On Archbishop Desmond Tutu’s legacy, Ramaphosa, Obama, African Union, Clinton offer tributes to an “inclusive champion”
Special to USAfrica magazine (Houston) and USAfricaonline.com, first Africa-owned, US-based newspaper published on the Internet.
The announcement in the morning Sunday, December 26, 2021 of the death at 90 years old of famous priest, anti-apartheid frontliner , human rights activist and Nobel Peace Prize recipient, Archbishop Desmond Tutu, has been followed by an avalanche of tributes.
South Africa’s President and key leader of the African National Congress, Cyril Ramaphosa, said the following on behalf of a grateful nation:
“The passing of Archbishop Emeritus Desmond Tutu is another chapter of bereavement in our nation’s farewell to a generation of outstanding South Africans who have bequeathed us a liberated SA (South Africa).
Desmond Tutu was a patriot without equal; a leader of principle and pragmatism who gave meaning to the biblical insight that faith without works is dead.”
A man of extraordinary intellect, integrity and invincibility against the forces of apartheid, he was also tender and vulnerable in his compassion for those who had suffered oppression, injustice and violence under apartheid, and oppressed and downtrodden people around the world.
As Chairperson of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission he articulated the universal outrage at the ravages of apartheid and touchingly and profoundly demonstrated the depth of meaning of ubuntu, reconciliation and forgiveness.”
He said Tutu “placed his extensive academic achievements at the service of our struggle and at the service of the cause for social and economic justice the world over.
From the pavements of resistance in SA to the pulpits of the world’s great cathedrals and places of worship, and the prestigious setting of the Nobel Peace Prize ceremony, the Arch distinguished himself as a nonsectarian, inclusive champion of universal human rights.
In his richly inspiring yet challenging life, Desmond Tutu overcame tuberculosis, the brutality of the apartheid security forces and the intransigence of successive apartheid regimes. Neither Casspirs, teargas nor security agents could intimidate him or deter him from his steadfast belief in our liberation.
“He remained true to his convictions during our democratic dispensation and maintained his vigour and vigilance as he held leadership and the burgeoning institutions of our democracy to account in his inimitable, inescapable and always fortifying way.
We share this moment of deep loss with Mam Leah Tutu, the Archbishop’s soulmate and source of strength and insight, who has made a monumental contribution in her own right to our freedom and to the development of our democracy.”
The first African-American to serve as president of the United States, Barack Obama, noted that “Archbishop Desmond Tutu was a mentor, a friend, and a moral compass for me and so many others. A universal spirit, Archbishop Tutu was grounded in the struggle for liberation and justice in his own country, but also concerned with injustice everywhere.”
The African Union, in its statement signed by Chairperson of the African Union Commission, Moussa Faki Mahamat, stated it “joins the people & Govt of #SouthAfrica in mourning the passing of Anti-Apartheid icon, Archbishop #DesmondTutu. A man of faith convinced in the power of reconciliation through restorative justice, the Arch was a true shepherd of peace.”
U.S. former President Bill Clinton reflected to underline the points that “Archbishop Desmond Tutu’s life was a gift. Blessed with brilliance and eloquence, steady determination and good humor, and an unshakeable faith in the inherent decency of all people, Archbishop Tutu fully embodied the spirit of Ubuntu: “I am because you are. That spirit drove him to fight first for freedom and then for reconciliation.
As Chairman of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission, he helped bring healing to his country and reminded us all that the search for justice begins in the heart. His own heart was good enough to seek reconciliation not revenge, to reject demonization and embrace his uncanny ability to bring out the best in others. Those of us touched by the gift of his life owe it to him to pass it on. Hillary and I send our prayers to Leah, his family, and all those who stood with him.”
