Desmond Tutu

Desmond Mpilo Tutu (born October 7, 1931) is a South African cleric and activist who rose to worldwide fame during the 1980s as an opponent of apartheid. Tutu was the first black South African Anglican Archbishop of Cape Town, South Africa, and primate of the Church of the Province of Southern Africa. He was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1984.

Political work

In 1976, a student protest in Soweto, also known as the Soweto Riots, against the government's use of Afrikaans in black schools became a massive uprising against apartheid. From then on Tutu supported an economic boycott of his country. Desmond Tutu was Bishop of Lesotho from 1976 until 1978, when he became Secretary-General of the South African Council of Churches. From this position, he was able to continue his work against apartheid with agreement from nearly all churches. Tutu consistently advocated reconciliation between all parties involved in apartheid through his writings and lectures at home and abroad.

Related Topics:
1976 - Soweto - Soweto Riots - Afrikaans - Boycott - Bishop - Lesotho - 1978 - Secretary-General - Reconciliation

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On October 16, 1984, Tutu was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize. The Nobel Committee cited his "role as a unifying leader figure in the campaign to resolve the problem of apartheid in South Africa."{{ref|Nobel}}

Related Topics:
October 16 - 1984 - Nobel Peace Prize

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Tutu became the first black person to lead the Anglican Church in South Africa on September 7, 1986. In 1989 Tutu was invited to Birmingham, England, as part of Citywide Christian Celebrations. Tutu and his wife visited a number of establishments including Nelson Mandela School in Sparkbrook.

Related Topics:
South Africa - September 7 - 1986 - 1989 - Birmingham - England - Nelson Mandela - Sparkbrook

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After the fall of apartheid, he headed the Truth and Reconciliation Commission, for which he was awarded the Sydney Peace Prize in 1999.

Related Topics:
Truth and Reconciliation Commission - Sydney Peace Prize - 1999

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In 2004, Tutu returned to the UK as Visiting Professor in Post-Conflict Societies at King's College and gave the Commemoration Oration, as part of the College's 175th anniversary. He also visited the students' union nightclub, named "Tutu's" in his honour and featuring a rare bust of his likeness.

Related Topics:
UK - King's College

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Political views

Tutu believes the treatment of Palestinians by the Jewish state of Israel is a form of apartheid.{{ref|Apartheid}} He has repeatedly called upon the Israeli government to respect the human dignity of the Palestinian people, whether Muslim or Christian. In 2003 he became the patron of Sabeel Ecumenical Liberation Theology Center located in Jerusalem.

Related Topics:
Palestinian - Israel - Muslim - Christian - 2003 - Jerusalem

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The Nobel laureate also has expressed support for the West Papuan independence movement, criticizing the United Nations' role in the takeover of West Papua by Indonesia. Tutu said: "For many years the people of South Africa suffered under the yoke of oppression and apartheid. Many people continue to suffer brutal oppression, where their fundamental dignity as human beings is denied. One such people is the people of West Papua."

Related Topics:
West Papua - United Nations - Indonesia

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Tutu has also criticised human rights abuses in Zimbabwe, calling Zimbabwean president Robert Mugabe a "caricature of an African dictator", and criticising the South African government's policy of quiet diplomacy towards Zimbabwe.

Related Topics:
Zimbabwe - President - Robert Mugabe - South Africa

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Commenting days after the August 5, 2003 election of Gene Robinson, an openly gay man to be a bishop in the Episcopal Church in the United States of America, Desmond Tutu said that he did not see what "all the fuss" is about: "For us that doesn't make a difference, the sexual orientation."{{ref|fuss}}

Related Topics:
August 5 - 2003 - Gene Robinson - Gay - Episcopal Church in the United States of America - Sexual orientation

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In January 2005, Tutu added his voice to the growing dissent over terrorist suspects held at Camp X-Ray in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, referring to detentions without trial as "utterly unacceptable."

Related Topics:
January - 2005 - Camp X-Ray - Guantanamo Bay - Cuba

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On April 20, 2005, following the election of Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger as Pope Benedict XVI, Tutu said he was sad that The Catholic Church was unlikely to change its opposition to condoms amid the fight against HIV/AIDS in Africa: "We would have hoped for someone more open to the more recent developments in the world, the whole question of the ministry of women and a more reasonable position with regards to condoms and HIV/AIDS."{{ref|conservative}}

Related Topics:
April 20 - 2005 - Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger - The Catholic Church - Condom - HIV/AIDS - Africa

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