Hi Folks,
I was talking about the Faith with a lovely man the other day who fled Uganda as a refugee in the 80's. When I mentioned to him the African Temple is located in Uganda, he naturally wanted to know how the temple location was chosen. Unfortunately I was ill equipped to handle this question.
Does anyone know where to start researching the selection criteria for temple locations? In general and specifically for Africa?
Any help would be greatly appreciated.
African Temple
Re: African Temple
I don't recall seeing anything indicating selection criteria, but in the case of Uganda, I might mention that it seems at the time before the decision to purchase property (at least as early as December 1953), there had been a lot of development of the Faith in Uganda in particular (note that the Ten-Year Crusade began in 1953):
"The two-year period immediately preceding the beginning of the Ten-Year Crusade...Pioneers had achieved the formation of 17 Local Spiritual Assemblies, 13 in Uganda, and one each in Tanganyika, Kenya, Libya and Liberia"
(Baha'i World, vol. 13, p. 283)
"Rejoice to share with Bahá'í communities East and West thrilling reports of feats achieved by the heroic band of Bahá'í pioneers laboring in divers widely scattered African territories, particularly in Uganda, in the heart of the continent, reminiscent alike of episodes related in the Book of Acts and the rapid, dramatic propagation of the Faith through the instrumentality of the dawn-breakers in the Heroic Age of the Bahá'í Dispensation."
(Shoghi Effendi, Messages to the Baha'i World, October 14, 1952, p. 133)