The Baháʼí Faith in Ethiopia began after ʻAbdu'l-Bahá wrote letters encouraging taking the religion to Africa in 1916.
The tablets were translated and presented by Mirza Ahmad Sohrab on April 4, 1919, and published in Star of the West magazine on December 12, 1919.
[4][12] Sabri Elias traveled back and forth from Alexandria devoted to the work of translating and printing various materials including Baháʼu'lláh and the New Era in Amharic though he had to leave in 1935 and was able to return next in 1944 (having taken the opportunity to get married and undertake pilgrimage[11]) due to the Second Italo-Abyssinian War.
[17] The Baháʼí Community in Ethiopia came under the responsibility of the regional National Spiritual Assembly of Egypt and Sudan during the Ten Year Crusade in 1953.
A summer school in 1958 was held in Eritrea, then part of Ethiopia, hosting a significant expansion of the effort which included Baháʼís from several cities: Addis Ababa, Gondar, Adiqualla, Massawa, Agordat, Barentu, and Asmara.
The average attendance during the school sessions was twenty-five, and included many Baháʼís of Addis Ababa and their non-Baháʼí friends.
[22] In 1960 a group of sixty-five, half of them guests of the Baha'is shown considerable interest in an introductory talk on the religion in Addis Ababa in the Amharic language.
[23] In 1961 events began to multiply - members of the religion reached the towns of Volisso, Bedele and Shashamane,[24] participated in the dedication of the Baháʼí House of Worship in Uganda.
[4][6] And also in 1963 in a step of recognition of the religion the city government of Addis Ababa allocated land for use as a Baháʼí burial ground.
[29] The regional assembly was again re-organized when the institutions of the religion were made illegal in Egypt in 1960[30] and again when Sudan, Somalia and Ethiopia formed their own regional assembly in 1968 with members: Gila Michael Bahta, Dr. Leo Neiderreitter, Gamal Rushdy, Asfaw Tessema, Dr. Heshmat Farhoumand, Dr. Hushang Ahdieh, Ursula Samandari, Assefaw Habte Michael and Rabbi Teele Mariam.
Villagers surprised the guests with a dance they had not shared previously and sung Baháʼí songs with English words - a language foreign to them - with clarity enough to be understood.
Later, in discussion with Prince Asrate Medhin Kassa it became known that while in exhile some years earlier he had borrowed and read a copy of Baháʼu'lláh and the New Era in Amharic that had been given to the Emperor.
On the last return to Addis Ababa Crown Prince Asfaw Wossen received her then she resumed her tour of Africa by going next to Kenya.
[38] Since its inception the religion has had involvement in socio-economic development beginning by giving greater freedom to women,[39] promulgating the promotion of female education as a priority concern.
[39] In 1970 representatives from seven National Spiritual Assemblies in Africa and from the Baháʼí International Community were the largest delegation to the first African Conference of Non-Governmental Organizations held in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.
By 1987, the number of officially recognized development projects had increased to 1482.The modern Baháʼí community of Ethiopia has multiplied its interests internally and externally along these lines.
People of Sidamo were used to an open atmosphere when choosing their leaders and had difficulty adjusting to secret ballot as normal in Baháʼí electoral process.
Nevertheless, the elections went forward and materials and classes were held covering the issues though human resources were thin under such rapid growth.
[50] Sabri Elias, founder of the community in Ethiopia, and his wife, returned in 1977 for the national convention before flying on back to Djibouti.
[11] Forty-two Baháʼís from Ethiopia attended a regional conference called for by the Universal House of Justice in 2008 held in Johannesburg.
[8] In the 1990s a Racism Dance was translated by an Ethiopian Baháʼí Youth Workshop (see Oscar DeGruy) which addressed racial, national/ethnic prejudices and was used to talk about war between Eritrea and Ethiopia.
[58] An experimental garden was set up in Sidamo Province as a demonstration field in the compound of the regional center to train Baháʼí farmers in improved agricultural techniques.