Desmond Tutu is a prominent African activist and retired Bishop of the Anglican Church. He is popular around the world for his role in liberating South Africa from ugly apartheid. He was also influential in other parts of the world outside of South Africa. You may have heard of him, but I bet there are a lot of things about him worth knowing that would surprise you if you never did. Here’s everything you need to know about South African icon Desmond Tutu:
Archbishop Desmond Tutu Biography
Early life
He was born Desmond Mpilo Tutu in Klerksdorp,Transvaal in 1931 in the heat of apartheid. His father, Zacheriah Zililo Tutu, was an elementary school principal while his mother, Aletta, was a school cook and cleaner. He is the second of four children. Despite the country’s cruel discrimination against black people, Tutu never let him put him down. He always stayed positive and never accepted discrimination or defeat. This can be traced back to why he grew up fighting for the black South Africans. This is a brief account of his childhood experience by the archbishop himself:
“We knew, yes, we were being robbed,” he later recalled. “It wasn’t the same for white kids, but it was as fulfilling a life as you could make. I mean, we made toys with wires, built cars, and you really blew up with joy!
I remember one day, while out with my baby mother, a white man, a priest named Trevor Huddleston, put his hat on her – the first time I saw a white man pay such respect to a black woman . The incident made a deep impression on me and taught me that I do not have to accept discrimination and that religion could be a powerful tool to promote racial equality. “
Because of the bad things, he almost died from tuberculosis at a young age. When Tutu was 12 years old, he contracted a fatal cough known as tuberculosis that almost took his life. He spent about two years in the hospital before recovering. This happened around the time his family moved to the South African capital of Johannesburg.
This illness led to his initial ambition of becoming a doctor. While suffering from tuberculosis, Desmond was inspired by the disease to become a doctor in order to find a cure for the deadly disease. Unfortunately, after gaining admission to a medical school, he couldn’t make it because his parents couldn’t afford the fees. Alternatively, he attended Pretoria Bantu Normal College, where he received a scholarship.
education and career
Desmond attended Johannesburg Bantu High School, a severely underfunded all-black school where, against all odds, he still received an excellent education through the positive attitude and encouragement of his black teachers. In 1950 he graduated from high school and completed a teacher training course at Pretoria Bantu Normal College. In 1953 he graduated from Pretoria Bantu Normal College with a teacher’s certificate. He then enrolled at South Africa University and graduated in 1954 with a bachelor’s degree.
Desmond Tutu had a passion for influencing students, the same spirit his teachers instilled in him in his earlier years. This prompted him to take up a teaching position at his alma mater, teaching English and history. He shares his inspiration:
I tried to be what my teachers were to me, these kids trying to instill in them a pride, a pride in themselves. A pride in what they did. A pride that said they can define you as such and such. You’re not. Make sure to prove them wrong by exploring whatever potential you can unleash. “
After the Bantu Education Act was passed in 1957, he resigned from his position as a teacher. He then attended St. Peter’s Theological College in Johannesburg and was ordained an Anglican priest in 1961. From 1972 to 1975 he was deputy director of the World Council of Churches. He was appointed Dean of St Mary’s Cathedral, Johannesburg, in 1975, the first black South African to hold the position.
In 1985 he became the first black Anglican bishop in Johannesburg. He then became the first black Archbishop of Cape Town and Bishop of the Church of the Province of South Africa (now the Anglican Church of Southern Africa) in 1986. From 1976 to 1978 he was Bishop of Lesotho. In 1978 he Desmond Tutu was appointed general secretary of the South African Council of Churches (also the first black person to hold the position) and became a leading spokesperson for the rights of black South Africans. On the occasion of his 79th birthday in 2010, he announced his intention to effectively retiring from public life, but announced he would continue to work with the “Elders,” a group of international leaders
Archbishop Desmond’s Daughter, Children & Family
In 1955, Desmond Tutu married Nomalizo Leah Shenxane, a teacher he met while at college. They had four children: Trevor Thamsanqa, Theresa Thandeka, Naomi Nontombi and Mpho Andrea Tutu.
Desmond Tutu’s Legacy: Fighting Apartheid
In 1976, the Soweto protests, also known as The Soweto Riots, which opposed the use of Afrikaans as the language of instruction in black schools, turned into an anti-apartheid riot. From then on, Tutu supported an economic boycott of his country. He vigorously opposed the Reagan administration’s policy of “constructive engagement” in the United States, which advocated “friendly persuasion”. Tutu was more supportive of divestment, although it hit the poor hardest; Because if divestment put black people out of work, Tutu argued, they would at least suffer “with a purpose.” Tutu took advantage and organized peaceful marches that brought 30,000 people to the streets of Cape Town.
Tutu was a South African civil rights leader. He worked assiduously to end South Africa’s strict racial segregation policies known as apartheid. He put forward the following points: the abolition of South Africa’s passport laws, a common education system, the end of forced deportations from South Africa to the so-called “home countries” and equal rights. He also fought against racial discrimination, constantly preaching reconciliation between various parties associated with apartheid through his writings and lectures at home and abroad.
In 1994 Nelson Mandela appointed him chairman of the Truth & Reconciliation Commission (TRC), where he led the commission in gathering evidence of apartheid-era crimes over the past 34 years.
Archbishop Desmond Tutu Awards and Global Achievements
Desmond Tutu is always credited with the term “rainbow nation” for his tremendous role in creating a new apartheid-free South African society.
Archbishop Desmond Tutu dedicated his life to fighting poverty, injustice, racism, sexism and inequality and promoting ideas of forgiveness and cooperation around the world. He was a strong advocate for human rights and global health. He has been passionate about fighting deadly diseases like HIV and TB for people around the world. These are some of his statements on the subject:
TB is the child of poverty, but also its parent and provider,” Archbishop Tutu reiterates. “If we want to do something about AIDS, we have to do something about TB. If we want to do something about TB, we have to do something about AIDS. Since we defeated apartheid, we will defeat TB and HIV/AIDS, those godless twin killers. “
He founded the Tutu Foundation for Development and Relief and the Desmond Tutu HIV Foundation.
Some countries in the world where Tutu has contributed significantly to their development in one way or another are:
- Zimbabwe – Human Rights
- Solomon Islands – Establishment of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission.
- Israel and Palestine – Security
- China – the release of dissident Yang Jianli in 2007 and the fight against violence.
Awards and Honors
He received the Nobel Peace Prize in 1984 (the second South African to receive the prize); the Albert Schweitzer Prize for Humanity in 1986; the Pacem in Terris Award in 1987; the Sydney Peace Prize in 1999; the 2007 Gandhi Peace Prize; the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2009; US Presidential Medal of Freedom (2009); an award from the Mo Ibrahim Foundation recognizing his lifetime commitment to speaking truth to power (2012) and the Templeton Prize (2013). Tutu is also the holder of a number of honorary degrees obtained from prestigious universities around the world.
Desmond Tutu Facts You Probably Didn’t Know
His personal life
He was diagnosed with prostate cancer in 1997, which he continues to manage to this day. He subsequently became patron of the South African Prostate Cancer Foundation, established in 2007.
He supports gay rights, legalization of abortion and assisted dying
In the debate surrounding Anglican views of homosexuality, Tutu has opposed traditional Christian disapproval of homosexuality. Comment Days after Gene Robinson, an openly gay man, was elected bishop of the Episcopal Church in the United States of America on August 5, 2003. Tutu has stepped up his criticism of conservative attitudes towards homosexuality in his own church, equating homophobia with racism, Tutu said:
“In our church here in South Africa, they don’t make a difference. We’re just saying that at the moment we believe they should remain celibate and we don’t see what the point is. Tutu has commented that it’s sad that the church spends time not addressing sexual orientation.”When we face so many devastating issues—poverty, HIV/AIDS, war and conflict—we focus on what I’m doing in bed with whom.”
In an interview with BBC Radio 4 on November 18, 2007, Tutu accused the church of being obsessed with homosexuality, stating:
If, as they say, God is homophobic, I would not worship that God. Homophobia is a “crime against humanity” and “just as unjust” as apartheid. We fought apartheid in South Africa, supported by people around the world because black people were blamed and forced to suffer for something we couldn’t do anything about. Our skin… The same goes for sexual orientation. “
His books
Tutu has authored or co-authored numerous publications, including the following:
- Divine Intent (1982), a collection of his lectures; Hope and Suffering (1983), a collection of his sermons;
- No Future Without Forgiveness (1999),
- A memoir from his time as head of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission; God Has a Dream: A Vision of Hope for Our Time (2004),
- A collection of personal reflections; and Made for Goodness: And Why That Makes the Difference (2010), reflections on his belief in human nature.