Baháʼí Faith in Malawi (original) (raw)

The Baháʼí Faith in Malawi began before the country achieved independence. Before World War I the area of modern Malawi was part of Nyasaland and ʻAbdu'l-Bahá, then head of the religion, asked the followers of the Baháʼí Faith to travel to the regions of Africa. As part of a wide scale growth in the religion across Sub-Saharan Africa the religion was introduced into this region when an early African Baháʼí traveled from Tanganyika in 1952 followed in 1953 by Baháʼís from Iran the same year it became known as the Federation of Rhodesia and Nyasaland. A decade later there were five Baháʼí Local Spiritual Assemblies. By 1970, now in the country of Malawi, there were 12 Local Spiritual Assemblies and a National Spiritual Assembly. In 2003 Baháʼís estimated their membership at 15000 while the 2