211 Facts About Desmond Tutu

Desmond Mpilo Tutu was a South African Anglican bishop and theologian, known for his work as an anti-apartheid and human rights activist.

Desmond Tutu 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.

Desmond Tutu emerged as one of the most prominent opponents of South Africa's apartheid system of racial segregation and white minority rule.

In 1985, Desmond Tutu became Bishop of Johannesburg and in 1986 the Archbishop of Cape Town, the most senior position in southern Africa's Anglican hierarchy.

Desmond Tutu was popular among South Africa's black majority and was internationally praised for his work involving anti-apartheid activism, for which he won the Nobel Peace Prize and other international awards.

Desmond Tutu compiled several books of his speeches and sermons.

Desmond Mpilo Tutu was born on 7 October 1931 in Klerksdorp, Transvaal, South Africa.

Desmond Tutu's mother, Allen Dorothea Mavoertsek Mathlare, was born to a Motswana family in Boksburg.

Desmond Tutu had an older sister, Sylvia Funeka, who called him "Mpilo".

Desmond Tutu was his parents' second son; their firstborn boy, Sipho, had died in infancy.

Desmond Tutu was sickly from birth; polio atrophied his right hand, and on one occasion he was hospitalised with serious burns.

Desmond Tutu had a close relationship with his father, although was angered at the latter's heavy drinking and violence toward his wife.

The family were initially Methodists and Desmond Tutu was baptised into the Methodist Church in June 1932.

Desmond Tutu developed a love of reading, particularly enjoying comic books and European fairy tales.

Desmond Tutu joined her in the city, living in Roodepoort West.

Desmond Tutu entered the Johannesburg Bantu High School in 1945, where he excelled academically.

Desmond Tutu then returned to Johannesburg, moving into an Anglican hostel near the Church of Christ the King in Sophiatown.

Desmond Tutu became a server at the church and came under the influence of its priest, Trevor Huddleston; later biographer Shirley du Boulay suggested that Huddleston was "the greatest single influence" in Tutu's life.

In 1947, Desmond Tutu contracted tuberculosis and was hospitalised in Rietfontein for 18 months, during which he was regularly visited by Huddleston.

Desmond Tutu returned to school in 1949 and took his national exams in late 1950, gaining a second-class pass.

At the college, Desmond Tutu attained his Transvaal Bantu Teachers Diploma, having gained advice about taking exams from the activist Robert Sobukwe.

Desmond Tutu had taken five correspondence courses provided by the University of South Africa, graduating in the same class as future Zimbabwean leader Robert Mugabe.

In 1954, Desmond Tutu began teaching English at Madibane High School; the following year, he transferred to the Krugersdorp High School, where he taught English and history.

Desmond Tutu began courting Nomalizo Leah Shenxane, a friend of his sister Gloria who was studying to become a primary school teacher.

The couple worshipped at St Paul's Church, where Desmond Tutu volunteered as a Sunday school teacher, assistant choirmaster, church councillor, lay preacher, and sub-deacon; he volunteered as a football administrator for a local team.

Desmond Tutu was admitted to St Peter's Theological College in Rosettenville, Johannesburg, which was run by the Anglican Community of the Resurrection.

The college was residential, and Desmond Tutu lived there while his wife trained as a nurse in Sekhukhuneland; their children lived with Desmond Tutu's parents in Munsieville.

At the college, Desmond Tutu studied the Bible, Anglican doctrine, church history, and Christian ethics, earning a Licentiate of Theology degree, and winning the archbishop's annual essay prize.

Desmond Tutu was then appointed assistant curate in St Alban's Parish, Benoni, where he was reunited with his wife and children, and earned two-thirds of what his white counterparts were given.

In 1962, Desmond Tutu was transferred to St Philip's Church in Thokoza, where he was placed in charge of the congregation and developed a passion for pastoral ministry.

At KCL, Desmond Tutu studied under theologians like Dennis Nineham, Christopher Evans, Sydney Evans, Geoffrey Parrinder, and Eric Mascall.

Desmond Tutu was impressed by the freedom of speech in the country, especially at Speakers' Corner in London's Hyde Park.

The family moved into the curate's flat behind the Church of St Alban the Martyr in Golders Green, where Desmond Tutu assisted Sunday services, the first time that he had ministered to a white congregation.

Desmond Tutu was academically successful and his tutors suggested that he convert to an honours degree, which entailed his studying Hebrew.

Desmond Tutu received his degree from Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother in a ceremony held at the Royal Albert Hall.

Desmond Tutu then secured a TEF grant to study for a master's degree, doing so from October 1965 until September 1966, completing his dissertation on Islam in West Africa.

At Fedsem, Desmond Tutu was employed teaching doctrine, the Old Testament, and Greek; Leah became its library assistant.

Desmond Tutu was the college's first black staff-member, and the campus allowed a level of racial-mixing which was rare in South Africa.

Desmond Tutu joined a pan-Protestant group, the Church Unity Commission, served as a delegate at Anglican-Catholic conversations, and began publishing in academic journals.

Desmond Tutu became the Anglican chaplain to the neighbouring University of Fort Hare; in an unusual move for the time, Tutu invited female as well as male students to become servers during the Eucharist.

Desmond Tutu joined student delegations to meetings of the Anglican Students' Federation and the University Christian Movement, and was broadly supportive of the Black Consciousness Movement that emerged from South Africa's 1960s student milieu, although did not share its view on avoiding collaboration with whites.

In January 1970, Desmond Tutu left the seminary for a teaching post at the University of Botswana, Lesotho and Swaziland in Roma, Lesotho.

Desmond Tutu returned to South Africa on several occasions, including to visit his father shortly before the latter's death in February 1971.

Desmond Tutu accepted TEF's offer of a job as their director for Africa, a position based in England.

South Africa's government initially refused permission, regarding him with suspicion since the Fort Hare protests, but relented after Desmond Tutu argued that his taking the role would be good publicity for South Africa.

Desmond Tutu's job entailed assessing grants to theological training institutions and students.

Desmond Tutu was attracted to black theology, attending a 1973 conference on the subject at New York City's Union Theological Seminary.

In 1975, Desmond Tutu was nominated to be the new Bishop of Johannesburg, although he lost out to Timothy Bavin.

Bavin suggested that Desmond Tutu take his newly vacated position, that of the dean of St Mary's Cathedral, Johannesburg.

Desmond Tutu encountered some resistance to his attempts to modernise the liturgies used by the congregation, including his attempts to replace masculine pronouns with gender neutral ones.

Desmond Tutu used his position to speak out on social issues, publicly endorsing an international economic boycott of South Africa over apartheid.

Desmond Tutu met with Black Consciousness and Soweto leaders, and shared a platform with anti-apartheid campaigner Winnie Mandela in opposing the government's Terrorism Act, 1967.

Desmond Tutu held a 24-hour vigil for racial harmony at the cathedral where he prayed for activists detained under the act.

Desmond Tutu appointed Philip Mokuku as the first dean of the diocese and placed great emphasis on further education for the Basotho clergy.

Desmond Tutu befriended the royal family although his relationship with Jonathan's government was strained.

At the funeral, Desmond Tutu stated that Black Consciousness was "a movement by which God, through Steve, sought to awaken in the black person a sense of his intrinsic value and worth as a child of God".

John Thorne was ultimately elected to the position, although stepped down after three months, with Desmond Tutu's agreeing to take over at the urging of the synod of bishops.

Desmond Tutu's decision angered many Anglicans in Lesotho, who felt that Tutu was abandoning them.

The SACC was one of the few Christian institutions in South Africa where black people had the majority representation; Desmond Tutu was its first black leader.

Desmond Tutu was determined that the SACC become one of South Africa's most visible human rights advocacy organisations.

Desmond Tutu's efforts gained him international recognition; the closing years of the 1970s saw him elected a fellow of KCL and receive honorary doctorates from the University of Kent, General Theological Seminary, and Harvard University.

Desmond Tutu gave evidence to the commission, during which he condemned apartheid as "evil" and "unchristian".

In 1981 Desmond Tutu became the rector of St Augustine's Church in Soweto's Orlando West.

Desmond Tutu testified on behalf of a captured cell of Umkhonto we Sizwe, an armed anti-apartheid group linked to the banned African National Congress.

Desmond Tutu stated that although he was committed to non-violence and censured all who used violence, he could understand why black Africans became violent when their non-violent tactics had failed to overturn apartheid.

Desmond Tutu signed a petition calling for the release of ANC activist Nelson Mandela, leading to a correspondence between the pair.

On his return to South Africa, Botha again ordered Desmond Tutu's passport confiscated, preventing him from personally collecting several further honorary degrees.

In September 1982 Desmond Tutu addressed the Triennial Convention of the Episcopal Church in New Orleans before traveling to Kentucky to see his daughter Naomi, who lived there with her American husband.

Desmond Tutu gained a popular following in the US, where he was often compared to civil rights leader Martin Luther King Jr.

Desmond Tutu angered much of South Africa's press and white minority, especially apartheid supporters.

Desmond Tutu received hate mail and death threats from white far-right groups like the Wit Wolwe.

In 1984, Desmond Tutu embarked on a three-month sabbatical at the General Theological Seminary of the Episcopal Church in New York.

Desmond Tutu was invited to the White House, where he unsuccessfully urged President Ronald Reagan to change his approach to South Africa.

Desmond Tutu was troubled that Reagan had a warmer relationship with South Africa's government than his predecessor Jimmy Carter, describing Reagan's government as "an unmitigated disaster for us blacks".

In New York City, Desmond Tutu was informed that he had won the 1984 Nobel Peace Prize; he had previously been nominated in 1981,1982, and 1983.

The Nobel Prize selection committee had wanted to recognise a South African and thought Desmond Tutu would be a less controversial choice than Mandela or Mangosuthu Buthelezi.

Desmond Tutu shared the US$192,000 prize money with his family, SACC staff, and a scholarship fund for South Africans in exile.

Desmond Tutu was the second South African to receive the award, after Albert Luthuli in 1960.

An elective assembly met at St Barnabas' College in October 1984 and although Desmond Tutu was one of the two most popular candidates, the white laity voting bloc consistently voted against his candidature.

Desmond Tutu was enthroned as the sixth Bishop of Johannesburg in St Mary's Cathedral in February 1985.

Desmond Tutu sought to reassure white South Africans that he was not the "horrid ogre" some feared; as bishop he spent much time wooing the support of white Anglicans in his diocese, and resigned as patron of the UDF.

The mid-1980s saw growing clashes between black youths and the security services; Desmond Tutu was invited to speak at many of the funerals of those youths killed.

Desmond Tutu angered some black South Africans by speaking against the torture and killing of suspected collaborators.

In July 1985, Botha declared a state of emergency in 36 magisterial districts, suspending civil liberties and giving the security services additional powers; he rebuffed Desmond Tutu's offer to serve as a go-between for the government and leading black organisations.

Desmond Tutu continued protesting; in April 1985, he led a small march of clergy through Johannesburg to protest the arrest of Geoff Moselane.

Desmond Tutu proposed a national strike against apartheid, angering trade unions whom he had not consulted beforehand.

Desmond Tutu formed a Bishop Tutu Scholarship Fund to financially assist South African students living in exile.

Desmond Tutu returned to the US in May 1986, and in August 1986 visited Japan, China, and Jamaica to promote sanctions.

At the time of the meeting, Desmond Tutu was in Atlanta, Georgia, receiving the Martin Luther King, Jr.

Desmond Tutu secured a two-thirds majority from both the clergy and laity and was then ratified in a unanimous vote by the synod of bishops.

Desmond Tutu was the first black man to hold the post.

Desmond Tutu moved into the archbishop's Bishopscourt residence; this was illegal as he did not have official permission to reside in what the state allocated as a "white area".

Desmond Tutu obtained money from the church to oversee renovations of the house, and had a children's playground installed in its grounds, opening this and the Bishopscourt swimming pool to members of his diocese.

Desmond Tutu invited the English priest Francis Cull to set up the Institute of Christian Spirituality at Bishopscourt, with the latter moving into a building in the house's grounds.

Such projects led to Desmond Tutu's ministry taking up an increasingly large portion of the Anglican church's budget, which Desmond Tutu sought to expand through requesting donations from overseas.

In church meetings, Desmond Tutu drew upon traditional African custom by adopting a consensus-building model of leadership, seeking to ensure that competing groups in the church reached a compromise and thus all votes would be unanimous rather than divided.

Desmond Tutu secured approval for the ordination of female priests in the Anglican church, having likened the exclusion of women from the position to apartheid.

Desmond Tutu telephoned representatives of the American, British, and German governments urging them to pressure Botha on the issue, and personally met with Botha at the latter's Tuynhuys home to discuss the issue.

Botha accused Desmond Tutu of supporting the ANC's armed campaign; Desmond Tutu said that while he did not support their use of violence, he supported the ANC's objective of a non-racial, democratic South Africa.

In May 1988, the government launched a covert campaign against Desmond Tutu, organised in part by the Stratkom wing of the State Security Council.

Desmond Tutu remained actively involved in acts of civil disobedience against the government; he was encouraged by the fact that many whites took part in these protests.

In 1994, a further collection of Desmond Tutu's writings, The Rainbow People of God, was published, and followed the next year with his An African Prayer Book, a collection of prayers from across the continent accompanied by the Archbishop's commentary.

In February 1990, de Klerk lifted the ban on political parties like the ANC; Desmond Tutu telephoned him to praise the move.

Desmond Tutu invited Mandela to attend an Anglican synod of bishops in February 1990, at which the latter described Desmond Tutu as the "people's archbishop".

Many clergy were angry that the latter was being imposed without consultation, although Desmond Tutu defended it, stating that priests affiliating with political parties would prove divisive, particularly amid growing inter-party violence.

Unlike some ANC figures, Desmond Tutu never accused de Klerk of personal complicity in this.

In November 1990, Desmond Tutu organised a "summit" at Bishopscourt attended by both church and black political leaders in which he encouraged the latter to call on their supporters to avoid violence and allow free political campaigning.

Desmond Tutu was exhilarated by the prospect of South Africa transforming towards universal suffrage via a negotiated transition rather than civil war.

Desmond Tutu allowed his face to be used on posters encouraging people to vote.

Desmond Tutu attended Mandela's inauguration ceremony; he had planned its religious component, insisting that Christian, Muslim, Jewish, and Hindu leaders all take part.

In 1994, he and Belo visited war-torn Liberia; they met Charles Taylor, but Desmond Tutu did not trust his promise of a ceasefire.

Desmond Tutu travelled to other parts of world, for instance spending March 1989 in Panama and Nicaragua.

Desmond Tutu criticised Israel's arms sales to South Africa, wondering how the Jewish state could co-operate with a government containing Nazi sympathisers.

Desmond Tutu called for a Palestinian state, and emphasised that his criticisms were of the Israeli government rather than of Jews.

Jewish anger was exacerbated by Desmond Tutu's attempts to evade accusations of anti-Semitism through comments such as "my dentist is a Dr Cohen".

At the Lambeth Conference of 1988, he backed a resolution condemning the use of violence by all sides; Desmond Tutu believed that Irish republicans had not exhausted peaceful means of bringing about change and should not resort to armed struggle.

Desmond Tutu visited Belfast in 1998 and again in 2001.

In October 1994, Desmond Tutu announced his intention of retiring as archbishop in 1996.

In January 1997, Desmond Tutu was diagnosed with prostate cancer and travelled abroad for treatment.

Desmond Tutu publicly revealed his diagnosis, hoping to encourage other men to go for prostate exams.

Desmond Tutu faced recurrences of the disease in 1999 and 2006.

Conscious that his presence in South Africa might overshadow Ndungane, Desmond Tutu agreed to a two-year visiting professorship at Emory University in Atlanta, Georgia.

Desmond Tutu popularised the term "Rainbow Nation" as a metaphor for post-apartheid South Africa after 1994 under ANC rule.

Desmond Tutu had first used the metaphor in 1989 when he described a multi-racial protest crowd as the "rainbow people of God".

Desmond Tutu advocated what liberation theologians call "critical solidarity", offering support for pro-democracy forces while reserving the right to criticise his allies.

Desmond Tutu criticised Mandela on several points, such as his tendency to wear brightly coloured Madiba shirts, which he regarded as inappropriate; Mandela offered the tongue-in-cheek response that it was ironic coming from a man who wore dresses.

Desmond Tutu proposed that the TRC adopt a threefold approach: the first being confession, with those responsible for human rights abuses fully disclosing their activities, the second being forgiveness in the form of a legal amnesty from prosecution, and the third being restitution, with the perpetrators making amends to their victims.

Desmond Tutu had very little control over the committee responsible for granting amnesty, instead chairing the committee which heard accounts of human rights abuses perpetrated by both anti-apartheid and apartheid figures.

Desmond Tutu singled out those victims who expressed forgiveness towards those who had harmed them and used these individuals as his leitmotif.

Ultimately, Desmond Tutu was pleased with the TRC's achievement, believing that it would aid long-term reconciliation, although he recognised its short-comings.

Desmond Tutu equated discrimination against homosexuals with discrimination against black people and women.

Desmond Tutu retained his interest in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, and after the signing of the Oslo Accords was invited to Tel Aviv to attend the Peres Center for Peace.

Desmond Tutu became increasingly frustrated following the collapse of the 2000 Camp David Summit, and in 2002 gave a widely publicised speech denouncing Israeli policy regarding the Palestinians and calling for sanctions against Israel.

In 2003, Desmond Tutu was the scholar in residence at the University of North Florida.

Desmond Tutu telephoned Condoleezza Rice urging the United States government not to go to war without a resolution from the United Nations Security Council.

Desmond Tutu questioned why Iraq was being singled out for allegedly possessing weapons of mass destruction when Europe, India, and Pakistan had many such devices.

Desmond Tutu criticised the UK's introduction of measures to detain terrorist subjects for 28 days without trial.

Desmond Tutu questioned the government's spending on armaments, its policy regarding Robert Mugabe's government in Zimbabwe, and the manner in which Nguni-speakers dominated senior positions, stating that this latter issue would stoke ethnic tensions.

Desmond Tutu made the same points three months later when giving the annual Nelson Mandela Lecture in Johannesburg.

Desmond Tutu later criticised ANC leader and South African President Jacob Zuma.

In July 2007, Desmond Tutu was declared Chair of The Elders, a group of world leaders put together to contribute their wisdom, kindness, leadership, and integrity to tackle some of the world's toughest problems.

Desmond Tutu has travelled with Elders delegations to Ivory Coast, Cyprus, Ethiopia, India, South Sudan, and the Middle East.

Desmond Tutu invited the Tibetan Buddhist leader, the 14th Dalai Lama, to attend his 80th birthday in October 2011, although the South African government did not grant him entry; observers suggested that they had not given permission so as not to offend the People's Republic of China, a major trading partner.

In 2009, Desmond Tutu assisted in the establishing of the Solomon Islands' Truth and Reconciliation Commission, modelled after the South African body of the same name.

Desmond Tutu attended the 2009 United Nations Climate Change Conference in Copenhagen, and later publicly called for fossil fuel divestment, comparing it to disinvestment from apartheid-era South Africa.

Desmond Tutu criticised the memorials held for Mandela, stating that they gave too much prominence to the ANC and marginalised Afrikaners.

In May 2014, Desmond Tutu visited Fort McMurray, in the heart of the Canada's oil sands, condemning the "negligence and greed" of oil extraction.

Desmond Tutu died from cancer at the Oasis Frail Care Centre in Cape Town on 26 December 2021, aged 90.

Desmond Tutu's body lay in state for two days before the funeral.

Desmond Tutu is a true son of Africa who can move easily in European and American circles, a man of the people who enjoys ritual and episcopal splendour, a member of an established Church, in some ways a traditionalist, who takes a radical, provocative and fearless stand against authority if he sees it to be unjust.

Shirley Du Boulay noted that Desmond Tutu was "a man of many layers" and "contradictory tensions".

Desmond Tutu's personality has been described as warm, exuberant, and outgoing.

Du Boulay noted that as a child, Desmond Tutu had been hard-working and "unusually intelligent".

Desmond Tutu added that he had a "gentle, caring temperament and would have nothing to do with anything that hurt others", commenting on how he had "a quicksilver mind, a disarming honesty".

Desmond Tutu was rarely angry in his personal contacts with others, although could become so if he felt that his integrity was being challenged.

Desmond Tutu had a tendency to be highly trusting, something which some of those close to him sometimes believed was unwise in various situations.

Desmond Tutu was reportedly bad at managing finances and prone to overspending, resulting in accusations of irresponsibility and extravagance.

Desmond Tutu had a passion for preserving African traditions of courtesy.

Desmond Tutu could be offended by discourteous behaviour and careless language, as well as by swearing and ethnic slurs.

Desmond Tutu could get very upset if a member of his staff forgot to thank him or did not apologise for being late to a prayer session.

Desmond Tutu disliked gossip and discouraged it among his staff.

Desmond Tutu was very punctual, and insisted on punctuality among those in his employ.

Desmond Tutu was attentive to his parishioners, making an effort to visit and spend time with them regularly; this included making an effort to visit parishioners who disliked him.

Desmond Tutu has been described as being sensitive, and very easily hurt, an aspect of his personality which he concealed from the public eye; Du Boulay noted that he "reacts to emotional pain" in an "almost childlike way".

Desmond Tutu never denied being ambitious, and acknowledged that he enjoyed the limelight which his position gave him, something that his wife often teased him about.

Desmond Tutu was, according to Du Boulay, "a man of passionate emotions" who was quick to both laugh and cry.

Desmond Tutu was often praised for his public speaking abilities; Du Boulay noted that his "star quality enables him to hold an audience spellbound".

Desmond Tutu had a talent for mimicry, according to Du Boulay, "his humour has none of the cool acerbity that makes for real wit".

Desmond Tutu had a lifelong love of literature and reading, and was a fan of cricket.

Desmond Tutu woke at 4am every morning, before engaging in an early morning walk, prayers, and the Eucharist.

Desmond Tutu was even known to often pray while driving.

Desmond Tutu read the Bible every day and recommended that people read it as a collection of books, not a single constitutional document: "You have to understand that the Bible is really a library of books and it has different categories of material", he said.

On 2 July 1955, Desmond Tutu married Nomalizo Leah Shenxane, a teacher whom he had met while at college.

Desmond Tutu believed that the apartheid system had to be wholly dismantled rather than being reformed in a piecemeal fashion.

Desmond Tutu compared the apartheid ethos of South Africa's National Party to the ideas of the Nazi Party, and drew comparisons between apartheid policy and the Holocaust.

Desmond Tutu noted that whereas the latter was a quicker and more efficient way of exterminating whole populations, the National Party's policy of forcibly relocating black South Africans to areas where they lacked access to food and sanitation had much the same result.

Desmond Tutu never became anti-white, in part due to his many positive experiences with white people.

Desmond Tutu promoted racial reconciliation between South Africa's communities, believing that most blacks fundamentally wanted to live in harmony with whites, although he stressed that reconciliation would only be possible among equals, after blacks had been given full civil rights.

Desmond Tutu tried to cultivate goodwill from the country's white community, making a point of showing white individuals gratitude when they made concessions to black demands.

Desmond Tutu spoke to many white audiences, urging them to support his cause, referring to it as the "winning side", and reminding them that when apartheid had been overthrown, black South Africans would remember who their friends had been.

Desmond Tutu was always committed to non-violent activism, and in his speeches was cautious never to threaten or endorse violence, even when he warned that it was a likely outcome of government policy.

Desmond Tutu nevertheless described himself as a "man of peace" rather than a pacifist.

Desmond Tutu felt that religious leaders like himself should stay outside of party politics, citing the example of Abel Muzorewa in Zimbabwe, Makarios III in Cyprus, and Ruhollah Khomeini in Iran as examples in which such crossovers proved problematic.

Desmond Tutu tried to avoid alignment with any particular political party; in the 1980s, for instance, he signed a plea urging anti-apartheid activists in the United States to support both the ANC and the Pan Africanist Congress.

Du Boulay noted that Desmond Tutu was "most at home" with the UDF umbrella organisation, and that his views on a multi-racial alliance against apartheid placed him closer to the approach of the ANC and UDF than the blacks-only approach favoured by the PAC and Black Consciousness groups like AZAPO.

When pressed to describe his ideological position, Desmond Tutu described himself as a socialist.

Desmond Tutu was attracted to Anglicanism because of what he saw as its tolerance and inclusiveness, its appeal to reason alongside scripture and tradition, and the freedom that its constituent churches had from any centralized authority.

Desmond Tutu regarded the Anglican Communion as a family, replete with its internal squabbles.

Desmond Tutu rejected the idea that any particular variant of theology was universally applicable, instead maintaining that all understandings of God had to be "contextual" in relating to the socio-cultural conditions in which they existed.

Unlike other theologians, like John Mbiti, who saw the traditions as largely incompatible, Desmond Tutu emphasised the similarities between the two.

Desmond Tutu believed that both theological approaches had arisen in contexts where black humanity had been defined in terms of white norms and values, in societies where "to be really human", the black man "had to see himself and to be seen as a chocolate coloured white man".

Desmond Tutu argued that both black and African theology shared a repudiation of the supremacy of Western values.

Desmond Tutu has nurtured the deepest things in us blacks.

Desmond Tutu became, according to Du Boulay, "one of the most eloquent and persuasive communicators" of black theology.

Desmond Tutu expressed his views on theology largely through sermons and addresses rather than in extended academic treatises.

Desmond Tutu expressed the view that Western theology sought answers to questions that Africans were not asking.

Desmond Tutu believed that there were many comparisons to be made between contemporary African understandings of God and those featured in the Old Testament.

Desmond Tutu nevertheless criticised African theology for failing to sufficiently address contemporary societal problems, and suggested that to correct this it should learn from the black theology tradition.

When chairing the Truth and Reconciliation Commission, Desmond Tutu advocated an explicitly Christian model of reconciliation, as part of which he believed that South Africans had to face up to the damages that they had caused and accept the consequences of their actions.

Gish noted that by the time of apartheid's fall, Desmond Tutu had attained "worldwide respect" for his "uncompromising stand for justice and reconciliation and his unmatched integrity".

Desmond Tutu gained much adulation from black journalists, inspired imprisoned anti-apartheid activists, and led to many black parents' naming their children after him.

Allen noted that in 1984, Desmond Tutu was "the black leader white South Africans most loved to hate" and that this antipathy extended beyond supporters of the far-right government to liberals too.

Desmond Tutu drew criticism from within the anti-apartheid movement and the black South African community.

Desmond Tutu was criticised repeatedly for making statements on behalf of black South Africans without consulting other community leaders first.

Desmond Tutu gained many international awards and honorary degrees, particularly in South Africa, the United Kingdom, and the United States.

On 16 October 1984, Desmond Tutu was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize.

In 1987 Desmond Tutu was awarded the Pacem in Terris Award, named after a 1963 encyclical letter by Pope John XXIII that calls upon all people of good will to secure peace among all nations.

In 2000, Desmond Tutu received the Common Wealth Award of Distinguished Service.

In 2003, Desmond Tutu received the Golden Plate Award of the Academy of Achievement presented by Awards Council member Coretta Scott King.

In 2010, Desmond Tutu delivered the Bynum Tudor Lecture at the University of Oxford and became a visiting fellow at Kellogg College, Oxford.

Desmond Tutu is the author of seven collections of sermons in addition to other writings:.