Who was Archbishop Desmond Tutu? Read about South Africa's anti-Apartheid icon

Desmond Tutu was a South African Anglican Archbishop and theologian who was well-known for his work as an anti-apartheid and human rights activist. He was born in Klerksdorp, Johannesburg, on October 7, 1931. Tutu began his career as a teacher before enrolling in St. Peter's Theological College in Rosettenville in 1958 to pursue his dream of becoming a priest. He was ordained in 1961 and became chaplain at the University of Fort Hare six years later. Tutu travelled to Lesotho, a small kingdom in southern Africa, and subsequently to Britain before returning home in 1975.

In 1985, Tutu was named Bishop of Lesotho, chairman of the South African Council of Churches. He was the first Black Anglican bishop of Johannesburg followed by the first Black Archbishop in 1986. He championed gay priests and ordained women priests. Tutu, a staunch opponent of apartheid - South Africa's harsh state of oppression against the Black population - worked diligently, albeit nonviolently, to bring the regime down. The buoyant, blunt-spoken clergyman used his pulpit, as well as regular public rallies, to mobilise public opinion against racial inequity both at home and abroad. Tutu was one of the most famous Blacks able to speak out against atrocities during the 1980s, when South Africa was rocked by anti-apartheid riots and a state of emergency giving police and the military enormous powers, according to the Associated Press (AP). 

Gen Secy of South African Council of Churches in 1978

Tutu was a formidable force that propelled apartheid leaders not to underestimate his deft ability to elicit righteous support for change by quoting appropriate scriptures. Tutu's way of activism was inspired by his religious convictions, a witty sense of humour, and physical bravery, which once prompted him to rush into a mob to rescue the life of a young woman who was about to be lynched on suspicion of being a police informer. In 1978, he was named general secretary of the South African Council of Churches, a group that was in the vanguard of the fight against white minority rule. He called for economic sanctions against the apartheid regime, in defiance of a law that made it illegal to advocate such actions. His passport was revoked as a result of the government's response. 

Nobel Peace Prize in 1984

Tutu was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1984, in recognition of his role as a unifying leading figure in the movement to end apartheid in South Africa. The Nobel Peace Prize recognised him as one of the most effective human rights advocates in the world. Tutu celebrated South Africa's multi-racial society after the end of apartheid and the country's first democratic elections in 1994, calling it a "rainbow nation," a phrase that encapsulated the country's heady optimism at the time.

Advocate of LGBT rights and same-sex marriage

Tutu also advocated for human rights around the world, particularly LGBT rights and same-sex marriage. "I would not worship a God who is homophobic and that is how deeply I feel about this. I would refuse to go to a homophobic heaven. No, I would say, ‘Sorry, I would much rather go to the other place,’” he stated in 2013, while launching a campaign in Cape Town for LGBT rights, as reported by AP. He was a notable religious leader who advocated for LGBT rights and his outspoken support for LGBT rights enraged many in South Africa and across Africa, as well as within the Anglican church. 

Dies at the age of 90

In the late 1990s, Tutu was diagnosed with prostate cancer. He was hospitalised multiple times in recent years for infections connected to his cancer treatment. Archbishop Desmond Tutu breathed his last on December 26 at the age of 90. He is survived by his 66-year-old wife and four children. Asked once how he would wish to be remembered, he stated, "He loved. He laughed. He cried. He was forgiven. He forgave. Greatly privileged," according to AP.

"Tutu’s death is another chapter of bereavement in our nation’s farewell to a generation of outstanding South Africans who have bequeathed us a liberated South Africa,” South Africa's President Cyril Ramaphosa stated. 

Image: AP