On the 90th birthday of Desmond Tutu
Desmond Tutu turns 90. He has long been an advocate for greater tolerance and supports, among other things, the fight against racism and homophobia.
It is particularly interesting in this context that the archbishop emeritus is thus opposing his church. In Africa, among other places, the pressure on the LGBTQI+ community from church circles is very high. Many priests never tire of emphasizing that homosexuality is a sin.
Desmond Tutu has been striking completely different notes here for a long time. Queers in Africa and in many other parts of the world thank him.
Tutu compares racism with homophobia
For Tutu, it is contradictory to be open to other nations but to condemn homosexuality. Already in several speeches he made clear how closely racism and homophobia are linked.
A person would not choose his sexual orientation. And that is exactly why he should not be oppressed or disadvantaged because of it.
Even though Tutu often addresses his listeners with serious and thoughtful topics, he is one of those people who manages without the famous raised forefinger. Instead, he comes across as sympathetic and at eye level with people. Perhaps it is precisely this aspect that has ensured that his "fan base" has not diminished over the years - even if he makes fewer appearances these days than in the past.
Who is Desmond Tutu, anyway?
Desmond Tutu was born near Johannesburg in 1930. He became an Anglican priest at the age of 30, then was appointed Bishop of Lesotho in the 1970s. Shortly thereafter, he made history by becoming the first black general secretary to serve the Council of Churches of South Africa.
In the 1980s, he received the Nobel Peace Prize before being appointed (again, the first black) bishop of Johannesburg. Later, he would also become Archbishop of Cape Town.
Tutu once again took on a particularly important role in the mid-1990s by working for greater understanding between people, not only in South Africa. In this way, he tried to develop an approach that could benefit not only the people in his country, but also in other countries around the world.
But as varied as the years of his terms in office (and after) may have been, they always had one thing in common: Tutu had, or has, no problem denouncing and openly expressing grievances, in whatever form - and to a large extent regardless of who stands before him.
It is therefore not surprising that he is repeatedly compared to the epitome of a moral leader.
The 90th birthday is celebrated big, but - due to Corona - mainly virtually.
The LGBTQI+ community in Africa: discrimination still the order of the day
Despite massive efforts to improve the situation of the LGBTQI+ community in Africa, many queers in Africa suffer from discrimination. As already indicated above, it is among others the church that stirs up hatred against people with a different sexual orientation. Among other things, sermons repeatedly point out that it is "wrong" to be gay, for example.
The discrepancies between church and community are sometimes much more present in Africa (and, for that matter, in various parts of America) than in Germany, because they are expressed more openly in church services and the like. And this, of course, inevitably influences large parts of society.