I went to hear Desmond Tutu speak at the Fairmont today. Jane Wales, President of the World Affairs Council, asked him a series of questions about Zimbabwe, Tibet, Myanmar, Kenya, all hot spots that he had visited and tried to moderate dialogue. He spoke first about Mugabe, who had been highly regarded by African and other World Leaders as the liberator of Zimbabweans. He was the shining star until Nelson Mandela came along. Tutu said how difficult it must have been for Mugabe to have become, almost overnight, a nonentity. Most people would have difficulty dealing with such a fall from popularity and respect, he reminded us. The second half of Mugabe's tenure has been roiled by conflict and the tearing apart of the social order (Tutu reminded us of how advanced Zimbabwe had been as a country not so long ago). He felt there was still time for Mugabe to redeem himself, if he could find the moral courage to leave the political scene as peacefully as possible. Jane Wales reminded Tutu that Mugabe had unkind words to say about him. Tutu laughed and said, "Many people have unkind words to say about me." This view set the tone for the rest of his conversation. I was deeply impressed with Tutu's ability to not demonize even despots. He used his sense of humor to tell stories, teach lessons. About boycotting the Beijing Olympics, he said, "Don't force the athletes to boycott the games, but the world leaders should not be in attendance."
Tuesday, April 8, 2008
Desmond Tutu
I went to hear Desmond Tutu speak at the Fairmont today. Jane Wales, President of the World Affairs Council, asked him a series of questions about Zimbabwe, Tibet, Myanmar, Kenya, all hot spots that he had visited and tried to moderate dialogue. He spoke first about Mugabe, who had been highly regarded by African and other World Leaders as the liberator of Zimbabweans. He was the shining star until Nelson Mandela came along. Tutu said how difficult it must have been for Mugabe to have become, almost overnight, a nonentity. Most people would have difficulty dealing with such a fall from popularity and respect, he reminded us. The second half of Mugabe's tenure has been roiled by conflict and the tearing apart of the social order (Tutu reminded us of how advanced Zimbabwe had been as a country not so long ago). He felt there was still time for Mugabe to redeem himself, if he could find the moral courage to leave the political scene as peacefully as possible. Jane Wales reminded Tutu that Mugabe had unkind words to say about him. Tutu laughed and said, "Many people have unkind words to say about me." This view set the tone for the rest of his conversation. I was deeply impressed with Tutu's ability to not demonize even despots. He used his sense of humor to tell stories, teach lessons. About boycotting the Beijing Olympics, he said, "Don't force the athletes to boycott the games, but the world leaders should not be in attendance."
