wfn.org | BWNS -- Celebrations held by Baha'i communities throughout Papua

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Guinea

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Celebrations held by Baha'i communities throughout Papua Guinea
MADINA, Papua New Guinea, 26 July 2004 (BWNS) -- The Baha'is of Papua New
Guinea are celebrating the 50th anniversary of a community that includes
thousands of Baha'is living in more than 3,000 localities in all 19 provinces
of the country.

Rather than hold the festivities in a central location of this mountainous
country where communities are often separated by difficult terrain, the
celebrations are being held at variety of venues.

Some 700 Baha'is from the New Ireland region and their guests gathered on 8
May 2004 for the anniversary festivities in Madina where in 1958 the
country's
first Local Spiritual Assembly was formed. There are now 252 of those
nine-member local Baha'i administrative councils spread throughout Papua New
Guinea.

To mark the occasion, the local Baha'is built a memorial pool at the Madina
Baha'i center as a tribute to the Baha'is who introduced the Faith to the
area. Colored lights illuminated two large stars that were placed in the
middle of the pool to symbolize Baha'u'llah and the Bab.

The guest of honor was Rodney Hancock, who came to Papua New Guinea in July
1954 from New Zealand to help establish a Baha'i community.

Mr. Hancock addressed the participants at the jubilee about the exemplary
life
of Violet Hoehnke an Australian Baha'i	who introduced the Faith to Papua New
Guinea, and who stayed at her pioneering post for 50 years.

For her services in Papua New Guinea Ms. Hoehnke received the accolade of
Knight of Baha'u'llah from the then head of the Faith, Shoghi Effendi.

Confined to bed, Ms. Hoehnke was unable to attend the jubilee celebrations.
She passed away one month later, on 4 June 2004, at the age of 87.

Mr. Hancock said that Ms. Hoehnke had corresponded with many Baha'is over the
decades.

"She must have written hundreds, if not thousands of letters to encourage the
friends [Baha'is] in their endeavors," he said.

Mr. Hancock also spoke of the difficulties of introducing the Faith in the
1950s, when the Australian Administration disapproved of any friendly
association between expatriates and local people.

He had to obtain special permission from the government before visiting
villages. It took more than a year before he and Ms. Hoehnke could introduce
the Faith to the first Papua New Guinean to become a Baha'i -- Apelis
Mazakmat, a teacher from Munawai village, in New Ireland.

"He [Mr. Mazakmat] told me that when he first heard of the Faith from [Ms.
Hoehnke], it was like the answer to all his dreams and he wished to learn
more
about the teachings of Baha'u'llah," Mr. Hancock wrote in his book titled,
"Longpela bun nating: My life as a Baha'i pioneer in Papua New Guinea."

Participants at the jubilee also paid tribute to some of the other early
believers who have passed away, among them Axomerang, Kelep, Romalus, Sairu,
Salomie, Sanaila, and Tivien.

At the celebrations, New Ireland provincial administrator Robinson Sirimbat
praised the efforts by the Baha'i community to promote unity and
understanding
among the different religions in the region. A local government leader
Dickson
Bilas was also present.

Members of the National Spiritual Assembly Paul Lupai and  Margaret and
Michael Elias attended the celebrations.

Also present was Jalal Mills, a  member of the Continental Board of
Counsellors for Australasia, who addressed the gathering about the history
the
Baha'i Faith in Papua New Guinea.

Dr. Mills' father, John Mills, was present in Madina when the first Local
Spiritual Assembly was formed.

Guests enjoyed a lavish traditional feast prepared by the Baha'i women of
Madina.

Baha'i choirs, string bands, and Christian "singsings" (traditional dancing
and singing) provided the entertainment that continued till the early hours.

In Rabaul, some 600 guests arrived on 3 April 2004 at the jubilee venue,
Kulau
Lodge, after traveling to the Lodge down a road decorated with streamers,
flowers, and a large banner.

Donald Tulai, who grew up in Rabaul, was the master of ceremonies. Among the
participants at the celebrations was Roslyn Bale, the first Papua New Guinean
woman to become a Baha'i in the local area.

A United Church choir performed a song, written for the occasion, and a
Baha'i
youth choir sang Baha'i songs. A dance group, wearing traditional costumes
and
headdresses, performed a dance that told the story of the first Local
Spiritual Assembly.

Rodney Hancock and Jalal Mills also attended these festivities.

Radio Rabaul provided extensive coverage of the event in Rabaul, and a daily
newspaper ,"The National," published a report about the events in Madina.

The local Baha'i communities in Alotau, Baimuru, Balimo, and Pencat will hold
their jubilee celebrations later this year.

The Baha'i community is actively involved in educational projects. Local
Spiritual Assemblies in the rural areas sponsor kindergartens and primary
level school programs. Members of the community also hold devotional
meetings,
children's classes, and study circles, which are all open to the public.

More than 150 Baha'is from other countries came to Papua New Guinea during
the
past 50 years to assist the local Baha'is as they administered and developed
their national community.

(For an obituary on Violet Hoehnke, see
http://www.bahaiworldnews.org/story.cfm?storyid=307 )