- 1953-06-06 — 'Izzatu'lláh Zahrá'í (Ezzat Zahrai) arrived in Southern Rhodesia (Zimbabwe) and was named a Knight of Bahá'u'lláh. [BW13:456]
- 1953-10-00 — Claire Gung arrived in Southern Rhodesia (Zimbabwe) and was named a Knight of Bahá'u'lláh. She spent 18 months in Salisbury (Harare) where she was a member of the first local spiritual assembly. [CG161]
- 1954-00-04 — 'Aynu'd-Dín and Táhirih 'Alá'í arrived in Southern Rhodesia and were named Knights of Bahá'u'lláh. [BW13:456]
- 1954-00-10 — The arrival in Zimbabwe (formerly Southern Rhodesia) of Knights of Bahá'u'lláh Izzat'u'llah Zahrai, Douglas Kadenhe, Nura Faridian (now Steiner), Enayat and Iran Sohaili, Shidan Fat'he-Aazam (later member of the Continental Board of Counsellors for Africa) and his wife Florence. [BWNS275]
- 1954-01-08 — Kenneth and Roberta Christian arrived in Southern Rhodesia (Zimbabwe) and were named Knights of Bahá'u'lláh. [BW13:456]
- 1954-02-00 — Joan Powis arrived in Southern Rhodesia (Zimbabwe) and was named a Knight of Bahá'u'lláh. [BW13:456]
- 1963-07-31 —
- 1964-04-21 —
The National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá'ís of South and West Africa that was formed in 1956, was altered and two additional national assemblies were formed, the National Spiritual Assembly of the Indian Ocean,(Mauritius, Réunion and Madagascar) and the National Spiritual Assembly of South Central Africa and leaving the altered South and West Africa leaving only Angola, Basutoland, St. Helena, South West Africa, South Africa and Swaziland.
The National Spiritual Assembly of South Central Africa was formed with its seat in Salisbury had jurisdiction over the following countries: Northern Rhodesia, Malawi (formerly changed in 1964 from Nyasaland), Southern Rhodesia, and Botswana (formerly Bechuanaland; name changed in 1966).
[BW14p96; BW15:195; BN no608 November 1981 p11]
- The National Spiritual Assembly of the Indian Ocean included Mauritius, the Chagos Archipelago, Madagascar, the Malagasy Republic, Seychelles, Comoros and Réunion. [BN no608 November 1981 p11]
- 1971-08-06 —
- 1972-05-11 —
- 1985-02-06 —
The passing of Claire Gung (b. 3 November, 1904, Gladbeck, Ruhrgebeit, Germany, d. Kampala, Uganda). She was buried in The National Bahá'í Cemetery of Uganda. [BW19p653-657]
- She had worked as a children's nurse or housekeeper in Germany, switzerland, Austria, the Italian tyrol, Belgium, Holland and finally settled in England in 1930. She became a Bahá'í in Torquay and after a time in Eastleigh, Dovon, later joined the small Bahá'í group in Cheltenham in 1940. She moved to the Manchester area and later pioneered to Northampton in November 1946 to become member of the first Spiritual Assembly there. In 1948 she again pioneered to help form the first Spiritual Assembly in the "Pivotal Centre" of Cardiff then to Brighton and to Belfast. In 1947 she became a naturalized British subject. In 1950, during the "Year of Respite", Claire became the first pioneer to actually move from the British community to settle in Africa when Shoghi Effendi called for Bahá'ís to open Africa. She sailed on the "Warwick Castle" on 4 (or 25) January, 1951 and landed in Tanzania where she obtained a post as assistant matron in a school in Lushoto,150 miles from Dar-es-Salaam. [CG158-159]
-
She became a "Knight" for Rhodesia. Mr. Zahrai was actually the first Bahá'í to come to Rhodesia (Zimbabwe) during a Ten Year Crusade. He was followed soon after by Claire Gung, Eyneddin and Tahirih Ala'i, Kenneth and Roberta Christian and Joan Powis. All seven received the accolade of Knight of Baha'u'llah from Shoghi Effendi. Subsequently the Guardian gave her the title, "Mother of Africa".
- Later she moved to Uganda where she started a Kindergarten school. She was affectionately known as "Auntie Claire".
- After being in the country since 1957 Auntie Claire was granted he certificate of residence for life from the Republic of Uganda date the 11th of May, 1978. [CG118]
[BWNS275; Wikipedia; Wikipedia; Historical Dictionary of the Bahá'í Faith p.209; UD211, 482]
- Also see Claire Gung Mother of Africa by Adrienne Morgan and published by the National Spiritual Assembly of Baha'is of South Africa; (1997).
- 1988-09-24 — The six-week Manicaland Teaching Campaign was launched in Zimbabwe and reported 166 enrolments in the first three weeks. [BINS188:8]
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