Tending the Garden/Africa-shifting of gears

[Page 157]

AFRICA — SHIFTING OF GEARS

AT the end of 1957, a shock jolted the Baha’i world. The beloved Guardian had passed away, following a short illness. In one letter Rosemary writes:

Emeric and | recalled our Feast that night of November 3rd in our apartment in Port Elizabeth. ... For some strange reason, after we had dispersed, | suddenly said, “Why we did not say the prayer for the Guardian!” Somehow, our prayer seemed to be said with more feeling, as, unknown to us, the beloved Guardian was passing from this world to the next. It is the prayer which he himself composed and asked us all to say for him:

“O God, bestow upon Shoghi Effendi all the strength and vigor that will enable him to pursue, over a long and unbroken period of strenuous labor, the supreme task of achieving, in collaboration with the friends in every land, the mighty triumph of the Cause of Baha'u'llah.”

Then his appeal, linking us so intimately with him and his efforts:

“Gracious Master, overlook our weaknesses and failings and make us worthier and better servants of thine.’?

This last appeal truly reflects the divine humility of the beloved Guardian making us one with him in his efforts, our “true brother’.

Among Rosemary’s papers is a moving document sent to the pioneers. It consists of notes taken at a meeting held by the Hands of the Cause in London, in the days after the Guardian’s passing.

You have no idea how you, the pioneers, have thrilled and assured us by your wonderful response. So many of you have expressed a redoubled dedication to the goals of the Crusade, and your loyalty to the Hands of the Cause.

We believe you would also like to have a few notes taken at the meeting held by the Hands of the Cause in London, on November 10th(1957). Crowded into the rooms [Page 158]158 AFRICA—SHIFTING OF GEARS

of the Hazirat’ul-Quds were Baha'is from many countries, united in their common grief. Here are some of the things that were said.

Tarazullah Samandari chanted a tablet revealed by ‘Abdu’l-Baha three years after Baha’u'llah’s death, full of precepts to be always united ...

After moving us to tears by accounts of some of his last talks with the Guardian about the Guardian’s tremendous load of work and about the amount the Baha'is could do “if they would have the strength and the power to release themselves’, Leroy loas asked for such a rededication as would enable us to excel the goals of the Crusade ...

General Shu’a’u'llah Ala’i reminded us that unity can never be had except under the Baha'i institutions, and advised us to abide by these institutions, the “achievement of which was the life-work of the beloved Guardian.” ...

For our consolation, Dhrikru’llah Khadem quoted from ... an early tablet of the Guardian's on the passing of the Master: “When the clouds pass from the face of the sun, the sun gives more light. The clouds are nothing but the physical temple of the Master.’ Mr. Khadem said, “We will witness even greater victories in the days to come.” Along this line, Mr. loas said, “The power of a great soul after passing is a thousand times greater than when on earth.’

The climax of the meeting was the entrance of Ruhiyyih Khanum, rising above her own supreme bereavement to comfort the grief of others. She described the last days and the death of Shoghi Effendi, an official account of which we will all have in time. Before anointing us with attar of rose, she pleaded with us for love and unity. “The Cause is not based on rules and regulations, but on unity, on the love Baha'is have toward each other. Except in a few instances, we have never had unity. Go out and unite the Baha'is, comfort the Baha’fs, love the Baha’is.”*

Rosemary writes of visiting the Robarts family, and hearing Hand of the Cause, John Robarts talk about the time after the passing of the Guardian.

John told us about the Bahji Conference. There were 23 Hands present. Horace Holley has left the States and will live in Haifa. He is old, but so wise says John. Alice Kidder (remember?—Elizabeth Ober’s twin sister) lives with Ruhiyyih Khénum in the Master’s home, where the Guardian lived. They eat their meals together and invite the other Hands over for dinner in turns. John says Alice has helped Ruhiyyih Khanum and Paul and [Page 159]AFRICA—SHIFTING OF GEARS 159

Marjorie Haney, Leroy and Millie with her wonderful osteopathic treatments. John told us that Ruhiyyih Khanum felt so shocked and depressed after the Guardian's death, that the fine Jewish doctor who attended the Guardian and came to examine her asked, “Madame Rabbani, are you a Baha’ of your own conviction or because your husband was one?” That made her realize that depression had no place in [her] life! ... John is more wonderful than ever! He and the mantle of a Hand are one.°

S11

In January 1961, Rosemary and Emeric attended the dedication of the first House of Worship on the African continent—in Kampala, Uganda.

Nov. 2, 1960 Emeric and | have been arranging our itinerary for Kampala in January. It will be such a joy to meet whom we want, go where we wish without fear and restrictions!®

In this article on the Kampala Conference Rosemary writes about the ‘Temple, the Guardian's travels in Africa, the story of Enoch Olinga, and finally, the gift of a spear:

The Temple rests serene and lovely on its hilltop, the blue green of its dome taking colour from and adding colour to the sky and trees around it. The open doors, the latticed stone walls, the spaces filled with delicate green, blue and lemon glass add to the airy spaciousness and light which the sight of the Temple gives. Therein is space, immense space in which the soul of man can reach out and stretch up towards God. ...

That afternoon, the Conference began. Rihiyyih Khanum spoke, thrilling the friends with the announcement that the Guardian, with her, had travelled the whole length of Africa from Cape Town to Cairo. It happened that they were stranded in Europe in 1940, at the beginning of the war and had had to take a boat to Cape Town, then travel up Africa to reach Haifa! They were in Cape Town, Durban, Johannesburg, Pretoria, Mafeking, Bulawayo, Livingstone to visit the Victoria Falls, Stanleyville. Then Shoghi Effendi had hired a car to drive to the source of the Nile to take a boat up the Nile to Cairo. We all clapped at this announcement and the Teso believers burst into song with the nine-fold “Baha'u'llah” in their beautiful resonant voices. ... [Page 160]160 AFRICA—SHIFTING OF GEARS

At the close of this session, Musa Banani, our beloved first Hand of the Cause in Africa ... moved to the front and spoke simply and movingly about Enoch Olinga. Enoch Olinga was not present because of the unrest in the British Cameroons. This was a great disappointment to us all, so Mr. Banani tried to console us with the following stories:

Mr. Banani related that on his pilgrimage to Haifa in 1953, after spending a year in Africa, the Guardian asked him how many African believers there were in East Africa. Mr. Banani replied, “Two”. The Guardian then said that they both must pray at the Shrines for more declarations. This they did.

The next day a cable came saying that the third believer had been confirmed. His name was Enoch Olinga. He had been raised up through the prayers of the Guardian, though his future station as a Hand of the Cause was not to be revealed until four years later.

The following is that story: In 1957, Enoch Olinga arrived on a teaching visit to Kampala ... All his clothes had been stolen from him. The friends were able to provide him with shirts, but nowhere could he get trousers large enough to fit him. At last Mr. Banani suggested he wear a pair of his trousers ... Enoch Olinga was shocked at the suggestion that he should wear a garment worn by a Hand of the Cause, he felt too unworthy. A few days later came the cable from the Guardian announcing Enoch Olinga as a Hand of the Cause.

Enoch read it silently, went into his bedroom and locked the door. The friends could hear the great sobs which issued from the room. For three days Enoch Olinga remained secluded and then appeared among them, another being. ...

A moving incident took place. One of the many Teso believers present came forward, carrying an eight-foot spear upright in his hand. He spoke in Teso thus:

“In my country we have a saying that a youth does not become a man until he has made a spear with which he can protect his home. This spear is a symbol of the protection of the word of God. The Teso people would like to know more of this Word of Baha'u'llah through more translations so that they will have greater protection. The Teso people wish to give this spear to Ruhiyyih Khanum as a sign that we wish the protection of Baha'u'llah to go with her wherever she may be.”

As the believer turned to give the spear to Rihiyyih Khanum and she arose to receive it, the whole audience, truly one great family, arose also, clapping their hands. Ruhiyyih Khanum unpinned the red and white carnation she was wearing on her dress, [Page 161]AFRICA—SHIFTING OF GEARS 161

(taken from the silver vases on the table at the Temple Dedication) and pinned them onto the khaki shirt of the gift-bearer. We all sat down, then Rhiyyih Khanum spoke very movingly of the past gifts she had received from the African friends, and how much she treasured them, especially the drum she had received in 1958. She described how in harassed or troubled moments she would go to her room, beat upon the drum and hear in its voice the love of the friends of Africa, and be comforted. Her voice broke and trembled, while we all sat silent, tears in our eyes. ... It was a moment of great love and unity. Translations did not disturb, the spirit was so perfect.

As there was no successor to the Guardian, in the years following his passing the Hands of the Cause directed the affairs of the Baha'i world. In 1963, the Ten Year Crusade ended victoriously, reinforced by many new members. All goals had been won or surpassed, with hundreds of new territories now open to the Faith. The number of national administrative bodies—National Spiritual Assemblies—had multiplied from 12 at the beginning of the Crusade, to 56 at its end. The time had come for the birth of the institution ordained by Baha'u'llah—the Universal House of Justice. The election took place in the home of 'Abdu'l-Baha in Haifa. Immediately, the Hands of the Cause relinquished their custodianship of the Baha'i community to the newly elected institution of the Universal House of Justice.

Months before, Rosemary wrote a friend about the events to take place during Ridvan, 1963—the election of the Universal House of Justice in Haifa, which would be followed by the First World Congress in London, England.

April 26, 1962

Will we be seeing you in London this time next year? What an experience that will be! Though it will bring in the Universal House of Justice, | feel akin to the believers who passed from the days of the Master to the days of the Guardian. There is no division in the world of reality but there is a shifting of gear, a line of transition which makes me conscious of the new phase. Thank God there is a new generation growing up to adapt itself wholeheartedly to this phase which will include oldsters like myself. We are all part of the whole but inevitably we move from the hub to the perimeter. The exciting and fascinating process of life.’ [Page 162]162 AFRICA—SHIFTING OF GEARS

Words similar to Rosemary’s could be uttered today as “old-timers” watch the youth adapt wholeheartedly to new phases in the expanding Baha’i community. As I write this, a small number of young Bahd’is are visiting people in one of Montreal’s neighbourhoods, sharing with those who are interested the various activities taking place nearby—gatherings for devotions, classes of spiritual education for children, regular meetings of young adolescents, meetings for spiritual study. Youth in their 20s are at the forefront of supervising and planning. A new phase, a shift of gear has again taken place. The youth are moment-to-moment in touch with their new friends and with each other by cellphone, text and social media. We “oldsters”stand back somewhat in awe, helping as much as we can, as we move to the perimeter.

In 1963, from 28 April to 2 May, some 6000 Bahdis gathered at Royal Albert Hall in London, England for the first Bahai World Congress. They came from around the world to commemorate Baha’u'llah’s announcement of His mission 100 years before, to rejoice in the victories of the Ten Year Crusade and to welcome the newly elected Universal House of Justice. En route to the Congress, Emeric met a friend who had news about one of his relatives.

At the London airport we met an old friend, Gertrude Bloom, pioneer in the Solomon Islands in the South Pacific who told me that in Sydney a relative of mine had become a Baha’. | knew of no Australian relatives.

After the conference, Rosemary and Emeric visited Emeric’s cousin, Feri Steiner, who had lost nearly all his family in the Holocaust. Only a sister and a niece survived. That niece, Eva, along with her husband, Fred Grant, had joined the Baha’ Faith. They had done so halfway around the world in Australia, not knowing that a branch of the family in Canada had also become Baha'is. At a joyful moment during the 2nd Baha'i World Congress in New York City nearly 30 years later, Eva, her son John and | met for the first time. Her husband, Fred Grant, had passed away a few years before. With the wonders of the computer age, we remain in close contact.

Other meetings took place at that first Congress. Rosemary made a note that this postcard was sent in 1964, not in regular mail, but through

friends. It came from Bah@a’is in Baghdad, Iraq. [Page 163]AFRICA—SHIFTING OF GEARS 163

My dear Baha’ sister and brother

It is one year past to our meeting from Congress of Baha'i in London ... It was best gift from Baha'u'llah to give us these meetings after hundred year, how can we thank this valuable gift. My family and | sending for you and your kind husband our warm congratulations for the coming of Ridvan for both of you.

Your sister

“

‘There were opportunities to travel. One trip was described in 4 Ten Year Crusade Diary for Southern Africa:

Rosemary Sala informed her husband, Emeric, that she was going on a teaching trip to the Islands next June whether he goes or not. That afternoon he told his friend Mrs. Tate that he would be visiting the Islands soon. (Editor’s note: Emeric was so immersed in _ his import-export business that sometimes Rosemary had to use shock tactics to break through his concentration, but he was very good natured about it when it happened — he would smile, make a mental note of it and carry on.)”®

Emeric reported on that 1962 visit to several islands in the Indian Ocean:

There were 400 Baha'is on Mauritius, of Indian, Moslem, Chinese, Creole and French extraction. We stayed in the house of Pouva Murday one night. Their hospitality was disarming. On our last night the friends organized a farewell party—sumptuous supper, calypso songs, music, dance, specially composed songs for the occasion...

(In Reunion) we made friends with Abdoul Gangate, an Indian Moslem, 22, native of Reunion. All he has of this earth is his island of 30 by 40 miles, and Mauritius, which is still smaller. He speaks only French and some Arabic. His schooling was sketchy. And yet at 22, he appeared to me at least as wise and mature as | am (which is not much) at 56, in spite of my world travels. We discussed the finer points of the Faith, life and death, marriage and business, and | was amazed at his perception. We spoke to each other as | would to an old Baha’ of my age. He had only been attracted to the Faith. Now, he said, he is going to sign his card. [Page 164]164 AFRICA—-SHIFTING OF GEARS

At last, Rosemary and Emeric had the opportunity to visit the Comoro Islands, the original goal suggested by Shoghi Effendi which had been

impossible for them achieve. Emeric continues his report:

..we got into a DC3 which was to take us to the islands of Dzaudzi, Majotte, Anjuan and Grand Comore, which was our final destination. About half of the plane’s seats were removed and used for cargo. The passengers were Comoriennes, some in Arab costumes, some women veiled...The flight was bumpy and uncomfortable in this small, old, and not too clean two-engined plane. But we were to see our Comoro Islands.

... Finally, after 4 hours, we landed in Moroni, the only town of the four islands. ... a very charming Malgache Baha'i, who works in the Bank — there is only one — drove us through the town. It consists of two streets, paved, and a few narrow alleys. ... It has two mosques, a port where a large steamer arrived every three months, a hospital with one French and two Malgache doctors. There is only one dentist who stays on each island 3 months only of each year. ...

The next day we met a Frenchman ... who after an 8-year contract in the Comoros, returned to France for good. He could not stand Paris and its materialism and tensions. He decided to return. He is employed by one of the companies, bought a house 4 km out of Moroni—in a palm forest—got engaged to a Creole girl, and appeared very happy with the idea to remain in Moroni for the rest of his life. After that I looked at the island with different eyes and admit that if we were meant to settle there we could have made it. But | thank Providence for being in Port Elizabeth.”

A few years later, in 1966, Emeric went alone on a three-week journey through five countries of West Africa.

Leaving Johannesburg on a Pan-American jet | found four Africans sitting in front of me. They were students on scholarship from Swaziland on their way to America. Since the Allens were very successful teachers amongst the Swazis, | asked the group if they had heard of the Baha’ Faith. The face of one lit up when he said, “l am a Baha’”.

... At our next stop, Kinshasa (Leopoldville), we met the Congo’s pioneer Ola Pawlowska. In spite of every setback and hardship, [she] called the Congo since eight years her

home, its people her friends, and sees a brilliant future for this sorely tried country ...” [Page 165]AFRICA—SHIFTING OF GEARS 165

Elsewhere, Emeric describes time spent in Bathurst, Gambia.

| met there a young Californian who had two-thousand dollars to spare and decided to spend two years in Gambia to teach the Faith. He lived in a small but clean native house where chickens walked outside his door. The other pioneer at that time was from Sri Lanka, whose height was under five feet but his name was about a yard long... He was a very devoted Baha’i of Buddhist background who had a deep longing to teach in Africa ... One day we three drove ... to a Moslem village to proclaim the Faith. On a porch in front of the post office we spoke to a group of about thirty young Moslems. Towards the end of our talk we told them that one of us came from America of a Christian background, the other from Asia who was formerly a Buddhist, and the third came from Europe, of a Jewish background, and now we are all professing and teaching the Baha’i Faith to Moslems in Africa. We did not need a more impressive demonstration of the effectiveness of our Faith. ...

One night, after midnight, | arrived at the airport in Monrovia, Liberia, and was greeted by a group of Baha'is. One of them told me that he had heard me talk at a public meeting in Kingston, Jamaica, 20 years before. The last sentence of my talk made him decide to become a Baha'i. Now he was pioneering in Africa. In those days, | had always closed my talks with the words of Baha'u'llah: “This earth is but one country and mankind its citizens.”

‘The Salas returned a few times to Canada for visits. On one such occasion, Rosemary traveled to the Maritime Provinces to visit the Baha'i communities she knew so well. Here she writes about Ken and Celia Bolton, steadfast pioneers to Halifax and describes another one of those incidents illustrating the smallness of our world:

August 1, 1965

How much | admire Ken and Celia and others in the Maritimes, but especially these two as they have moved from place to place to suit the needs of the Cause ... The Boltons’ live in a basement flat (which can’t be good for Celia) no rug on the living room floor. They are just making ends meet but doing it with such a relaxed spirit. Canada’s wealth has not reached the Maritimes as a whole. [Page 166]166 AFRICA—SHIFTING OF GEARS

We met at Fran’s. ...Present as Baha'is were a young couple from South Africa eager to hear news and corroborating much that | said. ... After the talk, a young African entered, a Dalhousie student. | asked him where he was from. “Basutoland” he replied. Which city? “Maseru”. Said |, “I’m not full-witted at the moment and can’t remember names but do you know the Mohapis?” The young man really looked at me and replied, “He is my uncle!” ... So | said “Chadwick Mohapi and his wife were the first Baha’is in Basutoland.” Everyone looked too stunned for words. Said the young man, “To think | had to travel 10,000 miles to learn that my people were Baha'is!” He had been educated in the Transvaal and away from home so he hadn't heard of the Faith in Africa but was attending classes in Halifax. This incident made a most impressive impact on the group needless to say!"

Rosemary relates ominous news to an old friend in St. Lambert:

June, 1967

Last year on May 10th my permit to enter the African Townships was refused! The past two weeks | was asked to be present at two prize-giving functions, one to be speaker, and permission to enter even for a few hours was refused! It is a natural development of course, a logical step in the process but none the less sad. | am now teaching art to two classes, one of youngsters, the other of teenage girls, in a coloured township (negroes) so as to get to know that group. At present, no permit is required though that will come. So sad! Separated though we be, here we stay.

As regards the Faith, teaching grows more difficult. As separation continues more adamantly, suspicion arises on the part of the majority. Of course, this throwing the Africans on their own resources, meager, pitifully meager though they are financially, will develop ingenuity etc. and will serve the Cause well in the future.”

Rosemary now had administrative responsibilities, having been elected to serve on the National Spiritual Assembly of South and West Africa in 1967-68. A few years later she wrote to Robert Mazibuko, just elected to the same body. [Page 167]AFRICA—SHIFTING OF GEARS 167

| trust...that you are finding a reward in spite of the, at times, heavy burden of administrative duties. There are times when one feels one is a bricklayer as the spirit may seem so far from our deliberations! Remember the Guardian said that we are not yet fully born administratively speaking—but tiny efforts performed for Baha’u’llah’s sake have an ocean of power in intensity! It is always a joy to have contact with the Baha'i work throughout the country when one serves on a National Spiritual Assembly.”°

In 1968, as a member of the National Spiritual Assembly of South and West Africa, Rosemary attended the second International Convention in Haifa. These conventions are held every five years to elect the Universal House of Justice. She shares an experience at the Shrine of Baha’u'llah, and meditates

on her view of the process of Baha’i election:

| was in such a state of joyous excitement by the time of the Ridvan Feast and all the delegates sat around the perimeter of the Qiblih [the resting-place of Baha'u'llah] waiting for the Hands of the Cause to arrive. Suddenly | felt the whole place was transported — the Qiblih, the gardens, the Baha'is were floating in space above the world just under the shadow of the Supreme Concourse. | was so lost that only the touch of Ruhiyyih Khanum’s hand on mine as she passed me awoke me to the realization that everyone was standing as the Hands passed by! ... But what a bounty! It was woven into me by the thoughts crowding my heart and mind: that the vote of every Baha'i, first appointing regional delegates to the National Convention; then regional delegates [electing] the National Spiritual Assembly, then the National Spiritual Assembly delegates by their voting attracting the power of infallibility to the Universal House of Justice. ... Isn’t it exciting?”

Rosemary used to send special bookmarks as gifts. She made these herself using dried petals from the thresholds of the resting places of the Bab and Baha'u'llah, enclosing them in tiny cellophane envelopes and sewing the envelopes to velvet fabric with gold thread. Here we learn of the origins of those bookmarks as she writes to friends working at the World Centre: [Page 168]168 AFRICA—SHIFTING OF GEARS

Dear Janet, dear Forsyth,

| can still say “Two months ago | was in Haifa!” How blessed we all were, and how blessed to have had that last day with you both, caring for us so lovingly.

.. And if you should have any more packets of petals how I’d love some! | enclose a book-mark | made for our NSA members plus others and | was able to make 75 tiny packets tied with gold and silver cord for each of our delegates so you can see | used them all to give some of the joy you gave us to others."

|’

On my first pilgrimage in 1984, the 40 pilgrims all received a small bag filled with these dried petals. When I returned years later, each of the approximately 300 pilgrims could select nine petals out of a bowl. We are told that in the future there will be so many pilgrims that we will not enter the Shrines of the Bab and Bahau'llah, but rather circumambulate these sacred spots.

In 1966 Hand of the Cause John Robarts and his wife Audrey, at the request of the Universal House of Justice, left Africa to devote themselves to Bah@i work in Canada. Here is an extract of Emeric’s letter:

One month from today you are to leave Africa. Leaving behind 4 children, 4 grandchildren, and all your spiritual children, and their children! It is a wrench.

You made a great sacrifice when you left Canada. Now returning you are doing it again—Is that how great souls are born?”

‘The time came two years later for the Salas to follow the path of the Robarts, and to leave Africa for Canada. It ended with a dream, as Emeric

explains:

In April, 1968, while Rosemary [as member of the National Spiritual Assembly] was at the International Convention in Haifa, | had a very vivid dream—the kind one may have only once in a lifetime. Somebody appeared at the foot of my bed and told me: “Go home, go home, go home.” Neither Rosemary nor | had any desire to “go home”. We had no other home than South Africa and were reconciled and happy to remain there for the [Page 169]AFRICA—SHIFETING OF GEARS 169

rest of our lives. Anyhow, | was disturbed and unsettled, and after one month, having consulted my wife, we decided to liquidate the business within the next three years. By then | would be 65 — then return to Canada for a visit before retiring to Mexico.

| wrote to [my brothers] accordingly. Ernest answered me in June that to qualify for [Canadian] old age pension, | would have to be a resident of Canada for at least one year prior to retirement. Furthermore, he knew of a unique opportunity to take over an agency of some Chinese textiles ... which would give us a nice living for the next three years. | would, however, have to reach Montreal within the next few months.”

‘The ease with which the business in Port Elizabeth sold, the chance meeting with a friend that resulted in facilitating the release of their funds from South Africa, normally a complicated procedure, all appeared as positive confirmations that it was time to leave. In a letter to friends at the World Cen tre, Rosemary expresses her feelings:

Please say a prayer for us. Just a few days ago Emeric received a business proposition from his brother which has made us (or E.) decide to return to Canada. Emeric, as a naturalized Canadian would have had to return in two years time to re-establish his Canadian citizenship in any case. Now he must try to sell his business (wholesale) or liquidate it—probably at a loss. If you could both spare a moment to pray for the right guidance and Baha’u'llah’s solution to our problems it would be a comfort | know. My heart aches at leaving a task uncompleted.”

In the following letter the National Spiritual Assembly of South and West Africa expressed its gratitude to Emeric and Rosemary:

Dearly loved friends,

The National Spiritual Assembly has received information that you dear ones will soon be on your way back to Canada, leaving our Region with all the wonderful memories that we will share with future generations of Baha'is.

Believers in the Region will always remember you as the Pioneers who, with [Page 170]170 AFRICA—SHIFTING OF GEARS

nothing to sustain them but their faith in Baha'u'llah, arrived in Zululand to be [among] the first Baha’is to set foot on this wonderful land of the great King Chaka of the Zulu Nation.

Your patience during those difficult days of July 1954 is indeed a great tribute to your wisdom under the circumstances that could have tried other beyond their ability to withstand the trials of this strange land. However, your dedication to the Cause, backed with your singleness of purpose when you arrived there, made it possible for you to lay the foundation that has today produced more than 12 Local Spiritual Assemblies. ...”

‘This list of items left by Rosemary and Emeric for Robert Mazibuko is reminiscent of the gifts Rosemary prepared for young Nina Robarts in 1953 when the journey to Africa began.

These are some of the things left with me by Emeric and Rosemary on their departure from Port Elizabeth, South Africa:

A list of the old Baha’is with instructions to locate them.

A picture of the Master with the writings of the Guardian in which he exhorts Baha'is to internalize the teachings in their private lives.

A 10 inch 78 rpm record of the message of the Guardian to Baha'is gathered during the dedication of the temple in Wilmette (now in the archives in U.S.A. National Center), recorded by Kelsey Studios.

2 Twelve inch 78 rpm recordings of programs called Words for the World (selections from the Writings), recorded by Kelsey Studios.

A copy of An Early Pilgrimage [by May Maxwell].

A copy of All Things Made New [by John Ferraby].

A box full of newsletters and clippings.

Many pictures of Japanese art work.”

Emeric reflects on the years in Africa:

When we arrived in Africa in 1954, there were only three independent nations: [Page 171]AFRICA—SHIFTING OF GEARS 171

Egypt, Ethiopia and Liberia. When we left fourteen years later there were forty. [The Baha'is] attempt to conquer Africa spiritually coincided with its political emancipation. ... Future historians will probably elaborate how these two parallel events have had a complementary effect. In these fourteen years we felt the wind of change and heard the insistent rumbling of independence. We could also witness that the lifting of colonial domination did not realize the long-cherished dream of peace and prosperity.”

In October, 1968, Rosemary and Emeric left South Africa. We recall the beginning of their pioneer journey and their meeting with Richard St. Barbe Baker in England, some fourteen years before. He had sung for them a Kikuyu song “so full of love and longing”. Their journey ended as it began, with song.

[The township schools] were allowed to come to the airport once a year to see how it operated, so the teachers had decided to save this day for our departure. They came hurrying down to the white section, to tell us to please come upstairs where the African children were. They were all assembled, and they sang, “Sikalele Africa’, which is ‘God Bless Africa, and then “The Lord is My Shepherd”. So that was our farewell.”

Time has a way of coming full circle. More than 40 years had passed since Rosemary and Emeric left South Africa. A Bahai, Suzanne Schuurman, who had known them in the early days, wrote of the following experience dur ing her pilgrimage:

While on pilgrimage we sat beside a couple from South Africa and chatted. | asked the man how he had become a Baha'i. Emeric and Rosemary Sala had taught his father the Faith. That has become one of the most poignant memories from the pilgrimage because it shows the circle of pioneering harvests.

| can still so vividly recall visiting with the Salas the first time in Beaulac when | was 17. They were such an enormously attractive couple, warm, engaging and elegant in more than the fashion sense. When they decided to pioneer in Africa, they were the first Baha'is | knew to do such a thing and again | was impressed by their dedication and full [Page 172]172 AFRICA—SHIFTING OF GEARS

of wonder at the totally foreign world they had entered,

Theoretically we know that all our efforts bear fruit but sitting beside that South African couple waiting for the members of the House to welcome us | was overwhelmed by the realization that beside me sat a man who might never have been beside me if the Salas had not left everything and gone to Africa in response to the Guardian's call.”°

Be [Page 173]

Ruhiyyih Khanum and

Amelia Collins at the

Maxwell home, April, 1953.

Ruhiyyih Khanum and Emeric at the grave of Sutherland Maxwell, May 1953.

The grave of May Maxwell in Quilmes, Buenos Aires, Argentina.

[Page 174]Rosemary and Emeric arrive at the border of

Zululand.

Rosemary fording one of the rivers,

Zululand.

Above: Travel teachers at the Salas’ home in Zululand. Back row: Dale Allen, Emeric, Patrick Robarts Front row: Andrew Mofokeng, Ken Allen, Maxwell Ndlovu, and Rosemary. [Page 175]A visit from the Robarts family in Zululand.

Left to right: Emeric, Au drey, Rosemary, Nina and John.

Rosemary at the Cowan School library with three helpers.

Rosemary and the library helpers taking a break on the balcony of the Sala’s apartment.

Left to right: Eunice, Rosemary, Robert Mazibuko, and Angelina. [Page 176]Emeric before his talk at the Salisbury

Convention.

Above: Rosemary with friends from the schools bidding farewell at the airport, September 1968.

Below: Rosemary and friends at the Martha Root Institute, Yucatin, Mexico, 1974.

[Page 177]

At Green Acre.

Left to right: Emeric, Rosemary, Mildred Mottahedeh, Hand of the Cause William Sears, Marguerite Sears, and Gertrude Blum.

Emeric in Lisbon with Counsellor Erik Blumenthal and Anna Costa, member of

Portuguese NSA. [Page 178]

Emeric and Rosemary in their home near Guadalajara, Mexico