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Desmond Mpilo Tutu (born October 7, 1931) is a South African peace activist who rose to worldwide fame in the 1980s through his opposition to apartheid. He was the first black Anglican Archbishop of Cape Town, South Africa.
On October 16, 1984 he was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize. Later he headed the Truth and Reconciliation Commission. He became the first black person to lead the Anglican Church in South Africa on September 7, 1986.
Tutu believes the treatment of Palestinians by the Jewish state of Israel is a form of apartheid (). He has repeatedly called upon the Israeli government to respect the human dignity of the Palestinian people, whether Muslim or Christian. He has also criticised human rights abuses in Zimbabwe, calling Zimbabwean president Robert Mugabe a "caricature of an African dictator", and criticising the South African government's policy of quiet diplomacy towards Zimbabwe.
Commenting days after the August 5, 2003 The Episcopal Church gay bishop ordination, Desmond Tutu said that he does not see what "all the fuss" is about: "For us that doesn't make a difference, the sexual orientation."
External links
- The Desmond Tutu Peace Centre
- Nobel e-Museum Desmond Tutu biography