This podcast episode explores how spiritual principles are fostering greater unity, participation, and shared responsibility in communities across Papua New Guinea.
BAHÁ’Í WORLD CENTRE — In a new episode of “In Conversation,” guests from across Papua New Guinea discuss how prayer, consultation, and daily action are shaping the way communities are responding to social challenges.
They described how the principles of consultation, the equality of women and men, and the integration of worship and service are helping communities identify the needs of their neighborhoods and act on them—from expanding participation in local decision-making to addressing social challenges together with young people.
Jalal Mills, who was serving as a member of the Continental Board of Counsellors in Australasia at the time of the conversation, described how, in settings across Papua New Guinea, concern for the well-being of the community is increasingly being taken up by all, young and old alike, individuals and institutions.
This could be seen vividly in Hohola, a suburb of Port Moresby where the education of children had become a collective effort. “Everyone in the street is coming together,” he said, united by “a common purpose.”
Marylouise Michael, a member of the Auxiliary Board in Papua New Guinea, recounted how this began with one neighbor, inspired by her attendance at the inauguration of the House of Worship, thinking about how she could contribute to the education of the children in her locality: “She went home, got cardboard, wrote notices, and put them in front of the canteen.” These notices drew the participation of the community in classes for moral and spiritual education.
Over time, neighbors who were at first uncertain of these classes, upon seeing the growth and development of the children in them, became enthusiastic supporters and contributors. The initial class grew to two groups, Mrs. Michael explained, one in the morning for children not yet in school, another in the afternoon for those older ones who attended the local elementary school. With this expansion, the classes had to be held in a small structure built beside the street, where it has stood since, open and welcoming.
Benedine Lavu, another member of the Auxiliary Board in Papua New Guinea, spoke of how, in her village of Moria, Mondays had taken on a significant role in the life of the community. Every week, the Local Spiritual Assembly and the Council of the Village host a space for collective decision-making in which every member of the community actively participates—“consulting and reflecting to see how we are working together to transform the community,” she said.
In describing the atmosphere that these gatherings have created, Mrs. Lavu said, “We all are seeing each other as one family. To transform our village into a peaceful place so we can live together.”
Acknowledging that shaping a new pattern of community life was not without difficulty, Bererin Barnabas, another member of the Auxiliary Board in Papua New Guinea, said, “When we start something new, we find challenges” in working out “how the environment would look like.”
He reflected on the pattern of community action that has taken root in his own locality of Daga. Mr. Barnabas described how the Bahá’í community-building educational initiatives offers a structured way for people of all ages to serve their village—from enriching community education to organizing cleanups along riverbanks, and, during the pandemic, working alongside the local health center to talk with families about public health.
What has helped sustain these efforts, Mr. Barnabas said, is a shared habit of prayer: “Prayer is the food of the soul. You go everywhere in Daga, you will find this spirit of devotion.”
The podcast episode is part of the “In Conversation” series, a collective exploration by several individuals of the practical application of Bahá’í principles to the building of peaceful societies.
