South Africa’s apartheid opponent and archbishop Desmond Tutu showed us the power of reconciliation and forgiveness, Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre (AP) said on Sunday.
“A great little man who showed us the power of reconciliation and forgiveness. It is with sadness and gratitude that today we received the news from South Africa that Desmond Tutu has passed away,” wrote on Facebook, according to the newspaper VG.
Prime Minister Støre also referred to the fact that Tutu received the Nobel Peace Prize in 1984.
“Tutu deserved it, but not least, the time was crucial. As Archbishop of Cape Town from 1986, Tutu became a force for peaceful change in the last crucial years in the fight against the white minority regime,” he noted.
“Desmond Tutu was one of the most intensely lively, present, and engaging people I have met. His eyes shone when you talked to him,” Støre stated.
Tutu’s legacy
Tutu became world-famous in the 1980s because of his opposition to apartheid. He fought for human rights in South Africa since the ’70s.
The Archbishop led the Truth and Reconciliation Commission, which systematically reviewed crimes committed under the apartheid regime. He was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1984.
In recent years, he criticized Jacob Zuma’s government.
Source: © NTB Scanpix / #Norway Today / #NorwayTodayNews
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