On Sunday mornings at the Baha’i House of Worship in Kampala, Uganda’s capital, a one-hour service emphasizes the sound of human voices.
Worshippers take turns reading scripture aloud or singing hymns a cappella.
Charles Anglin, the temple director, said that this form of worship — without preachers, sermons or prescribed ceremonies — is a central part of the faith.
“We don’t do anything else in the house of worship except to pray or meditate. It’s dedicated completely to the remembrance of God,” Anglin said.
The temple’s physical setting reflects those values; the 11-story building that features a nine-sided dome built in the style of a traditional African hut sits high on a hilltop, surrounded by a large park filled with native trees and bougainvillea.
Even though the temple is only three miles away from the city center, it affords a rare respite in bustling Kampala.
Baha’i was founded in Iran by the Persian religious leader Baháʼu’lláh in 1844. In the early 1950s, when followers were sent around the world to spread the faith, they found that Ugandans were especially receptive, Anglin explained. So, the temple in Kampala opened in 1961 as the Baha’i African headquarters.
Baha’i teaches that all religions come from God, and that all humans should work together to improve themselves and benefit society.
“So, for example, you can’t, say, pray to God, ‘Oh God, make me wealthy,’ and then expect wealth to fall from heaven,” Anglin explained. “You have to go out in the world and work and serve. And in that process, you acquire wealth, whether it’s material or spiritual.”
Paul Isiko, a religious studies professor at Kyambogo University in Kampala, said that the Baha’i religion addresses issues that are important for a developing country like Uganda.
“It is a religion which promotes peace, harmony, good living and well-being, everyday issues that society needs to advance in development,” he said.
There are just 200 Baha’i faithful in Kampala and around 26,000 in Uganda. Isiko said that’s partly because the Baha’i don’t proselytize, and mostly because it doesn’t appeal to the lively African sense of spirituality.
“Africans are ritualistic. They’ll find the Baha’i faith a boring religion,” he said.
In Africa, worship tends to be noisy and led by charismatic evangelical preachers.
However, the temple has become one of only a few major tourist attractions in Kampala. About 25,000 tourists visit every year.
Local people also go there to enjoy the panoramic view and because it’s one of the only green spaces in the city that is open to the public.
It’s peaceful, which is also part of the attraction for members of the church.
“We are supposed to pray and meditate. Meditation is the most-important thing,” said Tahirih Tabazi, a longtime member of the church.
Tabazi grew up in a Baha’i home and is named after a Baha’i feminist martyr. She said she tried going to a Christian church, but it didn’t appeal to her.
“The way they were preaching, I could not have a chance to meditate,” she said.
She said she comes to the temple almost every day to reflect and to work out spiritual problems.
“When I come to the temple, I say my prayers, I feel refreshed,” she said. “This place makes me very happy. I think it’s very beautiful. ”
Editor’s note: An earlier version of this story said only one Baha’i temple is on the African continent. There are temples also in Kenya and the DR Congo.