Desmond Tutu, an Anglican Archbishop, whose work made him a revered leader during the struggle to end apartheid in his native South Africa, died on 26 December 2021, aged 90. Desmond Tutu was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1984 for his role as a unifying leader figure in the non-violent campaign to resolve the problem of apartheid in South Africa.
South African President, Cyril Ramaphosa, in his condolence message said, “Tutu was a man of extraordinary intellect, integrity and invincibility against the forces of apartheid, he was also tender and vulnerable in his compassion for those who had suffered oppression, injustice and violence under apartheid, and oppressed and downtrodden people around the world." For six decades Tutu, known affectionately as "the Arch", was one of the primary voices in exhorting the South African government to end apartheid, the country's official policy of racial segregation. After apartheid ended in the early 1990s and the long-imprisoned Nelson Mandela became president of the country, Tutu was named chair of South Africa's Truth and Reconciliation Commission. He was to investigate apartheid-era crimes. The model he established was based on truth as a foundation for forgiveness and reconciliation. Archbishop Tutu's ability to convey difficult messages with clarity, compassion and conviviality make him one of the most loved and respected activists of our time. As his great friend Nelson Mandela said of Tutu, he is “sometimes strident, often tender, never afraid and seldom without humour.”
Desmond Tutu talking about the role of forgiveness in healing wounds says, “Forgiveness is not just an altruistic act, but one born of self-interest. Forgiveness helps give people the resilience to survive and remain human in the face of all efforts to dehumanise them.” One mourner at the funeral service, Papi Mzizi, said, "He was the moral compass of the country. On a human level Tutu never took himself seriously, he was always joking, always bubbling, always laughing, always telling the truth. He never took himself higher than anyone else. He loved the people; he always supported the people.”
Desmond Tutu, at a difficult juncture of history gave South Africa what it needed the most, the courage to walk into a more meaningful future.
∎
