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| Desmond Tutu grins after being named Archbishop of Cape Town by the Anglican Church in 1986. Leah, his wife, is by his side. |
Archbishop Emeritus Desmond Tutu, a towering figure who helped bring South Africa's apartheid to an end, has died in Cape Town. He was 90 years old.
South African President Cyril Ramaphosa confirmed Tutu's death, calling him "an unrivaled patriot; a leader of principle and pragmatism who gave meaning to the biblical understanding that faith without actions is dead." Tutu had been in and out of hospitals in recent years.
In the 1990s, the committed freedom fighter led the country's Truth and Reconciliation Commission, a laborious investigation into atrocities committed during the apartheid era. During South Africa's transition from apartheid to democracy, it was largely seen as a critical healing phase. The TRC served as a template for similar committees across the continent.
Tutu expressed the unfettered excitement of a country rising from a turbulent history when he voted for the first time in 1994 in South Africa's first democratic elections.
"I want to sing, weep, and laugh at the same time. Everything is in one place. Jump and dance, too "He told reporters with joy. "Yippee! The day has here!"
Here's a video of the moment:
It had been a long trek to get to the polling station. The church was not Desmond Mpilo Tutu's first calling as the son of a high school headmaster. He began his career as a teacher after abandoning his intentions to go to medical school. However, the champion of justice considered the substandard education imposed on Black South Africans by white-minority authorities to be an insult.
Tutu then went on to become a priest, and in 1960 he was ordained in the Anglican church. He became the first Black dean of Johannesburg fifteen years later and was actively dedicated to the battle against apartheid.
Desmond Tutu (middle), a South African campaigner and Anglican Archbishop, leads a group of 30 clergymen through Johannesburg in 1985 to hand in a petition appealing for the release of political detainees.
The campaigning priest was detained several times, but he claimed he found strength in his convictions and fellow South Africans. He denounced all sorts of violence and stood up to both apartheid police and furious Black mobs who were "necklacing" supposed spies by tossing tires around them and lighting them on fire. Tutu, who was now firmly on the world radar, told apartheid officials that racism violated God's purpose and that apartheid would fail.
"Apartheid, the country's system, is unethical. This country's system is terrible "During that time, Tutu said. "What else do we need to say that we haven't already said? What do we need to do that we haven't already done? To inform the world that all we want is a new South Africa, one in which all people, black and white, may live as equals."
Desmond Tutu was given the Nobel Peace Prize in 1984 for his contributions to the anti-apartheid movement. During his Nobel talk, he added, "Let us endeavor to be peacemakers." "Let us strive for justice if we want peace, we've been told. Let us make plowshares out of our swords."
During the annual event in Oslo, Norway, in 1984, South African Bishop Desmond Tutu (left) accepts the Nobel Peace Prize from Nobel Committee Chairman Egil Aarvik.
With his trademark good humor, the archbishop subsequently said that one day no one was listening and then, after the award, whatever he said — "the oracle has spoken!"
After Nelson Mandela was sworn in as president, he invited Tutu to lead the country's historic Truth and Reconciliation Commission, which would investigate apartheid's atrocities. The heartbreaking story was devastating for the Archbishop, who broke down and grieved alongside the survivors.
"Those we've referred to as "regular folks" have humbled me much. I'm really moved by their fortitude and the generosity of spirit they've displayed "he stated
He told Morning Edition in 2010 that the incident had no effect on his faith in God. "Perhaps if one simply heard to the horrors and accounts of the atrocities that people did," he added, "but we were always blown away by the amount to which people were willing and able to forgive."
At a ceremony in Cape Town, South Africa, in 2016, Archbishop Emeritus Desmond Tutu and his daughter, the Rev. Mpho Tutu van Furth, were given honorary senior fellowships from Regent's University London in honor of their remarkable achievements to human rights.
Tutu has faced several health issues. In 1997, he was diagnosed with prostate cancer and successfully treated it halfway through the Truth and Reconciliation process. His tenacity and sense of humor came in handy. In 2005, he revealed a return of prostate cancer, although it had little impact on his demanding schedule until he resigned. Tutu was in and out of the hospital in 2015 and 2016, undergoing minor surgery to address recurring concerns with a chronic infection connected to his disease.
Following his retirement, the archbishop emeritus chastised South Africa's new leaders for what he saw as their failings, particularly their failure to relieve poverty. He also joined The Elders, a seasoned group of international leaders that includes Nelson Mandela, Jimmy Carter, and Kofi Annan, in his pursuit for global peace and social justice.
The archbishop was praised by Nelson Mandela as a blessing and an inspiration.
At the official burial for apartheid struggle hero Walter Sisulu in Soweto in 2003, former South African President Nelson Mandela (right) hugs South African Anglican Archbishop Desmond Tutu.
The Elders are "devastated" by the passing of the man known to many friends as "Arch," according to Mary Robinson, the former Irish president who presently leads the organization.
"In his unique term, he encouraged me to be a 'prisoner of hope,'" Robinson added. "Arch was admired all throughout the world for his commitment to justice, equality, and liberty. We grieve his loss today, but we reaffirm our commitment to upholding his principles."