South African cleric and activist Desmond Tutu, who rose to worldwide fame during the 1980s as an opponent of apartheid, will speak in London May 22, part of the St. Joseph’s Health Care Signature Speaker Series.
In 1984, Tutu was awarded with the Nobel Peace Prize in recognition of “the courage and heroism shown by black South Africans in their use of peaceful methods in the struggle against apartheid.”
Desmond Tutu
He was elected and ordained the first black South African Anglican Archbishop of Cape Town, South Africa, and primate of the Church of the Province of South Africa. He has chaired the Truth and Reconciliation Commission and is currently the chairman of the Elders.
In 2007, he was awarded the Gandhi Peace Prize. This is an annual award given to individuals and institutions for the contributions towards social, economic and political transformation through non-violence and other Gandhian methods.
Tutu retired as Archbishop in 1996, and since his retirement he has worked as a global activist on issues pertaining to democracy, freedom and human rights. In 2006, he launched a global campaign to ensure that all children were registered at birth, as an unregistered child did not officially exist and was vulnerable to traffickers and during disasters.
He has been a tireless campaigner for health and human rights and has been particularly vocal in fighting TB and HIV. He has served as the honorary chairman for the Global AIDS Alliance. In 2004, the Desmond Tutu HIV Centre and Foundation was founded in Cape Town.
Tickets for the event are $500 per person, or a table of eight for $4,000. Each ticket holder will receive a tax credit of approximately $300, a multi-course gourmet meal and a copy of Tutu’s autobiography.
For tickets visit the Signature Speaker Series website or call 519-646-6085.