio Bahá’í counterpart, a village radio station can become an active part of the spiritual, cultural and material development of a community. Spiritually-oriented program fare can vary from light and indirect proclamation to direct teaching and consolidation, depending upon local needs and exposure. Short announcements might promote one of the principles of the Faith (world peace, equality of men and women, etc.); meditations can include a prayer or a Hidden Word; special offerings may be made for Feasts and Holy Days; broadcast firesides, interviews and round-table discussions might explore great themes such as God and His Messengers, and serve to answer listeners’ questions about the Faith of Bahá’u’lláh.
Cultural programming is apt to form the backbone of Bahá’í village radio. Most of its musical fare, for example, will probably come from the folklore, and may include a good deal of music performed and recorded locally. Village radio should strive to become the voice of the people and their traditions, promoting and helping such cultural activities as music festivals, drama and dance, harvest celebrations and other events of special significance. Communication should be “horizontal,” with local voices speaking local dialects. If the native language or certain traditional values are being forgotten, these can be supported and given worth by Radio Bahá’í. Interviews with respected older people may help the process considerably. The rhythm of the community should pulse in village radio, with every broadcast featuring programs and information of interest and concern to the local populace.
Nor should material and human education be neglected. If the base of the community’s economy is agriculture, regular communication should be devoted to that topic: how various crops are doing, what José did about his potato bugs, how to make compost, the long-range weather forecast, the current price of crops in the market place. Other programs might feature health, cottage industry, handicrafts, and home economics. A visiting specialist from abroad can be interviewed; so might a chief or school teacher from the next village. Popular programs on present Radio Bahá’í stations feature news of local events: a school activity, a dramatic presentation, the arrival of some needed supply, even of Pedro’s lost cow. Equally popular are “comunicados”—quite simply, messages from one person or community to another.
Students in the Amoz Gibson Training Centre’s radio broadcasting course in the summer of 1987 take a field trip to the Arecibo (Puerto Rico) Observatory, which houses the largest radio telescope in the world.
Informal, participatory radio[edit]
Perhaps the most important aspect of village radio is its natural, informal sound. If the voices on the air are those of local people—if the station is truly representative of the community—such a sound will take little effort to achieve. A low-power village station should not have to worry about production finesse; a slick, tight sound would probably sound foreign to the locale in any case. Intervals of “dead air” (silence) and even irregular broadcast schedules might be acceptable in a remote village setting. What matters most is that village radio become an institution of the community, an extension of the people’s communication process, and a tool for use in their development.
Facilities[edit]
As a consequence of its tiny size and informal sound, a village radio station can fit into almost any setting: a school or community hall, a Bahá’í Center, a
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private home. In the latter case, a caretaker family might provide shelter and
help operate the facility on a voluntary
basis, or in return for some solar electricity in their home. In addition to the
table space needed for the equipment,
an antenna line should be run from the
transmitter to the top of a tall post,
tree or nearby hill. If the station is to
be powered by solar energy, one or
more photovoltaic panels must be
mounted on a roof or frame angled toward the sun’s path (to the south in the
northern hemisphere, at an angle
slightly greater than north latitude). A
typical solar panel measures 30 x 120
cm (1 x 4 ft) and is wired to charge a
12-volt automotive battery near the
station equipment. If the home or Center is to receive electrification as well,
more panels and batteries may be required.
Village radio staff[edit]
As mentioned, a village radio operation might be staffed totally by volunteers, especially if a caretaker family can be found. At the beginning, broadcast time may be short, varying with the availability of persons to operate the equipment. As the station captures the spirit and loyalty of the community it serves, people to operate the equipment and serve in other capacities will emerge. One major activity involves recording live music, interviews and events in the field for later replay on the air. The basic tool for such “outside broadcasts” is a simple cassette recorder: concert-hall quality is not the objective. What does matter is that people hear themselves and their neighbors on the air, that they accept “ownership” of the station.
Laura Schell from WLGI Radio Bahá’í in South Carolina ‘interviews’ Bob Posthlethwaite during the summer 1987 radio broadcasting course at the Amoz Gibson Training Centre in Arecibo, Puerto Rico.
Organization and administration[edit]
Village radio can be organized in several distinct ways. A local Spiritual
... it can be seen that a low-power AM station covering a given area costs less to acquire and operate than a comparable FM station. Moreover, AM radio receivers are generally more universally available, and at lower cost than FM.
Assembly may serve as host and administrator, essentially following the pattern of larger Radio Bahá’í operations on a more local scale. However, a local Bahá’í community considering such an idea should first consult with the National Spiritual Assembly of its country, since the licensing and ownership of a radio station has many national-level implications. Another possible organizational structure involves an existing community council or similar secular body; in this case, the Bahá’ís of the area would participate along with others. A station could also be owned and operated by a school, farmers’ cooperative or other agency for development, or by an individual or corporation.
In any case, the entity administering village radio should set general policy, monitor progress, keep an ear to the needs of the community as well as the goals of the station, keep the staff stimulated and happy, and serve as a clearing-house for suggestions, recommendations and grievances. If the project is managed by a local Spiritual Assembly, that body would receive guidance and direction from the Bahá’í administration as well.
Options and models[edit]
Village radio models may be classified as private, institutional or public; commercial, cultural or educational, depending on legal constraints and the situation in any community. In some countries, licensing procedures may be long and complicated, without distinction from larger stations. In others, experimental licenses or certain waived requirements may be a possibility. There exist “wired” village models that may not require any licensing other than community permission; this must be carefully researched in each instance.
From the chart on page 8, it can be seen that a low-power AM station covering a given area costs less to acquire and operate than a comparable FM station. Moreover, AM radio receivers are generally more universally available, and at lower cost, than FM. For these reasons, AM is generally the medium of choice where possible. In some regions, however, low-power FM licenses are available, while AM franchises are impossible to obtain, usually because of crowded conditions on the AM broadcast band. Either AM or FM can be used for micro-power broadcast or wired systems, both at similar entrycost levels.
Who should consider village radio?[edit]
Shoghi Effendi (in Messages to America, p. 24) speaks of “... the model Bahá’í community—a community divinely ordained, organically united, clear-visioned, vibrant with life, and whose very purpose is regu-
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Bob Brown mans the control board in the Amoz Gibson Training Centre’s production lab during the summer 1987 radio broadcasting course.
lated by the twin directing principles of the worship of God and of service to one’s fellow-men.”
Any Bahá’í social and economic development project should be a natural outcome of needs, desires and organic growth within the Bahá’í community itself, benefiting in turn a larger segment of the general populace. Moreover, any project undertaken must be able to sustain itself and gain momentum, not collapse after an initial surge from lack of human or material resources. The important principle is that “... the spiritual precedes the material. First comes the illumination of hearts and minds by the Revelation of Bahá’u’lláh, and then the grass roots stirring of the believers wishing to apply these teachings to the daily life of their community.” (The Universal House of Justice, letter to a National Spiritual Assembly dated May 1, 1984)
Village radio presents a development option to Bahá’í communities that have reached a certain plateau of spiritual unity and administrative maturity. By mid-1987, one Bahá’í community had made application through its National Spiritual Assembly to the government for a license to operate a village radio station in an isolated indigenous area, and several others had projects under consideration. If your community is interested in a village radio project, here are some questions to consult upon:
Six questions[edit]
- Is there widespread interest and support for such a venture in this Bahá’í community? Do we have the base of Bahá’í activities, especially teaching, to justify the venture?
- Is village radio a legal possibility here? Would it be a worthy undertaking in this community? Are there genuine needs that such a project could fill? Is the community likely to accept the station? Would they be content with a Radio Bahá’í type of operation, or would they require a more secular structure?
- Do we have the human resources available to proceed with a long and often involved licensing process? Are there Bahá’ís who would help in legal, programming, technical or other areas?
- Are there sufficient persons who could be counted on to operate the station seven days a week, year after year?
- What about material resources? A typical village radio station might cost $3,000 to buy and install (excluding licensing and other legal fees), and $1,200 or more per year to operate, even with a volunteer staff. Are we certain of such funding?
- Is village radio cost-effective? Would the same expenditure of human and material resources in another project result in greater gain to the Bahá’í and secular communities?
Further information[edit]
If the answers to these questions are affirmative, the Bahá’í community should consult with its National Spiritual Assembly. One agency that can lend assistance in all phases of village radio—feasibility studies, licensing, engineering and installation, programming, staff and management training, and technical operation—is the International Bahá’í Audio-Visual Centre. A village radio “owners’ manual” now being prepared will probably be distributed by the Centre. Here are addresses for three IBAVC offices willing and able to serve:
IBAVC Central Office, 7200 Leslie St., Thornhill, Ontario L3T 6L8, Canada.
IBAVC Radio Operations, Apartado 1794, Maracaibo, Venezuela.
Amoz Gibson Training Centre, HC 02, Box 14765, Arecibo, Puerto Rico 00612.
“Ultimately, the call to action is addressed to the individual friends, whether they be adult or youth, veteran or newly-enrolled. Let them step forth to take their places in the arena of service where their talents and skills, their specialized training, their material resources, their offers of time and energy and, above, all, their dedication to Bahá’í principles, can be put to work in improving the lot of man.” (The Universal House of Justice to the Bahá’ís of the world, October 20, 1983)
Korea[edit]
A marriage Tablet revealed by ‘Abdu’l-Bahá is read at the recent wedding ceremony of Kim Jun-ho and Chon Kum-soon (foreground), the first Bahá’í marriage ceremony ever performed on Cheju Island, Korea. It also took place without any other kind of wedding ceremony, an historic first for the Faith in Korea. About 100 guests attended the ceremony.
Brazil[edit]
School of Nations marks seventh year[edit]
August 1987 marked the seventh year of operation of the School of the Nations, a Bahá’í-run international school in Brasilia, Brazil, and the opening of the new school year in its recently completed building.
The new building has three classroom modules, a large cafeteria and an administration center. Within the classroom modules are 15 classrooms, a library and a science/art room. Each module is built around an inner garden area connected to all three modules by extensive covered walkways.
The playgrounds consist of a sand and climbing equipment area for younger children, a grassy field for soccer and baseball, and a hard-surface court with spectator benches. The cafeteria also serves as an auditorium with stage and piano which has been used continuously since August, the inau-
The school has 3,600 library books for children and 1,000 volumes in the professional library for teachers as well as two color television sets, two video cassette players (VHS and Beta), a sound system, and filmstrip and overhead projectors.
gural stage production having been a play presented by the teachers for the children.
The school has 3,600 library books for children and 1,000 volumes in the professional library for teachers as well as two color television sets, two video cassette players (VHS and Beta), a sound system, and filmstrip and overhead projectors.
A front view of the Escola das Nacões (School of the Nations) in Brasilia, Brazil, which marked its seventh anniversary in August 1987.
In January 1987 the school began a Suzuki method string program for interested children to complement the Kodaly method in singing and music theory given in the classroom from kindergarten through eighth grade. Next August, the school plans to open its high school.
The program in all grades is bi-lingual, with half the day taught in Portuguese and the other half in English. International students receive an additional eight hours of English instruction per week.
The Iowa Basic Skills tests show that 77 per cent of the school’s seventh- and eighth-grade students are above the grade level in achievement. For the first time last year, the science test was also given, and it was found that 66 per cent of the students were two years above their grade level, while among that group, 77 per cent were three years above. The school attributes these results to (1) the bi-lingual program, which gives a “double dose” of such subjects as science and math; (2) the children of 35 nationalities who attend the school, broadening everyone’s awareness; (3) the special attention paid to children with learning difficulties and the consideration given to everyone’s individual differences; and (4) the Bahá’í prayers that begin each day and the universal concepts that are included and studied within the curriculum.
Curriculum writing is a constant and ongoing process among the Bahá’í staff; at present, staff members are studying the application of scientific principles elucidated by ‘Abdu’l-Bahá in His writings and talks and applying them in the science program. For example, in astrophysics, His well-known comparison of magnetism to love could be used when speaking of the formation of atoms in the creation of
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Above: Students and teachers at the
School of the Nations in Brasilia,
Brazil. Below: Colorfully costumed students at a fair sponsored by the
seven-year-old school.
stars. “You mean to tell us,” one little girl asked, “that love is the cause of the universe?” The School of the Nations encourages thorough freedom in the investigation of such themes.
This year, aided by the new physical plant, the traditional United Nations celebration the week of October 24 was especially successful. As a social service, the children decided to raise money for UNICEF’s abandoned children programs. The annual Parade of Nations was held with children either in costumes from their countries or in a national costume of their choice. This was followed by a short program of peace songs and plays, after which the fair began. Each classroom designed and manned a booth, selling food, handicrafts or games; older children designed more than one. A popular booth was the Elegant Mail Service, in which beautifully crafted messages were written and sent from one friend to another for a small fee. Clowns were everywhere, thanks to a dozen handmade clown suits donated to the school by a Bahá’í from the United States. Parents helped by running a flea market which sold everything from Paraguayan straw hats to Polish folkdance records, while local businesses donated gifts for a raffle.
On November 5 an international dinner was held with entertainment presented by the older children consisting of peace plays and a chorus with violin accompaniment. Afterward, the student body presented a check for the equivalent of $1,000 to the director of UNICEF in Brazil. News of the presentation was carried on national TV to all parts of the country. In his remarks, the director of UNICEF said the gift signified “children-to-children” participation, that it would sustain a program in Brasilia for a month, and that it heightened his respect not only for the School of the Nations but for the Bahá’í community whom he had grown to love. About 250 people attended the presentation ceremony.
The school is presently in great need of English-speaking teachers, with training and experience, from kindergarten through high school. The school seeks unmarried teachers, pays passage to and from home base after two years of service, and offers a salary of $7,000 a year (reasonable for living in Brazil) plus a housing allowance. Please send inquiries to the Board of Directors, Escola das Nacões, Caixa Postal 7093, Brasilia, D.F. Brazil 71600.
The world[edit]
Nigeria’s Olinga campaign enrolls 353[edit]
The first week of the Olinga teaching campaign in Eket, Nigeria, carried out by 20 dedicated Nigerian Bahá’ís, brought 14 new Assemblies into being and raised up 353 new believers in the “heart of the Christian area,” according to a telex received last December 10 at the World Centre from the National Spiritual Assembly of Nigeria.
The relationship between the Bahá’ís of Nigeria and the traditional rulers of Bendel State continues to deepen.
Last December the Prime Minister of Oghara, Chief Agunu, received a delegation of 20 Bahá’ís from the Harmattan Bahá’í School, talking with them for an hour and a half. He asked for a Bahá’í to come each week or two to the palace to help him deepen in the Bahá’í Writings.
The chief accepted an invitation to visit the school the following Saturday, arriving on schedule with four of his chiefs, all wearing white robes, white hats and coral beads. They stayed for an hour while prayers were offered in Hausa, Yoruba, Igbo, Ibidio and English, and a Bahá’í choir sang three songs.
As requested by the Bahá’ís on their visit to him, Chief Agunu addressed the school in his flawless English on the topics of traditional Urhobo marriages and the yam festivals.
An Auxiliary Board member has been asked by the National Assembly to be the chief’s teacher. The National Assembly has assigned a teacher to each of the chiefs in Bendel State to provide deepening on a personal basis, as they are unable to attend general meetings.
Last December another traditional ruler in Nigeria was enrolled in the Faith. He is Chief S.A. Iduwe, the Enogle of Obe, hereditary king of the Obe Clan.
The chief, whose wife and sister have also been enrolled, said he plans to be an active Bahá’í. All three attended classes last December at the Harmattan Bahá’í School.
The chief has endorsed a mass teaching project for Obe whose goal is the establishment of nine Assemblies, one in each village.
The recent enrollment in the Faith of the traditional ruler of Ekpoma, Bendel State, marks the ninth such dignitary to enlist in the Cause in Nigeria. The traditional rulers are highly respected personages in Bendel State.
South Africa[edit]
Lowell Johnson (left), author/editor of the art biography book ‘Reginald Turvey, Life and Art’ presents a copy to the executive director of the 1820 Settlers Foundation in Grahamstown, South Africa, during an arts festival there. More than 2,000 people learned about the Faith at a retrospective exhibit of Mr. Turvey’s paintings sponsored by the National Spiritual Assembly of South Africa as a social and economic development project. Mr. Turvey, a descendant of the British settlers who came to South Africa as pioneers in 1820, was called by the Guardian ‘the father of the Bahá’ís of South Africa.’
Panama[edit]
United Nations Day was celebrated last October 24 by the Bahá’ís of Panama with a program at the House of Worship followed by a talk on the promulgation of peace by Bahá’í Oscar Torrez.
India[edit]
An adult education program, begun in 1984 by the New Era High School’s Rural Development Program in Panchgani, India, has developed rapidly and drew praise in a recent evaluation by representatives of the central government’s Ministry of Human Resource Development, which said, ‘We have one of the good adult literacy programs in the country.’ In 1984, 30 centers were opened with 900 adult students, 750 of whom were women. By 1986 the program had expanded to 60 centers. There are presently 60 teachers, 43 of them women, who receive regular training and support from the New Era Development Institute. Pictured above are members of a teacher training class held at the Institute.
On January 31, at the invitation of Archbishop Angelo Fernandes and members of the Development, Justice and Peace Commission of Delhi Archdiocese, the National Spiritual Assembly of India sent a representative, A.K. Merchant, to the Multi-Religious Prayer Meeting for Peace held at the Convent of Jesus & Mary, Bangla Sahib Marg.
Included in the second half of the program were prayers by members of various faiths including Buddhist, Christian, Jewish, Sikh and Bahá’í.
The Faith was introduced as dedicated to the oneness of mankind, world peace, and the establishment of a “new World Order.”
The prayer meeting coincided with the 40th anniversary of the martyrdom of Mahatma Gandhi.
Hushmand Fatheazam, a member of the Universal House of Justice, is pictured after laying the foundation stone last September at the Bahá’í Publishing Trust-owned plot at Okhla Industrial Area, Phase-I, New Delhi, India, where the production unit of the Bahá’í Publishing Trust of India is soon to be constructed.
A seminar on Religion in the Arts was held last October 24 at Bahá’í House, New Delhi, the national Bahá’í headquarters, with the participation of 40 students from Delhi University and 10 Bahá’í youth.
The event was co-sponsored by the National Spiritual Assembly of India and the World Conference on Religion for Peace (India), at the latter’s suggestion.
Speakers included the secretary of the National Spiritual Assembly, R.N. Shah, and Dr. A.K. Merchant who spoke from his 12 years’ experience as a student and active member of the Faith about the transforming effect of religious truth on human thought and action.
Zimbabwe[edit]
More than 100 people attended a celebration last November 12 of the anniversary of the Birth of Bahá’u’lláh held at the home of a Bahá’í in Harare, Zimbabwe. Among the guests were the Permanent Secretary of Information, representatives of the Department of Women’s Affairs, and a member of the City Council. After readings and the song ‘Blessed Is the Spot,’ a brief talk on the Faith was presented.
Malaysia[edit]
The Spiritual Assembly of Hilir Perak, Malaysia, held a peace conference last November, one of the few public functions approved by the police in the wake of a recent ban on public gatherings.
The District Officer officiated, giving a supportive address on creating peace awareness.
One hundred-fourteen participants, 67 of whom were not Bahá’ís, were registered for the day-long event. Each was given a copy of the summary of the Universal House of Justice’s peace statement and a report from the Bahá’í International Community. All peace topics were handled by the speakers in a most effective way, with one non-Bahá’í speaker taking most of her text from the Bahá’í Writings on peace.
Two local Assemblies in Malaysia, the city Assembly of Kota Kinabalu and the rural Assembly of Kota Mardu, collaborated with the Metro Lions Club last September to carry out a rural health screening project.
Bahá’ís spread the word and put up two posters in advance, and as a result, more than 200 rural people turned up at a community hall for the screening.
The Lions Club brought a physician, two dentists, a nurse and medical supplies. Bahá’ís from Kota and Kinabalu helped while screening for diabetes and visual problems was carried out, teeth were extracted, check-ups were given, parasites treated, and vitamins distributed.
St. Vincent/Grenadines[edit]
Residents of St. Vincent and the Grenadines recently had the chance to attend a Bahá’í meeting without leaving home.
The historic meeting, held at the Bahá’í National Center, was broadcast live on radio—the Bahá’í community’s first opportunity to take part in the station’s weekly “Divine Worship Service” broadcast.
More than 20 adults and children attended the event which included prayers, a reading on unity from the writings of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, songs in English and Zulu, and a four-part discussion on the theme of unity.
Alban Ballantyne (who explained that the Faith has no clergy) was master of ceremonies and gave a brief introduction to the Faith.
Alaska[edit]
The National Spiritual Assembly of Alaska presented its 1987 Honor Kempton Service to Humanity Award to Norman Nault, director of the Kenaitze Indian Tribe.
Among the 116 people who attended the presentation ceremony in Anchorage were Counsellor Lauretta King and all nine members of the National Spiritual Assembly.
Letters were received from the lieutenant governor, senators, legislators, friends and family members for inclusion in the commemorative album that is given to each recipient with pictures of the event.
Rita Pitka Blumenstein, a Yup’ik tradition bearer originally from Tununak on Nelson Island, was presented the 1987 Governor’s Award for the Arts, which is given annually to individuals and organizations who have made significant contributions to the arts in Alaska.
Mrs. Blumenstein, a Bahá’í from Palmer, is a dedicated teacher who has shared her knowledge of basketry, skin sewing, story-telling and Yup’ik dancing with hundreds of people in Alaska, Europe, Canada and South America.
She presently teaches in the community college in Palmer and in the Johnson O’Malley (Indian education) programs in the public schools.
Vanuatu[edit]
Encouraged by the Bahá’í International Community to build friendly relations with United Nations entities, the National Spiritual Assembly of Vanuatu sponsored UN Day meetings last year in two Bahá’í Centers—in Vila, the capital, and in Lenakel, on the island of Tanna.
Six weeks earlier, the National Assembly’s representatives from Efate and Tanna met with the acting head of ESCAP (Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific) to plan their collaboration in the UN day observances.
Meetings in both places followed a similar pattern: uplifting prayers and music, talks on the UN/Bahá’í relationship, and UN displays and video materials.
New Zealand[edit]
A major National Bahá’í Teaching Conference was held for the first time last October on a Maori marae (meeting place) in New Zealand.
Counsellor Lisiate Maka of Tonga, a special guest, was given the customary welcome with full Maori protocol, to which he responded in his native tongue.
The 540 friends attending included Maori, Tongan, Samoan, Persian and Pakeha (European) Bahá’ís of New Zealand and individuals from other Pacific Island groups—Tuvalu, Cook Islands, Vanuatu, Solomon Islands and the Philippines.
The National Assembly of New Zealand called the gathering a “hallmark conference” symbolizing a transition the New Zealand community is passing through.
The 335 Bahá’ís who gathered the first week in January at the North Island Summer School in Pukekohe, New Zealand, included believers from Tonga, Samoa, Japan, Australia, the Cook Islands, Papua New Guinea, Vanuatu, Fiji, and New Zealand in the Pacific region.
Other participants were natives of Iran, Iraq, Peru, Malaysia and South Africa.
A deeper understanding of the Covenant was the focus of the study, and the large group of children and youth were praised for their exemplary behavior.
Bangladesh[edit]
The Bahá’í National Teaching Committee of Bangladesh organized a seven-day deepening institute last October 25-31 in Dhaka.
About 30 Bahá’ís from 15 communities attended the institute. Most were relatively new Bahá’ís, and classes on many basic topics relating to the Faith were held. Among the participants were six Bahá’ís from the Marma tribe in Chittagong.
A highlight of the institute was the presence at a unity feast October 24 of Counsellor Mas’ud Khamsi, a member of the International Teaching Centre in Haifa, who inspired the friends with news of the progress of the Faith around the world and also spoke about the importance of deepening one’s knowledge of the Faith.
Also attending and taking part in many classes was Shamseer Ali, an Auxiliary Board member from Pakistan and the representative of Counsellor Sábir Áfáqí.
The closing ceremony was conducted by Auxiliary Board member Masumul Huda who called on the friends to feel the great responsibility that is on their shoulders to carry the Message of Bahá’u’lláh to every area of the country and to be steadfast in His Cause.
The institute ended with the distribution by Mr. Khamsi of rose petals from the Holy Land.
A report received last November from Bangladesh indicates that members of the Rajshahi tribe were enrolled in the Faith in great numbers in October: 150 (the entire village) in Bagdi, and 97 in Kushtia.
Costa Rica[edit]
His Excellency Oscar Arrias (right), president of Costa Rica and winner of the 1987 Nobel Peace Prize, receives a copy of the peace statement by the Universal House of Justice. The presentation was made last October 7 by Counsellor Rodrigo Tomás and Mrs. Helen de Sanchez, secretary of the National Spiritual Assembly of Costa Rica. The president was given ‘The Promise of World Peace’ in Spanish and a special English-language edition prepared in Canada and titled ‘To the Peoples of the World.’ Only one week after the presentation, President Arias was awarded the Nobel Prize.
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