Vivek’s Info

Desmond Tutu, the Archbishop from South Africa is one of the towering figures of the world today. His role in removing Apartheid from South Africa is well acknowledged. He also received a Nobel peace prize for his role in 1984. I recently bumpted into a talk given by Tutu in 1986 at Harvard university. Mandela was still in jail and apartheid was very much in force during this talk by Bishop Tutu. He discusses the importance of taking a moral stand and of public protests in dismantling the hated system.

Bishop Tutu is a very powerful speaker in a highly original fashion. He is a story teller, and a jovial person. But between his stories and jokes he gets serious and makes touching appeals. His sense of hope and sincerity are amazing, and I believe that this is what gives his speeches the power they have. This talk at Harvard is well worth listening to. Desmond Tutu’s talk goes for about 40 minutes. It’s preceded by an introduction by an undergraduate student who urges the university to disinvest its stocks in companies that invest in South Africa (goes for about 11 minutes).

To watch this talk, click here.

The other place where I heard Bishop tutu was “Doha debates” moderated by Tim Sebastian. The debate was on tackling extremism. Panel include Bishop Tutu, Shayak Hamas Yusuf, John Esposito and Diana Buttu. The panelists respond to questions from students mainly from many countries especially from the Arab world. The 45 minute long video is below.

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