Archbishop Desmond Tutu: The Indomitable Revolutionary

An iconic Nobel laureate and a veteran human rights activist, Archbishop Desmond Tutu is known for tirelessly spreading peace, justice and democracy in South Africa. Both the black majority and white minority considered him the nation’s conscience. “Sometimes strident, often tender, never afraid and seldom without humour” is how he was described by his longtime friend Nelson Mandela.

He was born in 1931 in Klerksdorp, Transvaal, South Africa. His father was a teacher and his mother was a domestic worker. Young Tutu was baptized as a Methodist, but the entire family later joined the Anglican Church. He was educated at Johannesburg Bantu High School. Though he wanted to study medicine, his parents could not afford it. So he became a teacher but resigned later to protest against the Bantu Education Act, which lowered education standards for black students.

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