Why Archbishop Tutu Is Praised
Since retired Archbishop Desmond Tutu died the other day, there have been numerous photos of him on social media – some in which people wanted to show that they had been blessed know him – but little in the way of explanation of why he is so highly thought of. I will attempt to explain, using points in his life and his own words, so that his life’s meaning is genuinely shared beyond the current citations.
Desmond Mpilo Tutu was of mixed Xhosa/Motswana heritage, born on 7 October 1931 in poverty in the town of Kierksdorp. He trained as a teacher, got married in 1955 and had four children. In 1960, he was ordained as an Anglican priest and in 1962 moved to the United Kingdom to study theology at Kings College London. In 1966, he returned to Africa, teaching at the Federal Theological Seminary, South Africa, and then the University of Botswana, Lesotho and Swaziland. He subsequently became Bishop of Johannesburg and later Archbishop of Cape Town, the most senior position in southern Africa's Anglican hierarchy.
At that point in time in South Africa, much like during slavery in the United States, religious leaders were expected by the power structure to keep their flocks docile and non-violent. After all, in both cases, black people outnumbered white people by quite a lot. Archbishop Tutu became one of the most prominent opponents of South Africa's apartheid system of racial segregation and white minority rule. White apartheid supporters despised him, and many white liberals regarded him as too radical. Meanwhile, many black radicals considered him too moderate and focused on cultivating white goodwill, and Marxists were outraged by his anti-communist position. He was, however, popular among South Africa's black majority and was internationally praised for his anti-apartheid activism. He received a range of awards, including the Nobel Peace Prize.
Archbishop Tutu warned the ruling National Party government that anger at apartheid would one day lead to racial violence. Still, like India’s Mahatma Gandhi and America’s Martin Luther King, he stressed non-violent protest and foreign economic pressure to bring about the possibility of majority rule.
Going back to the time of Jesus of Nazareth, oppressed people have sought the most direct, quickest means of removing the boot of oppression from their necks. The language of non-violent resistance did not sit well with many who had been, not only held down by the apartheid system, but brutalized and murdered as well. Still, Archbishop Tutu persisted in his Christian message of love for all.
As president of the All-Africa Conference of Churches beginning in 1986, the archbishop gained further notoriety for his views through tours of the continent. He called for an end to the generally incremental approach taken by much of the international community in response to the horrors of apartheid.
“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.”
After South African President F.W. de Klerk released anti-apartheid activist Nelson Mandela from prison in 1990, they co-led negotiations to end apartheid and introduce multi-racial democracy. Archbishop Tutu acted as a mediator between rival black factions – comprising militant, ethnic nationalist and accommodationist groups. Following the election of a majority rule government led by Mandela in 1994, Archbishop Tutu was appointed to chair the Truth and Reconciliation Commission to investigate past human rights abuses committed by both pro- and anti-apartheid groups. This was a unique restorative justice vehicle that has been copied with varying levels of success elsewhere. Witnesses who were identified as victims of gross human rights violations were invited to give statements about their experiences, and some were selected for public hearings. Perpetrators of violence also could give testimony and request amnesty from both civil and criminal prosecution. The fact that South Africa didn’t explode in violent reprisals against oppressors after 1994 is a testament to the success of this process.
The extraordinary forbearance of Mandela to those who had persecuted and jailed him for decades has been cited as the reason why this mechanism could succeed, and that is definitely a major factor in its success. However, credit also must be given to Archbishop Tutu, whose guiding spirit confirmed for victims and perpetrators that this was truly about reconciliation and not revenge.
“Because forgiveness is like this: a room can be dank because you have closed the windows, you've closed the curtains. But the sun is shining outside, and the air is fresh outside. In order to get that fresh air, you have to get up and open the window and draw the curtains apart.”
After achieving success in apartheid's demise, Archbishop Tutu used his notoriety and widespread support to campaign for controversial issues such as gay rights and spoke out on a wide range of subjects, including his views on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, his opposition to the Iraq War and his criticism of South African Presidents Thabo Mbeki and Jacob Zuma. Some thought he was misusing his position on issues that were considered outside the normal purview of an African cleric and did not appreciate his comments on a wide array of issues. Yet his views were consistent with the worldview of an African, not a Westerner, which his critics failed to understand or accept.
A man I used to work with two decades ago passed on a saying that is very apropos to any attempt to understand why Archbishop Tutu felt he should speak up on issues beyond South Africa’s racial situation – in effect, not staying in what was considered his lane. My former colleague described us as all living in the same high-rise building, thus all we see life from different windows, which gives us each a different perspective on the same scenes we witness. Would that more people could develop such an understanding in today’s world.
In 2010, Archbishop Tutu retired from public life, but his legacy continues if we have ears to hear him and eyes to witness what he accomplished.
“Peace comes when you talk to the guy you most hate. And that's where the courage of a leader comes, because when you sit down with your enemy, you as a leader must already have very considerable confidence from your own constituency.”
If only those who claim to have admired him could heed these words and reach across the aisle to those who don’t see things the same as we do. Archbishop Tutu had the grace to forgive and seek common cause with those who had made themselves his enemies. Can we all not at least try to do the same?
Comments
Post a Comment