Di Smith from Awesome SA in Pietermaritzburg:
“Ithink everyone likes to meet me just to see my big nose,” chuckled the Arch when I thanked him for finding time to meet with us.
We laughed with him. His light-heartedness and humour was infectious.
It was 2010. South Africa was hosting the Fifa World Cup. Archbishop Desmond Tutu had taken a break from travelling with the Elders working together for peace, justice and human rights.
Mzi Mtola and I were with
Tata (the name I was told to call the Arch when addressing him) to ask him if he would write the foreword for our book You’re
Awesome, which we were about to
publish.
“I normally don’t do this,” said the Arch, “but, you know, I think I will say yes.”
Our two-year wait to meet with Tata had paid off.
We had bought a makarapa - a hand-cut and hand-painted hard hat worn by fans during the world cup.
On taking our leave, we presented the Arch with the makarapa. His surprise and delight was that of a child. He immediately walked over to the mirror and put it on and grinning he said: “Bafana Banfana needs to make it into the next round so I can wear this makarapa in public.”
I loved Tata and all that he stood for. He was the conscience of our nation. He repeatedly called for South Africans to practice Ubuntu.
Father Tutu epitomised Ubuntu in the way that he lived his life. The foreword which he agreed to write for You’re Awesome embodies his belief:
“I have a firm conviction that we are made for goodness out of goodness. But how do we achieve goodness when it becomes buried under our faults and failures?
“We all have choices. We can live a life of significance or move on from this world without having achieved our full potential. We are created to be so much more than we realise.
“Through our choices, we can let the lure of things that are not wholesome turn us away from the goodness within us, or we can make the choice to act on our deep-rooted knowledge of that which is good.”
Hamba Kahle, dearest Tata. May your deep-rooted belief of reconciliation guide our people through the legacy you have left behind. May the future we create live up to your bravest and boldest dreams … sprinkled with a good dose of your joy and humour.