Actually, there was more than one life lesson I took from the time I spent with Archbishop Desmond Tutu soon after he had been awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1984.
At the time I was teaching history at a boys’ boarding school in the scenic midlands of Kwazulu-Natal in southern Africa. All staff were expected to facilitate a club or society and I ran the African Affairs Society. A small group of senior students interested in discussing African affairs, with a focus on what was happening in apartheid South Africa, came together two or three times a quarter. We enjoyed many robust discussions.
The school had invited Anglican Archbishop Desmond Tutu to be a guest speaker, and I was asked if I would collect him from the airport, approximately a ninety-minute drive.
Activist and Nobel Peace Prize winner
Desmond Tutu was the first black Anglican priest to be appointed Archbishop of Cape Town. He was an anti-apartheid and human rights activist who promoted non-violent protest and an economic boycott of South Africa during the 1980s to bring about universal suffrage.
In 1984 Tutu was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in recognition of his efforts to bring about peace in southern Africa. He accepted the award on behalf of the oppressed people in South Africa. Author John Allen in his book Rabble-Rouser for Peace. The Authorized Biography of Desmond Tutu (2006), quotes a comment made by Tutu in 1985 at the height of the anti-apartheid struggle to explain his thinking:
“I have no hope of real change from this government [South Africa] unless they are forced. We face a catastrophe in this land and only the action of the international community by applying pressure can save us. Our children are dying. Our land is bleeding and burning and so I call the international community to apply punitive sanctions against this government to help us establish a new South Africa — non-racial, democratic, participatory and just. This is a non-violent strategy to help us to do so. There is a great deal of goodwill still in our country between the races. Let us not be so wanton in destroying it. We can live together as one people, one family, black and white together.”
Desmond Tutu played a key role in the fall of apartheid and transitioning South Africa to a democratic country under the leadership of President Nelson Mandela who, on his release from prison in 1990, described Tutu — at whose home he stayed on his first night of freedom — as the ‘people’s archbishop.’
Mandela later appointed Tutu as the chair of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission in South Africa, which played a significant role in seeing the country transition into a democratic nation peacefully.
Desmond Tutu was lauded internationally, and regarded by many as a controversial figure. He was bold and courageous, charismatic, had an unwavering faith, and possessed a wonderful sense of humor.
The airport run
When I collected Desmond Tutu at the airport, I was greeted by an unpretentious short man, friendly, open and warm hearted.
As we drove to the school, I commented on the fact that I had expected an international figure and Nobel Peace Prize winner to emerge through the gates of the airport accompanied by a couple of bodyguards, especially during the challenging political times in which we were living in South Africa.
Here was my first lesson as he chuckled and responded, “God has a wonderful sense of humor.”
He proceeded to tell me how much he enjoyed traveling to the US. He was treated like royalty, transported in a large car with a police escort. He regarded the experience as great fun!
My second lesson was the importance of humility. Desmond Tutu was one of the most humble people I have ever had the privilege of meeting. He did not take himself too seriously, yet was authentic and passionate about the causes he supported.
The eyes and ears of many predominantly privileged — and fairly ignorant of the political realities in the country at the time — white boys were opened when Desmond Tutu shared his story with the school community that night. I recall reading many years later that one of those young lads acknowledged that one of the life-changing moments in his life was listening and later chatting to Desmond Tutu that night.
Passing the baton
Desmond Tutu’s visit and the time I spent with him in the car, sharing thoughts and ideas, and tapping into his wisdom and life experiences, inspired me to launch South African Youth Symposia (SAYS).
During the next ten years, with the help of like-minded colleagues and students at the schools where I taught, I organized annual symposia attended by young girls and boys of all races and cultures from throughout South Africa with the purpose of coming together to share stories, break down racial barriers, have fun together over three days, and to prepare for a post-apartheid South Africa, which was inevitable.
We invited controversial guest speakers to share their thoughts and ideas linked to a symposium theme. Students would then gather in non-racial groups, which had been organized prior to the symposium, to discuss questions set by the speaker, offer their feedback and then enjoy an open discussion. There was plenty of time for fun activities and chatting informally.
Approximately six thousand students attended these symposia, which later included conflict resolution and life skills workshops.
Flying under the radar
In addition, a colleague from another school in Johannesburg and I organized two non-racial field hockey tours to the U.K in the mid and late 1980s, during a time when there was a sports boycott of South Africa.
Our aim was to show members of the overseas community that there were schools in South Africa open to all races and cultures trying to make a positive difference.
We traveled under the name ‘Kestrels’. From memory, there was only one UK school at which students threatened to protest when we visited. However, when their principal explained the purpose of the tour, they changed their minds and a number of those students attended the match.
Final thoughts and cherished memories
My time with Archbishop Desmond Tutu always evokes cherished memories and brings a smile to my face. It was definitely one of the highlights of my life, another being attending a Prayer Breakfast in the London Houses of Parliament attended by British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher. That’s a story for another day.
In 1987 Tutu spoke on the tenth anniversary of the death of Phakamile Mabija in detention, commenting that suffering was unavoidable, especially for a Christian witnessing for Christ in a situation of injustice, oppression, and exploitation. He might well have been describing his own life journey when he said:
“When we make the so-called preferential option for the poor; when we become the voice of the voiceless ones; when we stand in solidarity with the hungry and the homeless, the uprooted ones, the down-trodden, those that are marginalized, we must not be surprised that the world will hate us, and yet, another part of the world will love us.”
Archbishop Desmond Tutu, always a legend in my eyes. Infectious humor, humble, compassionate, bold and courageous, with an unwavering faith, above all, a man of peace who died peacefully at the age of 90 in 2021.
Photo by Nick Bolton on Unsplash
