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Hilary Blue wrote: > > Presenting the Archbishop of Cape Town, Desmond Mpilo Tutu. > > Desmond Tutu was born Oct 7th, 1931, in a small townwhip (ghetto) near > Klerksdorp, on the edge of the goldmining region, in South Africa. The house > was a typical one-room shack with no electricity or running water. His father > was a school teacher. Like all black people in South Africa, he had to carry a > 'pass' which identified him and showed the restricted areas he was allowed to > visit. Police could demand to see a pass at any time, and failure to produce > it on demand resulted in immediate imprisonment. > Young Desmond contracted TB when he was 14. During his 2 years in hospital, he > met Father Trevor Huddleston, and learned that not all Whites are bad. Father > Huddleston also inspired Tutu's devotion to Christianity. > In 1948, the Nationalist Party came into power, and Apartheid became the > official doctrine of the government. Racial prejudice, segregation and > oppression became the cornerstones of the Government. Laws were passed making > racial intermarriage illegal - even restricting what Black children were > allowed to learn in school - and schools were strictly segregated. > At this time Tutu became active politically, even writing a letter to the > Prime Minister deploring the racial inequities. He entered the university, > wanting to study medicine, but did not have the money, so he became teacher > like his father. He and Leah were married at this time. Tutu decided to become > a minister, and entered a theological college, There were many peaceful > demonstrations taking place as black people, often supported by members of the > other racially-classified groups protested against racial inequalities. But > the police were not so peaceful, and in 1961 the massacre at Sharpeville > occurred. Official figures admitted to 69 peaceful protesters mown down by > police bullets. > Tutu went to London, to study theology at King's College, and found that > different races could live together and respect each other. Meantime, South > Africa was becoming a police state. Police regularly broke up peacful > demonstrations, people could be arrested and imprisoned without trial. > Tutu was lecturing at Fort Hare University (for black students only), which at > one point was summarily closed down by police.In 1971, he moved to the University of > Lesotho, Botswana and Swaziland. He was becoming well known inthe Anglican > Church, and had the opportunity to visit other impoverished countries. This > gave him greater empathy and understanding for all humankind. > In 1975 he became Bishop of Johannesburg.* > This was a prominent public position. Bishop Tutu wrote a letter to the Prime > Minister warning that all South Africans, black and white, faced a bloody and violent future, if the laws were not changed. His prediction came true only a year later, when the Soweto school riots broke out. > In 1979, he called for sanctions against South Africa, saying this was the > only nonviolent way of bringing about change in South Africa,. And in 1984, > he was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize. The day he received the Award he also > learned he had been elected Archbishop of Johannesburg. In 1986 He became > Archbishop of Cape Town, the highest rank in the South African Anglican Church. > After South Africa achieved its political freedom under Nelson Mandela, > Archbishop Tutu became chairman of the Truth and Reconcilations Commission, > which was trying to heal the wounds of the country's racist past. As always, > Archbishop Tutu was in the forefront where ever a peaceful alternative could > be found. Hilary Blue *Footnote: At this point I was librarian to the S.A. Inst. of Race Relations. Leah Tutu, wife of the Bishop, joined one of the projects run by the Institute, and I had the honour of working with her.