Anti-apartheid activist and Archbishop Desmond Tutu was buried in a simple ceremony in Cape Town, South Africa.
Saturday’s party began with a song and procession in the aisle of the city’s Anglican cathedral.
It was Toto himself who planned the party, and he wanted to have a sense of relief.
In the cathedral, the Nobel laureate was lying in a simple sarcophagus made of pine – the cheapest one can find.
Toto passed away on Christmas Day, at the age of 90. For the past few days he’s been lying on the show bed.
During the funeral ceremony, South African President Cyril Ramaphosa read memorial speeches. He said that Tutu could face sharp criticism of the authorities even after the abolition of the apartheid system and the introduction of democracy.
“Archbishop Desmond Tutu is our moral compass and our national conscience,” he said.
– The tutu light shines brighter than ever
The funeral was attended by former South African President Thabo Mbeki. She was also former Irish President Mary Robinson and Nelson Mandela’s widow Graça Machel.
The service was led by Michael Nuttall – the former white university rector who was the “Vice-Captain” when Tutu was Archbishop of Cape Town.
We were at the forefront of what would be possible in our lost and divided nation, Nuttall said on Saturday.
The Archbishop of Canterbury, Justin Welby – who is also the international head of the Anglican Church – came with a video message during the funeral.
For many Nobel laureates, the status has diminished over time. But Welby said Archbishop Tutu’s light was much brighter.
hand of luck
Along with Nelson Mandela, Desmond Tutu was one of the most prominent opponents of apartheid in South Africa.
With the Bible in hand, Toto fought a tireless struggle to abolish the brutal apartheid system. The rulers of Pretoria condemned the whites, but at the same time he extended his conciliatory hand to the whites.
At the same time, he led an intense campaign to get Western countries to impose sanctions on South Africa. In 1984, he was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize.
Truth Commission
After the white minority system was abolished in the early 1990s, Tutu was appointed Chairman of the South African Truth and Reconciliation Commission in 1995.
The commission formed a school and has since been copied in many countries that have dealt with previous wars, riots, and abuses.
On Christmas Eve, church bells rang at St George’s Cathedral in honor of Tutu. Because of coronary heart disease, only about a hundred mourners attended the funeral.
After burial and cremation, the urn with Tutu’s ashes will be placed in the cathedral.
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