Hindu practice, spread Hindu teaching, and
revive festivals. Schools were established under
his direction, focused on the study of traditional
Hindu scripture. In 1912 Shankarananda orga-
nized the first South African Hindu Conference,
which established the South African Maha Sabha,
which maintained ties among 44 institutes. Shan-
karananda’s work opened the way for other
missionaries, including Swami Adhyananda and
Pandit Rishi Ram, to establish their own work in
the country. The work of these early missionaries
inspired movements in the later decades of the
20th century.
Hindus entered Mauritius in the early 19th
century as indentured workers for French sugar
plantations. After Great Britain suppressed the
slave trade, the colonial French farmers needed a
new source of cheap labor. In time the population
of Indians in Mauritius grew considerably. Today
Hindus make up 68 percent of the total popula-
tion. Most Hindus live in the rural areas and still
work on plantations. Arya Samaj is also active in
Mauritius.
Recently neo-Hindu movements have grown
in popularity on the continent. In both Kenya
and South Africa the INTERNATIONAL SOCIETY FOR
KRISHNA CONSCIOUSNESS became influential in the
latter part of the 20th century. The RAMAKRISHNA
MAT H AND MISSION, and the Divine Life Soci-
ety of Swami SHIVANANDA Saraswai have also
become popular. In Ghana, where Indian mer-
chants arrived during the 20th century, a mission-
ary known as the Black Monk of Africa founded
a monastery in Accra in 1977. With a small but
devoted following, the monastery provides ser-
vices to Hindu communities. The ANANDA MARGA
YOGA SOCIETY has also established a popular fol-
lowing in Ghana. Only five Hindu families live in
Senegal at present.
The observance of Hindu festivals continues
in Africa largely unchanged from Indian sources.
Each year in October DIVALI, or the festival
of lights, is celebrated across Africa. In South
Africa, the popular festival lasts into Novem-
ber and includes both Hindu and non-Hindu
participants. In Kenya, Divali is recognized as
a national holiday. Communities in Tanzania
and Ghana also celebrate Divali. Other festivals
observed across Africa include the popular sum-
mer celebration HOLI, the festival of colors. Sev-
eral local festivals are also observed according to
regional customs.
Although Hindus have maintained a cultural
identity and are generally respected throughout
Africa, some Hindus have become increasingly
alarmed over the tactics of Christian missionar-
ies. Some of the growing numbers of American
and European Christian missionaries have insti-
gated divisions among African communities. For
example, some Christian evangelicals have dis-
seminated portrayals of Hindus as followers of
demonic gods and goddesses, fueling religious
tensions. In South Africa in recent years, several
Hindu organizations have petitioned Christian
evangelicals to condemn attempts to convert
Hindus and have protested against the use of
propaganda that depicts Hindus as devil worship-
pers. The tactics have ignited a new call for Hindu
unity and for peaceful efforts to counter Christian
evangelicalism.
See also CARIBBEAN REGION; DIASPORA.Further reading: Crispin Bates, ed., Community, Empire,
and Migration: South Asians in Diaspora (New York: Pal-
grave, 2001); David Chidester et al., Islam, Hinduism,
and Judaism in South Africa: An Annotated Bibliography
(Westport, Conn.: Greenwood Press, 1997); George
Delf, Asians in East Africa (London: Oxford University
Press, 1963); Alleyn Diesel and Patrick Maxwell, Hindu-
ism in Natal: A Brief Guide (Pietermaritzburg: University
of Natal Press, 1993); Dhram P. Ghai, ed., Portrait of a
Minority: Asians in East Africa (London: Oxford Univer-
sity Press, 1965); J. S. Mangay, A History of the Asians
in East Africa (Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1969); Martin
Prozesky and John W. De Gruchy, Living Faiths in South
Africa (New York: St. Martin’s Press, 1995); Steven
Vertovec, The Hindu Diaspora: Comparative Patterns
(London: Routledge, 2000).K 12 Africa, Hinduism in