Archbishop Emeritus Desmond Tutu turned 84 this week and Gasant Abarder took a fat chance by requesting an interview.
Cape Town - ‘Wisdom? Wisdom is when you are able to use your experience for not repeating the mistakes you have made or others have made. Wisdom is being able to affirm others and knowing that you are not a one-man band. Wisdom is recognising that others are wiser than you.”
Profound words from a man on whom we have leaned quite hard to be our voice of reason and moral compass. In the simplicity of the message lies its beauty.
Archbishop Emeritus Desmond Tutu has that same mystical aura that Madiba had; you can’t put your finger on what that is exactly. But you will almost certainly feel both a sense of greatness and humility in his presence.
The Arch, as he is affectionately known to us, turned 84 this week and I took a fat chance by cheekily requesting an interview for this Friday Files edition.
It was a birthday preceded by regular stints in hospital over the past few months for the Arch, so I knew I was pushing my luck.
But he obliged and was kind enough to answer all my questions via e-mail with a tinge of that distinct brand of humour for which he is known.
So let me show off a bit and share some fast facts about the Arch that you may not have known about him which I gleaned from my “exclusive interview”:
* Favourite food: oxtail, or rum and raisin ice cream.
* Favourite drink: fruit smoothie.
* Favourite song: Malaika by Miriam Makeba.
* Favourite actor/actress: Lena Horne, especially in Stormy Weather.
* Favourite quote: “Beloved, let us love one another, for love is of God - if there is this love among you, then all will know that you are my disciples.”
The Arch’s birthday present from mayor Patricia de Lille, the woman he calls Ousie, was the announcement of a series of events by the City of Cape Town to honour the legacy of him and his wife Leah. Arch is already a freeman of the city and, earlier this year, Ousie offered the Desmond and Leah Tutu Legacy Foundation a lease to the Old Granary building as its premises.
Next week, the celebrations continue when Ousie dedicates her council speech to the Arch. And on December 16, the city will host a reconciliation walk and interfaith service, followed by a concert, in the Arch’s honour.
“The executive mayor and City of Cape Town have been very generous to us and our Legacy Foundation. We owe so much to the people of Cape Town. We are very lucky to be able to call this city our home,” says the Arch of the gesture.
His health problems have kept the Arch out of the public eye, but he made a rare public appearance at the Desmond Tutu Peace Lecture, delivered by Public Protector Thuli Madonsela, on his birthday on Wednesday at UWC.
Regular well-wishers have been dropping by his home, including Ousie, Chief Justice Dikgang Moseneke and former president FW de Klerk.
“I have often said that I am not as young as I look. One finds that things that one took for granted in one’s sixties and sventies - like getting out of a chair or climbing a flight of stairs - become increasingly arduous in one’s eighties.
“I am not frustrated by having to take it easy. My health is improving, but realistically I no longer strive to run a four-minute mile.”
Truth be told, the Arch retired from public life some years ago but the demands on his time have not diminished.
Recently his daughter, Reverend Canon Mpho Tutu, has been representing her father, family and the foundation in public. She is a chip off the old block.
“Our marriage has been blessed with four children. Each of them has unique gifts and we are very grateful for them all.
“We decided as a family that Mpho would take up the role of executive director of the Legacy Foundation, and to that extent her position is by design.
“The manner in which she has made the position her own can be attributed to her experience and resourcefulness.”
In the heyday of our transition, and in the promise of reconciliation and nation-building, it was the Arch that coined a phrase by describing us as the “Rainbow Nation”.
It was a notion we, and the rest of the world, readily accepted in our keenness to forge a nation in the vision of Nelson Mandela and in the spirit of our “miracle” of 1994.
But the temperature, 21 years down the line, is different. There is a restlessness evident in the chatter and debates on social media, and a series of race-related incidents that have served to polarise the nation - whether it be in sport, politics or everyday life.
The Arch believes the solution to rekindling the spirit of 1994 is not as complicated as we may make it out to be. It starts with the simple gestures, but the big issues also need to be addressed.
“We should work daily at rekindling the spirit of inclusivity and inter-dependence personified by Madiba.
“This need not entail grand acts of largesse; little things count. It could be the manner in which you greet someone at work, or let another car into the traffic. The point is that everyone matters.
“At the same time we should work harder to narrow the gap between rich and poor. We should work harder at being compassionate, at sharing - not for the sake of charity, but for the sake of righteousness and sustainability.”
It was also around the time of our transition that the Springboks first lifted the Webb Ellis trophy and sent the nation into a state of euphoria.
The Arch is a fanatical sports fans who wears his heart on his sleeve when it comes to our national sports teams. But there’s one moment that will always be etched in his mind - an appropriate memory as the Boks compete for their third Rugby World Cup title.
“The day the Springboks and Madiba won the World Cup was by some distance the greatest sporting moment of our time. It underlined our president’s extraordinary magnanimity and the promise of our then-brand new nation.”
The Arch’s story is well-documented. He has devoted his life to fighting for human rights and social justice and fighting against injustice and oppression.
He speaks up when few have the courage to challenge the status quo and is sometimes a lone voice of dissent.
It comes from his days as a fierce opponent of apartheid, preaching from the pulpit, leading thousands of people in protest marches in defiance of the unjust rule of the day and being detained for his efforts.
Then, as our nation came to grips with our young democracy, it was the Arch who became the face of our healing process at the Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC).
He shouldered the pain as chairman of the TRC and through him we went on an emotional roller-coaster ride as we tackled the demons of our past. There were a few light-hearted moments, instigated by the Arch, but he was often reduced to tears. Ultimately, there were powerful moments of forgiveness.
Reflecting back on the TRC process two decades later, the Arch is left uneasy and somewhat dissatisfied.
“There were many highlights. Each time we witnessed an act of contrition and forgiveness was a highlight. In many respects, the TRC was a showcase for our humanity; it proved that the 350 years of racial oppression we endured had not dehumanised us.
“But the TRC was just the beginning of the process. The lowest point is its unfinished business. It took ages for the government to make restitution payments, which did not measure up to what the TRC recommended.
“Nor was there any attempt to bring to justice those who either evaded appearing before the commission or whose amnesty applications failed.”
In July, the Tutus reminded us all that there is a place for old-fashioned values in a world where technology and expedience has shaped the new world order. Arch and Ma Leah renewed their vows on their 60th anniversary in a touching ceremony at St George’s Cathedral, where for so many years he shaped and guided minds.
In his retirement, the Arch has been able to spend more time with Ma Leah. The bond they share as a couple is as strong as when they first fell in love. Ma Leah has been his rock.
“It may sound like a cliché to say I would have been nothing without her, but that is the truth. She provided our family with a sense of structure and normalcy through some very abnormal times. She has been a cherished partner, a warm and sensible home-maker, my chief adviser - and my greatest critic.”
The Arch is modest about his standing as an icon of world peace. He prefers deferring credit to others and make little of his own achievements. But we owe him a great deal of gratitude for a lifetime of sacrifice and selfless service to others.
It is easy to lose sight of the fact that he is revered the world over and is virtually peerless as an ambassador for peace and justice.
But perhaps that aura around the Arch is within the grasp of every one of us. The notion that greatness is attainable through the deeds of an ordinary man who does extraordinary things.
Finally, I ask if is there anything we don’t know about the Arch (here I am, chancing my arm in the hope of some spectacular new revelation) that he would like to share with readers of the Friday Files?
To this the Arch replies simply: “I’m actually quite shy.”
*Gasant Abarder is the Editor of the Cape Argus
Cape Argus