In news- Desmond Mpilo Tutu, South African Anglican archbishop, anti-apartheid icon passed away in Cape Town recently.
About Desmond Mpilo Tutu-
- He was a human rights activist, a South African Anglican bishop, theologian and human rights activist.
- He was born on 7 october 1931 in Klerksdorp, South Africa.
- In 1975 he was appointed Dean of St. Mary’s Cathedral in Johannesburg, the first black to hold that position.
- From 1976 to 1978 he was Bishop of Lesotho, and in 1978 became the first black General Secretary of the South African Council of Churches.
- He is widely known for his staunch opposition to apartheid, which resulted in him receiving a Nobel Prize in 1984.
- He was Bishop of Johannesburg from 1985 to 1986 and then Archbishop of Cape Town from 1986 to 1996, in both cases being the first black African to hold the position.
- He emphasized nonviolent protest and encouraged the application of economic pressure on South Africa.
- Theologically, he sought to fuse ideas from black theology with African theology.
- He also served as the chairman of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission after the abolition of apartheid and is known for coining the term “Rainbow Nation” to describe post-apartheid South Africa.
- Tutu authored or coauthored numerous publications, including:
- The Divine Intention (1982), a collection of his lectures.
- Hope and Suffering (1983), a collection of his sermons.
- No Future Without Forgiveness (1999), a memoir from his time as head of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission.
- God Has a Dream: A Vision of Hope for Our Time (2004), a collection of personal reflections and
- Made for Goodness: And Why This Makes All the Difference (2010), reflections on his beliefs about human nature.
- He had received numerous honours, including the U.S. Presidential Medal of Freedom (2009), an award from the Mo Ibrahim Foundation that recognized his lifelong commitment to “speaking truth to power” (2012), and the Templeton Prize (2013).
Source: Business Standards
