wfn.org | Baha'i news: Baha'is gather in DRC despite war, other challenges

[Sally Weeks <sweeks@bwc.org>]

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Baha'is gather in DRC despite war, other challenges

UVIRA, Democratic Republic of the Congo, 18 November (BWNS) - A war close a t hand and myriad financial and security challenges did not stop nearly 800  people from reaching a historic Baha'i conference in Uvira.

Most of the participants came from the DRC, but 13 were from Burundi and fo ur from Rwanda.

"Although all our belongings were taken from us on the way here, we made it  to the conference," said Francois Njiangani, who lives in the province wes t of Uvira.

Twenty-one people arrived from North Kivu province, a site of the current u nrest. Uvira, in South Kivu province, is roughly 200 kilometers from Goma,  the capital of North Kivu.

Mr. Njiangani indicated that the current insecurity did not deter him from  his Baha'i activities, saying he would return home and rededicate himself t o community-building efforts, which he termed "a way out, a help for the wh ole of humanity."

Ngoy Kalonda of North Kivu said being at the conference created hope and mo tivated her to continue Baha'i activities in her community, too.

A security officer from the Uvira area - previously unfamiliar with Baha'i  teachings - appeared at some of the sessions and afterward stated that he t hought the conference came exactly "at the right time, in the right place."

He said if Baha'is are able to put into practice their teachings of peace a nd unity - and spread their message on all continents - the world will be t ransformed.

The conference was one of three held on 15-16 November - the others were in  Bangalore, India, and Bangui, Central African Republic - that are part of  a series of 41 Baha'i gatherings being held around the world in a four-mont h span.

The purpose of the conferences is for Baha'is to discuss developments in th eir core activities at the neighborhood level, and also to make plans for t he coming months.

"It almost felt like the heat of the joy and enthusiasm of the participants  was competing with the burning heat of the African sun," said one particip ant at Uvira, attempting to explain the mood.

The conference was such a beacon of hope that one man walked 300 kilometers  from his home in Lulenge province.

Similar stories were reported at the conference in the Central African Repu blic, where more than 40 people walked between 50 and 100 kilometers - or f arther - to reach the gathering, the first Baha'i event of its type ever he ld in the country. Some 800 people came for the conference, a number which  stretched the capacity of the venue. The conference was held in the Parliam ent building in the capital city - the largest hall that organizers could f ind to accommodate the expected crowd.

Nearly twice that number - some 1,500 people - attended the conference in B angalore, which included participants from India as well as Sri Lanka and t he Andaman Islands.

Many were excited that the Universal House of Justice, the elected body tha t is the head of the Baha'i Faith, had convened the conferences and was sen ding an individual message to each gathering.

The unprecedented conferences come half-way through a five-year effort by B aha'is to decentralize their activities and organize devotional meetings, s tudy circles, and classes for children and youth at the neighborhood level.

For more information, photographs, and a map, go to: http://news.bahai.org/ story/669