Approximateliy 160 members, 5 countries

Membership is concentrated in three main groups: Johannesburg, Capetown, and Durbin. In October 2008 South Africa celebrated their 50th anniversary in Cape Town and held their 25th National Congress in 2009 in Johannesburg. Many members feel rather isolated in South Africa, in part because of the geographic distances and they very much welcome visitors. A strong team worked hard on a 2009 bid for the World Congress, a very successful international enterprise meeting was held here in 2004, and they hosted a pan-African Meeting in 1995.
Is the most populated African country. One in five of all Africans are Nigerians. People are welcoming, friendly and generous. The sub-Saharan north and the tropical south of the country are very different. Presently, all the Subud groups are located in the south, though in the past there were groups in the Muslim north.
Subud Nigeria’s National Committee accompanied by a National Helper visited Cotonou, the capital of Benin Republic on the west coast of Africa where there is now a Subud group. Four members were opened during this long awaited and much appreciated visit. Three founder members of the group had travelled to the WSA sponsored Subud Nigeria National Congress in 2008 and were opened. As of 2010 seven members were meeting together in a member’s home for latihan.
Photo: 2008 International Helpers visit Tanzania and Heloise Jackson with members from Malawi, 2012
In December 2008, International Helpers were invited to come to Mwika and open several people who had expressed an interest in Subud. Mwika is the home town of Roland Maanga.
Malawi, a small country in Africa, sandwiched between Tanzania (in the North), Zambia (in the East) and Mozambique (in the and South), is the newest Subud country.
In 2010, a young man, Muhammad Raidhan, discovered Subud through reading the preface of a book on the works of an eleventh century Muslim saint, Abd al-Qadir al-Jalani. This preface had been written by Ruslan Moore, a Muslim Subud member living in Florida, USA, who had discovered, through Rofe’s book ‘The Path of Subud’, that Bapak had mentioned that this particular saint had received the latihan.
The encounter, between Ruslan and young Muhammad, led to many men of the Raidhan family being opened. Soon, the women followed suit, and Héloïse Jackson, UK Subud member, travelled with Ruslan to Malawi, where another five ladies were opened. Some members of this extended family live in the UK and also belong to the Leicester/Derby groups (Héloïse’s group). By the end of July 2012, twenty four members from the same family were opened.
Many of them travel back and forth between Malawi and the UK and due to their increasing number, two of the men, Rashid and Farook Raidhan, were made emergency helpers. There are now 26 members in total who are opened between the Leicester and Malawi groups; 15 men and 11 women. We have just had another two enquiries recently from two more ladies from Malawi who live in England at present. These members are extremely dedicated and we hope that Malawi will become a major Subud country in the near future.
Country | Chairperson/Contact | Groups/Centers | Members |
Nigeria | Charles Ekene Mamah | Lagos, Ijebu Ode, Ibadan, Calabar, Calabar South, Isi Uzo, Umuahia, Enugu | 90 |
South Africa | Lambert Kriedemann | Capetown, Johannesburg | 53 |
Tanzania | Roland Maanga | 12 | |
Benin | Gildas Hondolou | Cotonou | 9 |
Malawi | Mhd Raidhan Blantyre | 24 |