Archbishop Tutu of South Africa, a man of deep faith, Nobel Laureate (for Peace), freedom fighter against Apartheid, and an ardent peacemaker in post-Apartheid South Africa through his Truth and Reconciliation mission, died aged 90 in December 2021. The world lost a most remarkable person with tributes and messages of sadness and condolence coming from rulers of nations such as HM the Queen and President Joe Biden, as well as the humblest people from areas like Soweto.
He was the first Black African Bishop in Johannesburg and the first black person to head the Anglican Province of South Africa. He has said that his desire to become a priest dates back to a particular day in his childhood when Father Trevor Huddleston, a white priest, tipped his hat to his mother as he passed them on the street. Such a show of respect to a black woman by a white man was unheard of in the Apartheid era. Desmond was just a child and was profoundly affected by it.
As an Anglican Bishop his was fearless in his opposition to Apartheid, calling for economic boycott against the South African regime and supporting civil disobedience. He did not support violence, however, and it was for his advocacy of non-violence in the fight against the brutal Apartheid regime that he was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize.
After the end of that struggle, and after Nelson Mandela became the first democratically elected president under full franchise, the Arch was appointed as head of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission, reviewing all that happened under Apartheid. The Commission brought together perpetrators and victims of racial violence so that there could be an acknowledgement of what it all meant to the nation as they moved forward together to forge the ’Rainbow Nation’. The whole process was a most painful experience for him, and he was often seen to be in tears during the hearings. It was through that experience that he was able to understand what forgiveness meant: “Forgiving is not forgetting– it is in fact, remembering. Reme
mbering and not using your right to hit back. It is a second chance for a new beginning. Remembering is important, especially if you don’t want to repeat it.” His laughter and dancing and joie de vivre was infectious. Probably the driving force for him was his belief that all were precious to God. That is what made him equally at home with poor people living in squalor amidst rubbish and broken glass as with high-powered international leaders.
“If you are neutral in situations of injustice, you have chosen the side of the oppressor. If an elephant has its foot on the tail of a mouse, and you say that you are neutral, the mouse will not appreciate your neutrality.”
- Archbishop Desmond Tutu
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