Chronology: Date 1956-04

Chronology of the Bahá'í Faith

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Date 1956-04, sorted by events, descending

date	event	tags	firsts
1956 Ridván 195-	With the enrolment of the first Micronesian Bahá'í, the first local spiritual assembly of Guam was formed.	Local Spiritual Assembly; Guam	first Local Spiritual Assembly Guam
1956 Ridván 195-	The Regional Spiritual Assembly of South and West Africa was formed with its seat in Johannesburg, South Africa. The National Convention was held at the Sears farm. Those elected to serve were: John Allen, Festus Chembeni, Walter Dlamini, William Masehla, Robert Miller, Andrew Mofokeng, John Robarts, William Sears and Max Seepe. In January 1957 Walter Dlamini resigned and Marguerite Sears was elected to replace him. [BW13:284; MBW71-72; BN no608 November 1981 p11] Its area of jurisdiction was the Union of South Africa, Basutoland, Zululand, Swaziland, Bechuanaland, South West Africa, Angola, Northern Rhodesia, Southern Rhodesia, Nyasaland, Mozambique, Madagascar, Réunion Island, Mauritius and St Helena Island. See the Guardian's message to this Assembly. [That Promising Continent 28-29]	National Spiritual Assembly, formation; Johannesburg, South Africa; South Africa	first Regional Spiritual Assembly of South and West Africa
1956 Ridván 195-	The Regional Spiritual Assembly of North West Africa was formed with its seat in Tunis, Tunisia. [BW13:284] Its area of jurisdiction was Tunisia, Algeria, Morocco (International Zone), Spanish Morocco, French Morocco, Rio de Oro, Spanish Sahara, French West Africa, Gambia, Portuguese Guinea, Sierra Leone, Liberia, Gold Coast, Ashanti Protectorate, British Togoland, French Togoland, Nigeria, British Cameroons, French Cameroons, Northern Territories Protectorate, Spanish Guinea, St Thomas Island, Cape Verde Islands, Canary Islands and Madeira. [MBW71-72] See the Guardian's message to this Assembly. [That Promising Continent 27, 32]	National Spiritual Assembly, formation; Tunis, Tunisia; Tunisia	first Regional Spiritual Assembly of North West Africa
1956 Ridván 195-	The Regional Spiritual Assembly of North East Africa was formed by expanding the jurisdiction of the National Spiritual Assembly of Egypt and Sudan. [BW13:284] Its area of jurisdiction now included Egypt, Sudan, Abyssinia, Libya, Eritrea, British, French and Italian Somaliland and Socotra Island. From this date forward all African territories originally allocated to the United States, the Persian, the Egyptian, the Indian, and the British National Spiritual Assemblies became, in the course of the Ten-Year Plan, to benefit from the advantages of sustained assistance by these Assemblies Spiritual Assemblies. [MBW71-72] Since 1956 National Spiritual Assembly of North East Africa had been led by the former National Spiritual Assembly of Egypt and the Sudan. In 1960 difficulties in Egypt made it impossible to administer territories outside of Egypt a regional administrative committee was formed and this, in turn, was replaced with a new (regional) National Spiritual Assembly with its headquarters in Addis Abba. [BW13p287]	National Spiritual Assembly, formation; Egypt; Libya; Sudan; Eritrea; French Somaliland; Djibouti, East Africa; Italian Somaliland; Ethiopia; Socotra Island; British Somaliland; Abyssinia; Eritrea	first Regional Spiritual Assembly of North East Africa
1956 Ridván 195-	The Regional Spiritual Assembly of Central and East Africa was formed with its seat in Kampala, Uganda. [BW13:284; MBW71-72] Its area of jurisdiction was Uganda, Tanganyika, Kenya, Belgian Congo, Ruanda-Urundi, French Equatorial Africa, Zanzibar, Comoro Islands and Seychelles Islands. See the Guardian's message to this Assembly. [That Promising Continent 30] Ali Nakhjavani, Hassan Sabri, Philip Hainsworth, Oloro Epyeruj, Jalal Nakhjavani, Aziz Yazdi, Tito Wanantsusit, Max Kenyerezi, and Sylvester Okurut were members of the first regional national assembly. [History of the Bahá'í Faith in Tanzania] This regional assembly was dissolved at Ridván 1964. [BW14p96]	National Spiritual Assembly, formation; Kampala, Uganda; Uganda	first Regional Spiritual Assembly of Central and East Africa
1956 Apr 195-	The publication of Ade-rih-wa-nie-ton On-kwe-on-we Neh-ha: A Message to the Iroquois Indians in the Canadian Bahá'í News. This pamphlet was translated to the Mohawk language by Mr. Charles Cooke of Ottawa and there is reason to believe the translation was commissioned by the Québec Regional Teaching Committee. [Letter from the National Spiritual Assembly to Dr. C Buck 6 January 2021; CBN No69 Oct 1955 p4; CBN 45 April 1956 p.11] See Deganawida, the Peacemaker by Dr Christopher Buck published in American Writers: A Collection of Literary Biographies Supplement XXVI (2015) See as well Native Messengers of God in Canada?: A Test Case for Bahá'í Universalism by Christopher Buck published in Bahá'í Studies Review, 6, pages 97-133 London: Association for Bahá'í Studies English-Speaking Europe, 1996. Also Native Messengers of God in Canada? A test case for Bahá'í universalism, by Christopher Buck:Commentary by William P. Collins. Also of interest on the same subject is his article Dr. David Ruhe's Tribute to Indigenous Messengers of God. See as well Messengers of God in North America, Revisited: An Exegesis of 'Abdu'l-Bahá's Tablet to Amír Khán by Christopher Buck and Donald Addison. For information about the Tablet to Amír Khán see Tablet to Amir Khan and Tablet of the Holy Mariner by / on behalf of Universal House of Justice. Bahá'í Universalism and Native Prophets by Christopher Buck. See the series Indigenous Messengers of God.	- Indigenous Messengers of God; Iroquois; Native Americans; Canada
1956 Ridván 195-	The local spiritual assembly of Addis Ababa incorporated, the first one in Africa to do so. [BW13:287]	Local Spiritual Assembly, incorporation; Addis Ababa, Ethiopia	first Local Spiritual Assembly to incorporate in Africa
1956 Ridván 195-	The first local spiritual assembly was formed in Morocco (International Zone).	Local Spiritual Assembly; Morocco	first Local Spiritual Assembly Morocco
1956 Ridván 195-	The first local spiritual assembly of Hong Kong was formed.	Local Spiritual Assembly; Hong Kong	first Local Spiritual Assembly Hong Kong
1956 Ridván 195-	The first local spiritual assembly in Taiwan was formed in Tainan. [The Taiwan Bahá'í Chronicle by Barbara R. Sims p15]	Local Spiritual Assembly; Tainan, Taiwan; Taiwan	first Local Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá'ís of Tainan, Taiwan
1956 Ridván 195-	The first local spiritual assembly in Bermuda was formed.	Local Spiritual Assembly; Bermuda	firstLocal Spiritual Assembly Bermuda
1956 Ridván 195-	The first local spiritual assemblies in Korea were formed at Seoul and at Kwangju.	Local Spiritual Assembly; Seoul, South Korea; Gwangju, South Korea; Korea	first Local Spiritual Assemblies Korea
1956 7 Apr 195-	The first indigenous person to become a Bahá'í in Micronesia, 22-year-old Joe Erie Ilengelkei from Palau, Caroline Islands, enrolled.	Joe Erie Ilengelkei; Palau; Caroline Islands	first indigenous Bahá’í in Micronesia
1956 Apr 195-	Shoghi Effendi announced the extension to Egyptian Bahá'í women of the right to be elected to the National Spiritual Assembly and to participate in the national convention. [MBW96–7]	National Spiritual Assembly, women; Women; Equality; - Middle East; Egypt
1956 Apr 195-	Shoghi Effendi announced that the remaining 22 pillars of the International Bahá'í Archives had been erected and that the last half of the 900 tons of marble from Italy had been delivered. Forty-four tons of glazed green tiles from Utrecht had been placed in position. [MBW108] He also announced that: the dilapidated house located near the Mansion had been restored, Negotiations were underway with the Development Authority of the State of Israel for the acquisition of two plots to the north and south of the Shrine. the destruction of a row of sheds near the Shrine of Bahá'u'lláh, that an expropriation order had been published in the Israel Official Gazette related to the buildings enclosed within the Haram-i-Aqdas regarding the occupancy of these buildings of the Covenant-breakers. [MBW108-109]	Haram-i-Aqdas; Covenant-breaking; `Abdu'l-Bahá, Tea House of (Bajji); - Bahá'í World Centre; Bahji, Israel; International Archives Building (Haifa)
1956 Apr 195-	Shoghi Effendi announced that the Bahá'í Faith was established in 247 countries, in 3,700 localities and that there were more than 900 local spiritual assemblies, of which 168 were incorporated. Bahá'í literature had been translated into 190 languages. [MBW92–3]	Statistics
1956 Ridván 195-	In his message to the four African Conventions for the National Spiritual Assemblies of Central and East Africa, North East Africa, North-West Africa, and South and West Africa, the Guardian announced that there were "over three thousand avowed supporters, five-sixths of whom belong to the Negro race, scattered throughout more than fifty territories and islands, and residing in over four hundred localities. Representatives of no less than one hundred and forty of its tribes have, moreover, enlisted under the banner of the Faith. Over a hundred and twenty Bahá'í Local Assemblies are already functioning throughout its territories. Into more than fifty of its indigenous languages Bahá'í literature has been and is being translated. The process of incorporating the newly formed Local Assemblies has furthermore been inaugurated. A National Administrative Headquarters has been established in each one of its four pivotal centres, while three Temple sites situated within its confines have been recently purchased, on one of which the Mother Temple of Africa is soon to be erected." [That Promising Continent 24-26]	Statistics; - Africa
1956 Ridván 195-	Formation of the first Local Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá'ís of Guam.	Local Spiritual Assembly; Guam	first Local Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá'ís of Guam.
1956 Ridván 195-	After their pilgrimage Harlan and Elizabeth Ober travelled to South Africa where they helped form the first all-African Local Spiritual Assembly in Pretoria as had previously been request of them by the Guardian. They returned in December as pioneers. [BW13869]	Harlan Ober; Elizabeth Kidder Ober; Pioneers; Haifa, Israel; Pretoria, South Africa	first all-African Local Spiritual Assembly


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