Association for Bahá'í Studies in Southern Africa:

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The Association

Annual Conferences

• Message from the Universal House of Justice
• Introduction
• Purpose of the Association
• Activities of the Association
• Constitution of the Association
• Guiding Principles
• Membership Form
• Annual Report of the Association, April 2003
• Minutes of the Annual General Meeting, February 2004
• Annual Report of the Association, April 2004

• First Annual Conference: Windhoek, Namibia, Dec. 1999, Papers, Programme, and a brief Report
• Second Annual Conference: Cape Town, South Africa, Dec. 2000
• Third Annual Conference: Swaziland, Dec. 2001
• Fourth Annual Conference: Port Elizabeth, South Africa, Dec. 2002
• Call for papers for the 5^th Annual Conference, Johannesburg, Jan. 2004
• Fifth Annual Conference, Johannesburg, Jan., 2004
• Call for papers for the 6^th Annual Conference, Cape Town, Feb. 2005

Web Pages for Distance-Education Courses Offered Via Email

Courses and Study Guides

• A Study Course on Baha’u’llah’s Kitab-i-Iqan, The Book of Certitude (There is a large collection of course materials and scholarly papers associated with this course)
• A Study Course on the “Century of Light”
• A Study Course on Abdu’l-Baha’s “Secret of Divine Civilization”

• Kitab-i-Aqdas, The Most Holy Book
• Lessons from the Epistle to the Son of the Wolf
• Tablet to the kings
• Tablet of Ahmad
• The Vision of Shoghi Effendi
• Confronting Controversial Contemporary Issues
• A course on Islam
• Message of the Universal House of Justice to the 2^nd Baha’i World Congress, and its outline
• Principles of Bahá’í Consultation, and a Workshop on Consultation
• The Vision of Race Unity
• The Prosperity of Mankind
• An Introduction to the Writings of the Bab

Papers from the Annual Conferences

Papers from the Annual Conferences

• Windhoek, Namibia, December 1999:

Ø The Universal House of Justice, Geoff Marks

Ø Ethics in African Culture and its Relationship to the Baha’i Faith, Mojgan Derakhshani

Ø Principles for Baha'i Scholarship, Robert Sarracino

Ø The Fundamentals of a True and Lasting African Renaissance, an Introductory Baha'i Perspective, Enos Makhele

Ø Reflections on Baha'i Teachings on some aspects of the Basotho culture, Khoeli Pholosi

Ø My Perfect Dance Partner, Barry Thorne

Ø Evoke the African Soul - Accelerate entry by troops, Mokone Nakedi

Ø Characteristics of Baha'i Administrative Order and Liberal Democratic Notions, a Comparative Study, Farzin Aghdasi

Ø Youth Enrichment Programme, Parvaneh Farhangpour

• Cape Town, South Africa, December 2000:

Ø Proofs of the Existence of God, Robert Sarracino

Ø The Information Dispensation: The Baha'i Faith and the Information Age, Philip Christensen

• Swaziland, December 2001:

Ø Divine Philosophy and the Gift of Understanding, Robert Sarracino

Ø Gender Equality Based on the Teachings of the Baha’i Faith, and its Application in Southern Africa, Farhad Aghdasi

Ø Ethics and the Relationship of African Traditional Belief with the Baha’i Faith, Mojgan Derakhshani

• Port Elizabeth, December 2002:

Ø Creating a Culture of Learning, Sylvia Kaye

Ø Science, Religion and Development, Farhad Aghdasi

Ø The Mystery of Sacrifice – A Dramatic Presentation, Nava Bastani

Ø The Concept of Religious Democracy: An Introductory Bahá’í Perspective on the Democracy of the Conscience, Enos Makhele

Ø Health, Healing in the Baha’i Context, Parastu Meidany

Ø The Internet and Knowledge Management for the Baha’i Faith, Roy Steiner

Ø Music: a Ladder for the Soul, Sylvia Schulman

Presentations and Talks

University Campus Seminars

• Who is Writing the Future, Farzin Aghdasi
• Who is Writing the Future, Robert Sarracino
• Who is Writing the Future, Philip Christensen
• Service Oriented Leadership, Sylvia Kaye
• Valuing Spirituality in Development, Farzin Aghdasi
• Characteristics of Baha'i Administrative Order and Liberal Democratic Notions, a Comparative Study, Farzin Aghdasi
• Equality of Women and Men, Issues of the 21^st Century, Sylvia Kaye

• Campus Seminar at the University of Botswana, Gaborone, Botswana
• Campus Seminar at the University of Lesotho, Roma, Lesotho
• Campus Seminar at the University of Transkie, Umtata, South Africa
• Campus Seminar at the University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa
• Campus Seminar at the University of Zimbabwe, Hararae, Zimbabwe
• Campus Seminar at the National University of Science and Technology, Bulawayo, Zimbabwe
• Campus Seminar at Rhodes University, Grahamstown, South Africa

Other Papers

Some Reference Documents

• Community Development Using Spiritually Based Indicators in The South African Baha’i Community, Farzin Aghdasi and Abbas Shaker, A paper presented to the Rural and Urban Development Conference organized by the National Institute for Economic Policy (NIEP) and the University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg 18-19 April 2002.
• Color Conscious – The Political Morality of Race, by K. Anthony Appiah and Amy Gutmann, Reviewed by: Farzin Aghdasi

• Compilation on Scholarship
• Issues Related to the Study of the Baha’i Faith
• Aspects of Traditional African Culture
• Africa in the Baha’i Writings

Golden Jubilee Celebrations and Historical Photos

News Articles and Photos with Historical Significance

• Jubilee Celebration in South Africa
• Jubilee Celebration in Zimbabwe
• Jubilee Celebration in Zambia
• Jubilee Celebration in Malawi
• Jubilee Celebration in Lesotho
• Jubilee Celebration in Swaziland
• Jubilee Celebration in Namibia
• Jubilee Celebration in Botswana

• Publication of Bahá’í Books in Setswana
• Long Term Pioneer from Zambia is Elected to the Universal House of Justice

Useful Links

Photo Gallery

• Integrated Regional Information Networks (IRIN), is a service of the United Nations Organization, Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA). It carries detailed news of the current humanitarian issues around the globe, and has a special section on Southern Africa. It can be reached at http://www.irinnews.org.

• Photo Gallery from Campus Seminars and Annual Conferences in 2000 and 2001 – this is a large file
• Pictures from Seminar at the National University of Lesotho, Roma, September 2000
• Pictures from Seminar at the University of Transkie, Umtata, October 2000
• Pictures from Seminar at the National University of Science and Technology, Bulawayo, Zimbabwe, 22^nd March 2001
• Pictures from Seminar at the University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, 28th March 2001
• Pictures from Seminar at the University of Zimbabwe, Harare, 10^th May 2001
• Pictures from Seminar at Rhodes University, Grahamstown, August 2001
• Pictures from the Annual Conference of the Association held in Swaziland, December 2001
• Pictures from the Annual Conference of the Association held in Port Elizabeth, South Africa, December 2002