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Peace lecture will commemorate Archbishop Desmond Tutu’s 90th birthday

As Archbishop Emeritus Desmond Tutu turns 90 years old on 7 October, the Desmond & Leah Tutu Legacy Foundation is appealing to people worldwide to join a collaborative celebration of his life.

Bishop Desmond Tutu archive

Recipient of the 1984 Nobel Peace Prize and known worldwide for his efforts against apartheid in South Africa, Bishop Desmond Tutu served on the WCC staff as associate director of the Theological Education Fund from 1972-1975. He was general secretary of the South African Council of Churches, 1978-85, and in 1987 became president of the All Africa Conference of Churches. Bishop Tutu was a speaker at the WCC assemblies in Vancouver 1983 and Porto Alegre 2006. 

Photo:
WCC
07 October 2021

The foundation will host the Desmond Tutu 11th Annual International Peace Lecture, also on 7 October, delivered by four global leaders – the Dalai Lama, Tibet’s highest spiritual leader; women’s and children’s rights activist Graça Machel; chair of The Elders and former president of Ireland Mary Robinson; and South Africa’s former public protector, Thuli Madonsela.

The 2021 lecture will address the topic “Speaking Truth to Power: No Future Without Justice,” and the event will be online only.

The event will also offer an opportunity to view the film “Mission Joy: Finding Happiness in Troubled Times,” celebrating the decades-long friendship between Archbishop Emeritus Desmond Tutu and the Dalai Lama. The film, created by a team that includes four Academy Award winners, is not being shown on the commercial film circuit or online but is only available at selected film festivals in North America.

The foundation is also posting a memory or lesson from Archbishop Tutu each day in the 90 days leading up to his birthday.

Celebrations, new published collection will mark Archbishop Desmond Tutu’s 90th birthday