Desmond Tutu, anti-apartheid icon, dies at 90
theguardian.com
Desmond Tutu, anti-apartheid icon, dies at 90
1–10 of 94 posts
Re: Desmond Tutu, anti-apartheid icon, dies at 90
#2I can't recall many people braver than him, dead or alive.
Re: Desmond Tutu, anti-apartheid icon, dies at 90
#3Always a voice of reason and compassion. His influence, good humour and example will be greatly missed.
Re: Desmond Tutu, anti-apartheid icon, dies at 90
#4There is a suburb of Cape Town called Bishopscourt.
It is high up on the hill, near the botanical garden, and filled with Anglophone old money, trees and mansions. (1)
It gets it's name of course from the "official residence of the Archbishop of Cape Town" (Anglican / Church of England).
It was of course a "whites only" area under Apartheid until 1991 (2). Black people there could be assumed to be house or garden servants.
When Mr Tutu was installed there as the first black Archbishop of Cape Town in 1986, he moved in without seeking exemption from this law (3). He would put on his jogging outfit and take his exercise on the streets there, smiling and waving to neighbours as if it was the most normal thing in the world. And in time, it was.
That is praxis.
he was one of the best of us, always seeking a way to reach out.
1) "ranked sixth richest suburb in South Africa" https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bishopscourt,_Cape_Town
2) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Group_Areas_Act
3) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Desmond_Tutu#Archbishop_of_Cap...
Re: Desmond Tutu, anti-apartheid icon, dies at 90
#5Archbishop Tutu told me, a few years ago, that he had received a strange email from someone claiming to be a lawyer from a small English parish in which Tutu had been a curate in the 1970s.
The person was asking for Tutu's assistance in transferring the fabulous wealth of a deceased Nigerian prince to his widow.
“Ah, a 419 scam,” I said.
“A what now?”
I explained what a 419 scam was, and, fearing the worst, asked what he had done about it. It turned out that he still had a number of friends in that area, and had forwarded it on to a friend to investigate.
“Never heard of this lawyer chap,” the response came, “DO NOT respond!”
So, of course the Archbishop responded.
For a moment, I put myself in the shoes of this “Nigerian Prince”, getting an email from “Archbishop Desmond Tutu”, shaming the alleged prince for attempting to scam innocents on the internet. I started giggling.
“So what happened next?” I asked.
“Oh, he emailed me back, and tried to sell me something else.”
Re: Desmond Tutu, anti-apartheid icon, dies at 90
#6There comes a point where we need to stop just pulling people out of the river. We need to go upstream and find out why they're falling in.
― Desmond Tutu
May he rest in peace.
Re: Desmond Tutu, anti-apartheid icon, dies at 90
#7A damn shame. RIP.
Re: Desmond Tutu, anti-apartheid icon, dies at 90
#8I met him as a schoolboy when he came to give a talk at our school. This would've been late 80s. He told the story of the "Blaloon" seller and that the red, yellow, blue, "blaloons" all had the same stuff inside.
His mispronunciation of "balloons" was endearing and stayed with me ever since. Our family would often remark on it with affection.
At the demise of apartheid he led the Truth and Reconciliation Commission which was such a critical instrument in the peaceful dismantling of apartheid.
It's a shame that we don't see more of this approach around the world.
RIP.
Re: Desmond Tutu, anti-apartheid icon, dies at 90
#9No post body was provided.
Re: Desmond Tutu, anti-apartheid icon, dies at 90
#10There is a suburb of Cape Town called Bishopscourt. It is high up on the hill, near the botanical garden, and filled with Anglophone old money, trees and mansions. (1) It gets it's name of course from the "official residence of the Archbishop of Cape Town" (Anglican / Church of England). It was of course a "whites only" area under Apartheid until 1991 (2). Black people there could be assumed to be house or garden ser…
No post body was provided.