Renowned South African cleric and theologian, Archbishop Desmond Mpilo Tutu, died in a care facility in Cape Town on December 26, 2021, at the age of 90. According to Desmond Tutu and Leah Legacy Foundation, the cleric died of prostate cancer, for which he was diagnosed first in 1997. During his lifetime, the anti-apartheid and human rights activist helped immensely in enthroning majority rule in South Africa. The fearless cleric used the pulpit in the decades-long struggle for freedom and justice in South Africa. His preference for non-violence in the anti-apartheid movement earned him a Nobel Peace Prize in 1984. He was a leading advocate of peaceful reconciliation under majority rule in South Africa.

Therefore, it was not a surprise that President Cyril Ramaphosa described him as “a patriot without equal, a leader of principle and pragmatism who gave meaning to the biblical insight that faith without works is dead.”

Born on October 7, 1931 in Klerksdorp on the Witwatersrand in what is now the North West Province of South Africa, Desmond Tutu was baptised a Methodist, but the entire family later joined the Anglican Church when the family moved to Johannesburg. He also became the leader of South African Council of Churches. And later as Anglican Archbishop of Cape Town, he made it clear that his life would be dedicated to combating injustice. And he never deviated from that chosen path.                      

Unarguably, one turning point in his life was when he was appointed by then South African President Nelson Mandela to head the South Africa’s Truth and Reconciliation Commission. As Mandela later noted, “the Truth and Reconciliation Commission… has put the spotlight on all of us…in its hearing, Desmond Tutu has conveyed our common pain and sorrow, our hope and confidence in the future.” No doubt, the commission was a pioneering international event in conflict resolution. Never had any country in decades sought to move forward from despotism to democracy by exposing the atrocities committed in the past and achieving reconciliation with its former oppressors. At the centre of this unparalleled attempt at healing a troubled nation was Archbishop Desmond Tutu.                                                           

In his book, “No Future Without Forgiveness,” Tutu documented the viciousness of apartheid and argued that true reconciliation cannot be achieved by denying the past. For him, “to forgive is indeed the best form of self-interest since anger, resentment, and revenge are corrosive of that greatest good, communal harmony that enhances the humanity and personhood of all in the community.”                                  

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In his exciting and exemplary life, Desmond Tutu demonstrated unflappable spirituality and the ideals of reconciliation. No doubt, his credibility was key to the commission’s efforts to get former members of the South African’s security forces and former guerrilla fighters to cooperate with the inquiry. Many countries, including Nigeria, can draw huge lessons from South Africa’s Truth and Reconciliation Commission in resolving their problems.                           

Archbishop Tutu believed that apartheid policy was as dehumanising to the oppressors as it was to the oppressed. He preached against violence and sought to bridge the gap between Black and White. Outside South Africa, he demanded economic sanctions against the oppressive regime. He never spared the leaders of the governing African National Congress (ANC) whenever they derailed. For instance, when President Jacob Zuma misbehaved, he berated him. That is the strength of the cleric’s moral leadership, which made him a global celebrity.                          

Having described South Africa as the “rainbow nation,” Tutu called for vigorous debate among all races. He often reminded people that he was a priest, not a politician, but never stopped to keep politicians on their feet, the reason they were elected, to serve, not to be served. It is, therefore, not a surprise that many world leaders eulogised the South African legend and global icon. As a man of God and human rights activist, a champion of justice, Tutu spoke truth to power. A humanist to the core, Tutu believed in his convictions. Tutu was a great son of Africa and a global citizen. He lived a life of service to God and humanity. He shared the vision of a united South Africa, irrespective of races, hence his dreamed “rainbow nation.”

He campaigned for a better, freer and more equal world. The best way to immortalise him is for all South Africans to live by his vision and ideals of a united rainbow country.