As the Government of Samoa and villages all over the country prepare to welcome the Commonwealth Heads of Government to Samoa, the Bahá’í community is finalising its plans to mark the auspicious occasion.

It was in September of 1984 when His Highness, the late Susuga Malietoa Tanumafili II, officially opened the Bahá’í House of Worship at Tiapapata to public worship. He was joined by a much-revered representative of the Universal House of Justice, with its seat on the slopes of Mount Carmel in Haifa, Israel, the late Madame Rúhíyyih Rabbáni.

In her remarks, Madame Rabbáni stated: “This much blessed House of Worship now opening wide its doors to people of all creeds, of all races, of all nations, and of all classes, is dedicated to the three fundamental verities underlying the Baha’i Faith; the unity of God, the unity of His prophets, the unity of mankind.”

Forty years later, 2024 is celebrated as a Ruby Jubilee year marking that historic moment. But it is not the only jubilee the Bahá’ís of Samoa and American Samoa are celebrating this year. It was seventy years ago, in January of 1954, when a young Lilian Wyss, who was 21 years old at the time, brought the teachings of the Bahá’u’lláh to Samoa.

From that perspective, 2024 is also a Platinum Jubilee, the 70th anniversary of the Bahá’í Faith in Samoa. 1954 was also when the first of two Constitutional Conventions were held that led to the country’s independence in 1962, the first Pacific Island nation to gain its independence from foreign powers. It was only a few short years later, in 1968, when His Highness Malietoa Tanumafili II declared his belief in Bahá’u’lláh and accepted the teachings of the Bahá’í Faith.

At the end of August and the beginning of September this year, Bahá’ís from all over the island archipelago came together to sing, dance and share stories of the history of the Bahá’í Faith in their country and the building of the House of Worship at Tiapapata, the seventh continental Temple in the world in what is commonly referred to as the Blue Continent.

For the upcoming global meeting, the Bahá’í community will host two Interfaith Services at the Bahá’í House of Worship at Tiapapata to which all the Commonwealth Heads of Government and their delegations are invited. With approximately 80% of the people of the world belonging to a faith community or professing a religious/spiritual belief, religious organisations and actors have huge potential in helping to tackle the many pressing issues including the impending climate crisis.

Moreover, the Bahá’ís in Samoa and American Samoa are mindful of the current wave of persecution their brethren are facing in Iran where the Bahá’í Faith began in 1844. They call to mind the promise of Bahá’u’lláh, “Should they attempt to conceal His light on the continent, He will assuredly rear His head in the midmost heart of the ocean and, raising His voice, proclaim: ‘I am the life giver of the world!’”

As with all devotional services at the Bahá’í House of Worship, both Interfaith Services are open to the general public and feature short programs of prayers and readings in various languages from the scriptures of the World’s religions. Starting at 10 am on Sunday 20 and Sunday 27, the two devotional programs will be followed by short musical performances in the Visitor Information Centre.

Singer-songwriter Klare KuOlga, a musician from Papua New Guinea known for blending jazz, acoustic soul, and RnB with world music, will share songs from her new album, Breathe. She will be accompanied by Natalia Mann (harp) and Lila Meleisea (alto saxophone), musicians of Samoan descent living in Australia. Together with Grace Vanilau, this dynamic trio formed the group Sunga, releasing the album “Songs of Polynesia” twenty-one years ago, in 2003.