Celebrating The Arch

Tomorrow, we will have the honour of hosting a Civic lunch for Archbishop Desmond Tutu who, amongst his many other accolades, is a Freeman of the City of Cape Town.

It will be our chance to celebrate a man who has given so much to our city, our country and the world. It is easy to feel caught up in the forces of history. The great tides that sweep us all up in events. Sometimes, however, there are those who stand apart.

There are those who, through sheer force of will and armed only with the power of the truth, emerge as figures above the great events that encircle us all. It is a strange paradox. They become giants above the very fray that created them. They become the shapers of a destiny of which they were part.

In times of conflict and difficulty, there are many acts of individual heroism. There are countless unsung heroes who give everything for a greater justice even if there sacrifice occurs, as it almost always does, at a personal level. But when times are darkest, it can be lonely to stand up and be counted.

You cannot always see those who stand around you, driven by the same yearning to be free. In that silence, you need, more than ever, to know that you do not stand alone.

It is in such times that true leaders are made, born as much by circumstance as by their own personal resolution. But to assume that mantle is not easy. In most cases, the strength required is too much to ask, the pain to stand at the front too much to bear.

The forces of change remain unfocused and tyranny is allowed to continue. We are fortunate, however, that the Archbishop was willing to take up the mantle for us. He was willing to stand against the forces that would cut us down and act as a beacon of hope, a beacon that did not shine from afar but rather on the front lines.

We knew where we were going because the Arch was there before us in the night, leading the way. We must never forget the struggle we experienced to achieve democracy in this country.

Large parts of our people needed a voice to lead them, that reassurance in the dark that in the end, there was always hope. The Arch led us. When many were exiled or imprisoned, he used his position to be the leader we needed and to create a greater flock, one that he need not have led. Every day, we try and live what he dreamed for our country in this city.

Many of the Arch's principles, such as redress and reconciliation, inform our government. They are given practical meaning by our drive to building an inclusive and caring city. Many of the old realities of division are still with us. They challenge us and force us to test our assumptions. But we still draw strength from the Arch's message of hope and reconciliation.

That message of hope lives within each of us. But we are also fortunate that it continues in the Arch himself. After all these years, when most would rest on the strength of their achievements, he still stands at the barricades, challenging our society.

He acts as a constant reminder of all that we wanted to be and could become if only we embrace the principle of reconciliation. His voice still guides us and leads us.

He reminds us all the time that this thing we have created in South Africa is precious and that it needs constant care. He reminds us that we have to work to create the future every day.

I hope that we can celebrate many more of his birthdays with him. In celebrating with him, we celebrate the best part of our selves.

This article by Patrica de Lille first appeared in Cape Town This Week, the weekly online newsletter of the Mayor of Cape Town. 

Click here to sign up to receive our free daily headline email newsletter