Desmond Tutu
By Michelle Landis

"My vision is of a South Africa that is totally non-racial...a new South Africa, a free South Africa, where all of us, black and white together, will walk tall; where all of us, black and white together, will hold hands as we stride forth on the Freedom March to usher in the new South Africa where people will matter because they are human beings made in the image of God."

Archbishop Desmond Tutu has been described as "one of South Africa's most articulate Christians." He gained notoriety for his blatant opposition to the South African government's apartheid system. Much of his life has been spent fighting for justice and racial harmony in South Africa and throughout the world. Highly educated, very articulate, and extremely spiritual, Mpilo Desmond Tutu has become a figure of peace in a world shattered and torn by the disillusionment of hatred and violence.

Born October 7, 1931 in Klerksdorp, a town in the Western Transvaal, 70 miles west of Johannesburg, Tutu grew up "in a country where legality and morality are compromised by institutionalized racism." Under the segregation laws of apartheid, Tutu was educated at inadequate and grossly inferior all black Bantu schools. He received his Teacher's Diploma from Pretoria Bantu College in 1953, then a BA degree from the University of South Africa in 1958. After teaching for a short period, he was called to enter the ministry. He received his licentiate in Theology at St. Peter's Theological College in Rossettenville, Johannesburg, in 1960. He became an ordained deacon in 1960, and an ordained priest in 1961. He then attended King's College, University of London, from 1962-1965. After returning to South Africa, he was a lecturer from 1970-1974 at the Universities of Botswana, Lesotho, and Swaziland. In 1975 he was appointed Anglican Dean of Johannesburg, the first black person ever appointed to that position. In 1976 he was named Bishop of Lesotho. He became the first black General Secretary of the South African Council of Churches, and held that position from 1978-1985. In 1984 he was the Nobel Peace Prize laureate. He was appointed Bishop of Johannesburg in 1985, then became the first black Anglican Archbishop of Cape Town in 1986. He has also received dozens of honorary doctorates and peace awards, including the Nuclear Age Peace Foundation's Distinguished Peace Leadership Award in 1990.

Even without such a lengthy list of appointments and awards, Desmond Tutu remains a dynamic and strongly spiritually motivated individual. He has been a stalwart figure in the face of apartheid and the struggle for freedom and equality in South Africa and around the world. "It is the affirmation for peace-Shalom, the active, positive exaltation of justice and social harmony, which Desmond Tutu has come to symbolize" He has spent his life speaking out against injustice and oppression, seeking an end to apartheid in his native land. His activism and political pressure to end apartheid stemmed from his beliefs as a Christian, not from any particular political ideology. His thoughts on this issue have been strongly expressed:

"Many people think that Christians should be neutral, or that the Church must be neutral. But in a situation of injustice and oppression such as we have in South Africa, not to choose to oppose, is in fact to have chosen to side with the powerful, with the exploiter, with the oppressor.... The Church in South Africa must be the prophetic church, which cries out 'Thus saith the Lord', speaking up against injustice and violence, against oppression and exploitation, against all that dehumanizes God's children and makes them less than what God intended them to be.... For my part, the day will never come when apartheid will be acceptable. It is an evil system and it is at variance with the gospel of Jesus Christ. That is why I oppose it and can never compromise with it-not for political reasons but because I am a Christian."

Desmond Tutu has established himself as a very spiritual Church leader, a distinguished peace activist, a compassionate man of the people, an individual highly respected by international political leaders, and a passionate orator. He is characterized by resolute, devout convictions and faith; and a candid sense of humor. He is a man capable of feeling the pain of his oppressed brothers, and a man who can tactfully present his views to political leaders. He has been described as a man for all people and a man for all occasions.

Tutu's struggles for peace did not end with the defeat of apartheid. He continues to speak out against injustice and oppression everywhere, and his influence has been felt internationally in many areas. He contributes letters and speeches to governments and individuals on both a religious and a political level, often on behalf of those who are being oppressed or killed. He is the voice of those who have been ignored and overlooked-the poor, children, and minorities. He is a beacon of hope for those who have been victimized and deprived of their humanity due to apartheid or other acts of violence. He is a man who has looked squarely into the face of evil, all the while claiming victory in his Lord Jesus Christ. In his fight against apartheid, he was described as a man who "possesses faith that dissipates fear, as he repeatedly encourages the Black people never to doubt that they will be free."

In his book, The Rainbow People of God, Tutu refers to God's faithfulness to the Jews during the Exodus, saying, "God took the side of the oppressed, the poor, the exploited, not because they were holier or morally better than their oppressors. No, He was on their side simply and solely because they were oppressed" (p. 20). It is for this reason that Desmond Tutu has become the tireless advocate for social justice. He encourages others to take action in righting the wrongs of our world. In a recent article about the effects of warfare on children, Tutu admonishes his readers to fight for those who cannot fight for themselves. "What we need today is an upsurge of international courage, moral indignation and human solidarity to demand action to end the crimes being committed against the innocent in war."

Desmond Tutu is a strong example to the world that it is possible to make a difference by holding on to and standing up for one's beliefs. His lifestyle is not dramatic-he is a simple priest. What is dramatic is the way in which this priest stood so strongly against evil, hatred and violence, while so many around him gave in. He did not falter or compromise his position. He was victorious in the fight to end apartheid, just as he continues to preach that his Lord is victorious over evil. If not for his boisterous pleas for justice, then in his principled faithfulness, Desmond Tutu is a cogent example of how we should all live our lives.