My letter from the Arch when I was 9
PHOENIX resident Preya Moodley holds a personal memory of Archbishop Desmond Tutu after exchanging letters with him when she was a child.
Tutu died on December 26. He was buried at the weekend.
His funeral was held at St George’s Cathedral in Cape Town. It also happened to be the day that Moodley turned 38 years old.
She recalled a time when Tutu replied to a letter she had written to him in 1993. She was 9 years old.
“We were learning about apartheid, and he had just received the Nobel Peace Prize. I really admired him and I wanted to congratulate him not just on the award but also on the contribution he had made to our country and its people,” Moodley said.
She said she wrote the letter in September 1993 and Tutu responded in December that year.
“I didn’t expect to get a reply from the Archbishop because I knew he was a busy man. but he took the time to reply. That touched my heart. I lived my life for the better. I have carried his life lessons into adulthood to treat all people fairly, with respect, and to value every individual irrespective of race, age, gender and religion,” she said.
Moodley said that in the letter Tutu shared his excitement about receiving the Nobel Peace Prize.
“He also mentioned that the prize was not only for him, but all the many wonderful people in this country who worked so hard for peace and justice, so that all people would live equally and fairly,” she said.
Moodley said there was love and warmth in Tutu’s letter.
She said although she did not get the chance to meet him, she learned through the letter that Tutu was a genuine person who had everyone’s best interests at heart.
Tutu is widely known for his contribution as an anti-apartheid and a human rights activist.
He headed the Truth and Reconciliation Commission during the transition from apartheid to democracy during the 1990s, he was also awarded with a Nobel Peace Prize.
“I was very sad to hear about his passing, this was a real loss to the entire world, not just South Africa, he was a beautiful soul,” she said.
She said it was sad to see what the state of democracy had become today, 27 years later.
“What we see and hear today in our country does not reflect what people like the Arch stood for. It seems like we do not value them and their contributions to this country.
“We all need to try to be more like the Arch. If only we could practise his values, society would be a better place and everyone could live peacefully together,” Moodley said.
Speaking during Tutu’s funeral, President Cyril Ramaphosa described him as a global icon who stood for peace.
“His life was lived honestly and completely. He has left the world a better place. We remember him with a smile,” he said.
In his final wishes, Tutu requested for his body to be cremated through an environmentally friendly process.
According to www.bioresponsesolutions.com, this process of cremation is known as aquamation or alkaline hydrolysis.
It is a combination of gentle water flow, temperature, and alkalinity used to accelerate the breakdown of organic materials.