Chronology: Date 2021-05

date	event	tags	firsts
2021 23 May	The dedication of the first local Bahá'í House of Worship in Africa in Matunda Soy, Kenya. The project had been completed in under three years in difficult circumstances. The ceremony was attended by some one hundred people including government officials, village and district chiefs, local dignitaries, representatives of local and national Bahá'í institutions, and other representatives of the construction team including Neda Samimi, the architect. The Universal House of Justice was represented by Townshend Lihanda, a member of the Continental Board of Counsellors in Africa who delivered this message on their behalf. The previous day a small ornamental case containing dust from one of the Holy Shrines at the Bahá'í World Centre was placed within the structure of the House of Worship symbolizing the profound connection between the temple and the spiritual center of the Bahá'í Faith. [BWNS1511] Photos. Specifics Location: Matunda Soy district in Kenya Foundation Stone: 23 March 2019 to 23 May 2021 Construction Period: 28 February 2019 to Site Dedication: 23 May 2021 Architect: Neda Samimi (The first woman whose design for a Baha'i House of Worship was selected.) Architectural firm: under the auspices of Archipoint Consulting Architects (Mr Alfred Mango, Architect) Seating: 250 Dimensions: Land: The area was about 20 acres inclusive of the Lwanda Learning Site which occupies about 3 acres. Cost: (land and building)15m Kshs plus 152m Kshs (approximately US$1.5m) Dependencies: Existing buildings will be repurposed as educational facilities and as offices for the National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá'ís of Kenya. References: BWNS1251; BWNS1317; BWNS1473; BWNS1493; BWNS1511.	- Mashriqu'l-Adhkár, Local; Neda Samimi; Townshend Lihanda; Bahá'í World News Service (BWNS); * Mashriqu'l-Adhkár (House of Worship); - Mashriqu'l-Adhkár, Local; Mashriqu'l-Adhkár, Matunda Soy, Kenya; Dedications; Matunda Soy, Kenya; Kenya	Neda Samimi, the first woman whose design for a Baha’i House of Worship was selected.
2021 15 May	The publication of The Bahá'í Faith and African American History: Creating Racial and Religious Diversity edited by Loni Bramson with contributions from Christopher Buck and Gwendolyn Etter-Lewis. It was published by Lexington Books.	The Bahá'í Faith and African American History: Creating Racial and Religious Diversity; Loni Bramson; Christopher Buck; Gwendolyn Etter-Lewis
2021 13 May	The Bahá'í World Centre published an update on the construction of the Shrine of 'Abdu'l-Bahá advising that the first two columns of the main edifice had been raised. Eight columns of these 11-metre columns will eventually be built forming part of the walls of the main edifice and supporting the trellis that will span the central plaza. They reported as well that the first three of the ten segments of the folding walls that will surround the central plaza had been built. Each of these segments must be constructed one by one. [BWNS1509] YouTube.	`Abdu'l-Bahá, Shrine of; - Bahá'í World Centre
2021 10 May	The publication of two new articles in The Bahá'í World: "Reading Reality in Times of Crisis: 'Abdu'l-Bahá and the Great War" looks at how 'Abdu'l-Bahá's analysis of the crises of His time was profoundly distinct from contemporaneous "progressive" movements and thinkers. The author, Amín Egea, describes how 'Abdu'l-Bahá's warnings about the causes of war could not be understood by societies immersed in paradigms of thought totally different from the ones He presented. "Paying Special Regard to Agriculture: Collective Action-Research in Africa"; The author, Sanem Kavrul, focuses on Bahá'í social action efforts in the field of agriculture in Africa, surveying developments across the continent and focusing on several specific examples in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.	Bahá'í World; Amin Egea; Sanem Kavrul; - Bahá'í World Centre
Try also a shorter date like 2021-0 or 2021 try also the Chronology Canada — 2021-05 or 2021-0 or 2021

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