Expanding Malawi’s Vision for the Future

Community gathering at the National Bahá’í Center, on the site of the future national House of Worship in Lilongwe (Sep 2026)

LILONGWE, Malawi — More than 100 people from all walks of life gathered at sunset on a recent Wednesday evening on the site of the future national Bahá’í House of Worship for Malawi, in the heart of Lilongwe, to hear from Mr. Kanagaratnam Lakmeeharan, a visiting member of the International Teaching Centre—a senior advisory body that guides the growth and development of the international Bahá’í community—and two Counsellors from the Continental Board of Counsellors for Africa, Mrs. Musonda Kapusa-Linsel and Mr. Nsika Mutasa.

Addressing those gathered, Mr. Lakmeeharan said: “We must be entirely convinced that the Teachings of Bahá’u’lláh are the sole remedy for the healing of the world today. This is not simply yet another church: these Teachings are for the whole world, and it is our responsibility to share generously this precious gift with everyone, regardless of creed or belief.”

A history reaching back to 1953

Mr. Lakmeeharan spoke of Malawi’s place in the history of the Bahá’í Faith in Africa. Dunduzu Chisiza, born in what was then Nyasaland, became the first African to be named a Knight of Bahá’u’lláh, honored by Shoghi Effendi in 1953 for opening Ruanda-Urundi (present-day Rwanda and Burundi) to the Faith. Malawi was also home for a time to Claire Kleine-Gung, whom Shoghi Effendi called the “Mother of Africa”.

The heart of Lilongwe

The gathering was a reminder of the significance of Malawi being the first country in Southern Africa to build a national House of Worship — an institution dedicated to worship and service that will be open to all. “We must tell others about the House of Worship and its significance,” Mr. Lakmeeharan reminded the gathering, encouraging those present to invite friends and neighbours to visit and pray at the site where it will be built.

The evening was bookended with singing and prayer, an illustration of the power of devotional gatherings to bring people together in joy and fellowship.

 

The community as a protagonist

MTANDIRE, Malawi — The three visitors are in Malawi for a week to learn about the efforts of local Bahá’ís and their friends to raise up “vibrant communities” that serve as the foundation of peace and prosperity.

The Counsellors visited the Mtandire neighborhood of Lilongwe, meeting with men and women who are giving their time and energy at the grassroots to advance a capacity-building process referred to as the training institute. Through it, children, youth, and adults are learning to study their own reality and find ways to strengthen bonds of unity — and to invite more of their relatives, friends, and neighbours to join them in this essentially spiritual endeavor.

The conversation helped the local friends realise they are ready to engage the community more profoundly and widely than ever before. Mr. Austin Rabson, one of the local friends present, noted that “when we see the community as a protagonist of the institute process rather than simply a recipient of plans, much greater capacity is revealed.” As a consequence, he added, “it is important to consult with the community as a whole, identifying human resources and involving people in making plans and solving challenges,” which ultimately “will help us to foster ownership within the neighbourhood.”

Shaping the spiritual and material landscape

NSANJE, Malawi — After three days in Lilongwe, the visitors traveled south to a rural village near Nsanje, where efforts by local residents over the past decade to apply the Teachings of Bahá’u’lláh are showing their transformative power not only in the lives of individuals but at the level of whole communities and even groups of villages.

“The visit to Nsanje by the three Counsellors marked a tremendous milestone,” noted Ms. Margret Nyoni, who serves as chairperson of the National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá’ís of Malawi. A series of deliberations were held involving local, regional and national agencies and institutions of the Faith to explore, among other things, how patterns of activity can be strengthened and how Bahá’í institutions are working hand in hand with community leaders and groups of families. “They then went on to visit local leaders to appreciate how Bahá’í teachings are helping to shape the spiritual landscape of their communities”, explained Ms. Nyoni.

One such visit was to Village Head Makhaza, who warmly welcomed the group and shared highlights of the advances made in recent years, including a community bank and a community school. “The performance of most learners who graduate from this school has always been outstanding when they join the government primary schools,” shared one participant.

During another visit, Group Village Headman Ndamera appreciated how some Bahá’í activities have assisted his villages in terms of health, education, agriculture and socio-economic activities and he highlighted how he and his members of his community have collaborated with the Bahá’í friends to ensure that they collectively make decisions that affect their communities.

Advancing national lines of action

LILONGWE, Malawi — In meetings with national, regional, and local institutions and agencies of the Bahá’í Faith throughout their time here, the visitors heard how grassroots efforts are being systematised and supported from community to community. They offered encouragement and suggestions for how to continue this process of learning and capacity-building with ever greater determination — and to ensure that new insights are documented and shared more widely so as to foster what the Universal House of Justice has called an “ecosystem of learning”.

Ms. Nyoni explains how, through these conversations, the National Spiritual Assembly became more acutely aware of the potential for communities to increasingly take ownership of all the Bahá’í-inspired activities, which are aimed at benefitting everyone, to such an extent that all inhabitants of a locality would simply refer to these as ‘our community activities’.

Another topic of intense discussion, she added, was the erection of the national House of Worship. “As a nation, what steps can we take to prepare ourselves for it? For example, can we offer service towards its construction? Can we offer prayers? Can we help in other ways?” Such questions will be occupying the thoughts of all those who, inspired by the Teachings of Bahá’u’lláh, are actively helping to weave new patterns of social life in village and neighbourhoods across the country.