Archbishop Desmond Tutu
11:46am Monday, Nov 02, 2009 | 0 comments | 5.0/5 rating | Share

Making peace with reconciliation: 

South African Anglican priest and activist, Desmond Tutu (October 7, 1931 - present) gained international recognition for his commitment to human rights and desegregation in apartheid South Africa. Tutu's fearless critiques of apartheid laws and his tireless advocacy for reconciliation helped dismantle apartheid and bring interracial peace.

"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," Tutu said.

Between 1948 and 1994,the South African National Party government denied legal rights to many black South Africans and enforced complete separation of the races in education, housing, and employment. As General Secretary of the South African Council of Churches and later Archbishop of Cape Town, Tutu became the voice for many marginalized South Africans in his strong insistence on reconciliation and nonviolent change.

Tutu repeatedly called on the international community to implement economic sanctions on South Africa to pressure the government to reform. To be a democratic society, Tutu's minimum demands were equal civil rights, abolition of South Africa's passport laws, a common system of education, and the end to forced deportation from South Africa.

After the peaceful transition of power in 1994, Tutu was instrumental in post-apartheid peace as chair of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission, a global model for conflict resolution and the peaceful promotion of human rights. Archbishop Tutu advocated forgiveness and cooperation instead of revenge for past injustice.

Currently, Tutu globally speaks out against poverty and unilateralism, for awareness of HIV/AIDs in the Third World, the need for accountability in Zimbabwe, and for peace in the Middle East.

In 1984, Tutu was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1984 and the Gandhi Peace Prize in 2005.

Learn more:

Tutu's bio on the Nobel Peace Prize website

Academy of Achievement's profile of Tutu

The Desmond Tutu Peace Foundation website