Hello. This is the BBC world service. I'm old brown and over the next half hour I'll be looking back at the marketable life of desmond tutu. He had better skills and abilities, which put him hidden shoulders above the others in the public arena extror we use of language and extraordinary capacity to communicate with people and the ability to get under the skin or white south africans. Various people said that is the best I vote for christianity. They know I am always surprised to be in places where my father is treated like something of a rock star, because he, My dad and I had the privilege of growing up with a father who wasn't world famous

Desmond tutu was indeed something of a rock star faded in music by the jazz great miles, Davis he's appeared on the cover of magazines like vanity, fair, with celebrities. the actor brad pitt and Oprah win free born on the seventh of october nineteen, thirty one, a sickly child. He was called movie law, meaning health or life in the class. I language of his father career. His mother was might say NI majority. Here he is speaking to the bbc in twenty four teen. I had a very happy childhood a boy child between two girls, my sister. Sometimes pledge. Our mother, rather spoiled me pampered me. My mother was noted. Your pages

but she had an incredible having full people and was very generous. My father was a master of his school and had a passion for education is allowed me to read comics, and actually encourage A wonderful greed for reading desmond spend the first few years of his life. In click start a town on the western reef of the gold seem that brought. millions of people from all over the world to the land that became south africa. He came of age, centuries of land, dispossession and political oppression merged into a park date. The political system that the united nations called a crime against humanity, and it was that system that Desmond tutu spent his life fighting in one of the good.

It struggles for human dignity. He remembers an early impression of what discrimination meant for black people in south africa. We're living in town called fender, stop and I it's probably the only black kid who had a a bicycle and my father sent me to town often to buy him, the newspapers and things- and I I recall, on one occasion, going past a school for white the primary school and saw bled children scavenging in the ways beans of the school and in their picking perfectly clean same wages in fruit which the lead the way

he had thrown away, and maybe you didn't know, then, of course, that this thing was etching itself on your consciousness. His relative affluence didn't protect him from the illnesses that affected poor people in south africa as a child. He contracted polio, which left him with a weakened shriveled the right hand. He also spent nearly two years in hospital with tuberculosis when he was about eleven years old, and he was through this that he met a man that would have a lasting impact on his consciousness trevor Huddleston, a british anglican priest whose parish was in the township of sapphire town, his father was a schoolteacher and press. Krueger stop outside johannesburg and desmond got very ill and had to be very bad avenues of the war and He was in hospital just down the hill from have had on, and I used go and see him every week. If I could, I used to take books, so I got no pretty well.

I was about maybe nine or so when this tall preached with their flowing castle, swept past and was waiting a big black head. He dropped his head to my mother There is sort of mind blowing for me because at white men, greeting my mother. With such courtesy, scalp be true by the time he came up. The sanatorium as a young teenager, Desmond tutu, wanted to be a doctor. He was accepted at the medical school in johannesburg, but his family couldn't afford it so, like so many other talented black men and women, he had too much

nietzsche's aspirations and settle for what was available to him teaching in nineteen fifty five, he married another teacher leah, normal legal, shanghai, nay, who, as it happens, was a former pupil of his fathers to two was, by all accounts, a good teacher, but he didn't remain in the field for long a party, politics change the course of his life. John Allen was he's personal psychiatry, an author of his official biogas, the rabble rousing for peace. The education system for black africans was largely in the hands of the churches. At the time and the newly arrived party government said in the infamous words of inroads into the architect of apartheid. The education system, the missionaries had set up for black south africans, was teaching them too

graze in green pastures, which he was giving them expectations which couldn't be delivered and they established been to education as education for servitude, and it was at that stage that he and his wife, who are both teachers, decided were out, but in fact He was deeply rooted in the church. He used to say sometimes. Will I think what happened is it got took me by the scruff of the naked put me in the church desmond tutu decided to become a priest. But how did he become an anglican, utterly walking ecumenical institution, because I was baptized in the methodist church. and followed our ever my eldest sister into the images ever getting messages episcopal and then, when she went to an anglican secondary school, she decided to see what had become an elegant is. Are we oh, followed it old family dropped into the anglican church and

in survivor. You began to be exposed to the regular round of the disciplined life of prayer of community, who were we deeply involved, also in social things new Your deigned in nineteen sixty two. He took his wife leah and their children trevor no don't be, and tender got to Britain where they live. in gold is green, while he studied theology at kings, college in london, a third daughter, was born there in nineteen sixty three to do the star student and he star rose just as a shift was happening within the anglican community in south africa. John Alan, it became an era in which the multi racial churches went from predominantly white leadership are predominantly black churches to predominantly blackie to shoot.

Churches. So he was one of a number of church leaders who raise the profile of the churches, intensified the struggle against departed doesnt to do it, to south africa, where he became chaplain at the university of fort hair, a kind of oxford for black leaders from all over southern freedom. Nelson Mandela was a student there, as was robert mugabe of Zimbabwe, who many years later called him that bitter bishop for criticizing his government he left for tear as the philosophy of black consciousness, started a wave of protest. After a brief stint in neighbouring the psu to Desmond tutu moved back to london to work for the world council of churches, he settled Leah and therefore children into the leafy suburb of south london called grove park where he was also the curate at the local church. Saint Augustine,

sitting in the nave of the church, christopher town, organist and later music director remembered him to me with great fondness. He was here in nineteen. Seventy two to seventy five. He was very friendly, very warm, always smiling and laughing cause various dynamic sermons. His face always lit up when he was speaking and that sort of held people's attention really well. He often referred to the fact that when he came over here, he was treated so differently from the way he was treated in south africa and policemen called him. Sir, and I bet his sense of mischief, hood came into play as well, and indeed so. Yes, because one thing he used to do at the end of his service was to stand at the back of the church as people

went out and say anyone for wholly handshake and reward respond, and so he was everything you are greatly loved in the parish. The tutors were enjoying the freedoms that were not available to them back home, but in nineteen seventy five he was called back to become the dean of Saint Mary cathedral in johannesburg. His wife was reluctant. You could see it turned to to family upside down because lead and want to come back, and she said to crying on me on the shoulder of these means assistant and woman named pity, ward she's it at home, my colleague, and weaken the pavements word at having to walk off. We like people come and push me off the pavement, if I'm in their way, and it caused a real crisis in a marriage, his I read in jeopardy and just a year before the massive student uprisings that catapulted south africa into the international headlines, Desmond tutu felt he had no choice but to research.

To the call of his conscience. Let stew we firmly at these ten, I shared well. I think we probably do have to get paid we didn't want to have been spectator. in the struggle for a job skin known ratio society in our country. One of the concerns for the todos was the safety of their children. Here he is reflecting on his choices as apparent with his youngest daughter, we wanted them to grow in a sphere where they knew that today, could rely on or not I love that they would get to know that There way certain boundaries you didn't get to do What ever you light should do, I remember a lots and lots.

And lots of very lively table chatter during meals, everything scene, come up at the dining room table. I don't know that I was tarragon do I know about it We gave one them grow through, being people who were self assured who knew that they had the backing of a pair of loving parents as the flames of the saw.

Uprisings continued through the late seventies, Desmond tutu was made the secretary general of the south african council of churches. It was from this platform that he began a powerful and irksome call for sanctions against the apartheid government. In response he was harrassed with death threats and plots to discredit him. In october nineteen, eighty four desmond the two gained, an even greater platform. He became a nobel peace laureate, your royal highness excellency's misty chairmen. Ladies and gentlemen, as I was about to say before, we were somewhat interrupted. The interruption to which he referred with typical understatement was a bomb scare that empty

the whole of dignitaries, including the king of Norway, when they were given the all clear, not everyone returned terry wait. Special envoy for the van archbishop of canterbury, rapid rancey, picks up the story. The only people missing now where the car and the orchestra who'd taken fry to no gun for good and so desmond called his supporters. They went up onto the stage and they sang as only a south africa group can say, and that was a wonderful occasion The

with the eyes of the world, firmly upon him, Desmond tutu vaulted up the anglican hierarchy to become the first black bishop of johannesburg in nineteen eighty five. He issued this challenge to the authorities. I gave not even eight hundred twenty four months from today february to earn a partake, not in the manger or it not being a public medical time. Out of my el coco punic economic things, whatever the legal consequences may be doing too. Scarcely a year later in nineteen eighty six, he became the foremost anglican in the country as the archbishop of cape town, This caused a splash in more ways than one photographer funny. Jason recalls when bishop to do moved into bishop scored. There was a question about

team being allowed actually to stay in a white only neighborhood, and then on top of that to open the swimming pool for black and produced children, because bishop to do had this massive swimming pool at your premises. But he said, look I too old to swim. Let the children come in swimming this swimming pool and there are some nasa. out cried the residents. The government, because he's bishop to do just went ahead and he opened the pool and all the press were allowed to grow for russian is still that these were dealt with his wife in the children in the pool and should have seemed outcry. When these beaches appeared in the newspapers president p w Bertha, I imposed a state of emergency that saw thousands of people detained without trial

thousands more driven into exile and hundreds killed, shot and tear asked by the police. His calls for economic and sporting sanctions were picked up by ordinary people around the world. He's access to powerful ears was a serious problem for the south african government facing as it was growing answers

deigned pressure both within the country and outside to widen they just assassinating or charge in jail him like they did nelson mandela or detain and told you him like the black consciousness leader, Steve beco, his official biographer Jonathan offers this explanation. Security policeman, who were following two to at the time, told me that they got clear messages from above that, even when other people were targets, if they were to talk to you

and if they were to kill two to the consequences in terms of the complete imposition of sanctions across the board would be such as if it were be self defeating. In the meantime, archbishop to do was out on the streets trying to protect an arm taught africans from the wrath of the police and burying those that had been killed. Funny jason again, sometimes have you in the shack and years is purple dress, leading a funeral to two, as always there, between people in the cops I dunno remember the woman that was going to be necklace, so this put purple rope of his was very prominent. He was brave enough to confront the violence that was being turned inwards among the oppressed as well. He condemned the practice of necklace thing where someone accused of collaboration with the police was satellite, with a burning tire around their necks archbishop tutu.

Angrily berated protesters, shortly after he physically rescued a policeman from the clutches of an angry crowd? Every new member of the one you do I am whenever I'm leaving, I love seasonal violence is over the time for reconstruction and reconciliation. As arrive, SW declared newly appointed president of south africa speaking at the opening of parliament in nineteen. Ninety, the steps that have been other following the prohibition of the african national congress, the ban africanus congress, the south african communist party and a number of them larry organizations is being listened people serving prison sentences

merely because they were members of one of these organizations all because they committed another offence which was merely an offence, because the prohibition of one of the organizations was in force will be. if the fight and released- and although the writing was on the wall after years of campaigning years of bloodshed years of pleading. This next part of his speech was seismic. I wouldn't blame the government or spoken a firm decision to release Mr Mandela unconditionally. I'm serious, I am serious about bringing this matter to finality without delay. The government will take a decision soon on the night of his release, the time for talking as arrive and whoever still makes excuses, does not

anyway Nelson Mandela was finally released on the eleventh of February nineteen nineteen and although they had never met my diva spent his first night of freedom at bishops court, the official residence of the archbishop, the two men became great friends and after four years of negotiations between the parties government and the african national congress, the first democratic elections were held on the twenty seventh of April. Ninety ninety four arch as south africans fondly called him, was ecstatic. I want to say I want to cry. I want, will laugh everything

get on jump and dance, and we just want to say to our friends out there you ve been fantastic in supporting us and the day has arrived. This is why the archbishop had in mind when you called south africa, the rainbow nation of god and in ninety ninety six. He was appointed head of the truth and reconciliation commission, a forum of public truth telling to expose the evils of a parted archbishop to do hoped that the process would humanize both oppressor and oppressed, sinner and sinned against. You need to consume,

Then in the christian doctrine in tutors doctrine, the response to confession is years. You are compelled desmond tutu would say by your faith, to forgive the genesis. Third, a third stage of the transaction, which is they must be restitution, so it has to be a three stage browsers will that was particularly what he brought to the process. He gave it

life and he gave it meaning in that way, by bringing his religious perspectives into a very technical legal process. The hearings were often harrowing as victims and perpetrators gave their stories. They suffocated me wearing a mask over my face. It hit a cop that threatened when the helicopter med thought into what the point behind your knees up and you were hung upside down. While this was happening, you had suffocated proceed to Mr Jacobs. I put the electrodes in these knows. I may be wrong if I said I touch the trees, genitals or maybe wrong

If I put a probe entries rectum, I may be wrong. That is why the specific methods I could have used any one of those three archbishop due to cried publicly during the very first hearings. Do me: santa Rosa asia, south african barrister and fellow coming. on the t, r c. I think I learned a lot from that of again means brought up to be module, tigers, don't cry men, don't cry, and it struck me that this was a person with this high profile, but who wore his. on the sleeve more or less. He didn't gunned it

is the meaning of himself to be caught on national and international television to be breaking down. Although the truth and reconciliation commission was widely admired abroad for many south africans, it was a disappointment and some would argue for Desmond tutu as well. I think for him it would have been a mark of achievement if there were no notable conquests

like getting the pw report that to say. I have now seen the light to get a winnie mandela to say you know what happened with stone pie and all of those people under my watch was something that happened, but he never got those, and even though I think he took it in his stride, it pained him that that was not one of the achievements of the tlc archbishop tutu, who had relinquished his role as the head of the anglican church to concentrate on the trc and nineteen ninety six retired, from public life. In twenty ten on the seventh of october, I turn seventy nine years old and from a age I intend to withdraw public life and will no longer be available for meeting.

At interviews. He didn't disappeared from view completely, though he wasn't, that sort of person in twenty eleven, he was scathing of the government had fought to bring to power a government. That was my it in corruption and broken promises. After that refuse to grant a visa to his good friend the dalai lama, and it appeared to have been out of deference to china. I want to warn you. You are behaving in a way that is totally at variance with things for which we talk. I'm warning you that we will pay every prayed for the downfall of the authority government. We will pay for the downfall of it

That needs to represent us wash out in government watch out. This outspokenness is thought to be why he was excluded from the list of officials. Speakers at nelson mandela's funeral, even me, retirement he set up a piece foundation and wrote several books on forgiveness, archbishop emeritus, as he was now known, never stopped. Speaking for those were marginalized or dispossessed. His daughter, poor married a woman in twenty fifteen and her father gave her his full support in the face of the rushes criticism. He also made a controversial call for assisted dying. So how will the world best remember desmond billowed to do?

man, whose name means life, he was asked what he thought, how he would like to be remembered, and he said he laughed he laughed. He cried pretty good. I think we have lost the voice of our conscience. We have lost a voice that will not keep quiet that we had made it. It's lifetime asked to be heard, even if it would be a voice in the wilderness, even though he has departed. He leaves Thank you for listening. There will be more from the documentary podcast soon. If you haven't already, please do subscribe and don't forget do try our other bbc world service, podcast, tee