Archbishop Desmond Tutu was given a standing ovation by the 1,500 students who attended his lecture on Thursday at Bender Arena. The event was part of the Kennedy Political Union's 35th anniversary celebrations.
The South African Nobel Laureate spoke about the need for hope despite the turmoil in current times. Tutu referred to the collapse of apartheid and said that American students had helped to secure freedom for South Africans through their protests, rallies and demonstrations in the 1980s.
"The upholders of apartheid never thought that they would lose power," Tutu said. "But this is a moral universe - right and wrong matter. Whites in South Africa, could not be free if the blacks weren't."
Tutu then led a round of applause for the hundreds of thousands of American students who supported the cause against apartheid.
He also spoke of the global family of "tall, short, black, white, brown, yellow, gay, lesbian ... all people," and said that "if world leaders accepted everyone in the world as family, then they couldn't possibly bomb other countries, or have big defense budgets." These remarks also garnered a standing ovation.
There were some religious strains to Tutu's address when he referred to students being "God's best collaborators' as well as made a biblical reference made to Jeremiah.
However, later on in a brief question and answer round with students, Tutu reiterated that "religion in itself is morally neutral. It is the followers of each faith who are good or bad."
When asked about the current Israel-Palestine crisis, Tutu commented "you can never get security from the barrel of a gun."
Tutu also said that it was the government of a country that ought to be condemned, and not its people.
Regarding the effectiveness of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission in South Africa, which he is the head of, Tutu said that "you take a risk when you forgive; you are acting on the basis of faith. When you forgive, you don't condone; far from it. You merely abandon the right to get your own back."
Interestingly Tutu, a vocal critic of the Second Gulf War, made no remarks about the situation or the Bush administration's foreign policy.
He commented instead on the importance of not demonizing Muslims after Sept. 11.
"Christians have a lot to be ashamed of regarding some of the things that have been done in the past, in the name of Christianity," Tutu said. "So we can't very well claim that Islam is evil, just because many terrorists today commit these atrocities in the name of Islam."
Tutu's KPU address was also sponsored in part by the African Student Organization and the Office of the President. Prior to the lecture, KPU volunteers passed around an article written in a 1969 edition of The Eagle, which highlighted how KPU was founded. KPU is a department of the Student Confederation, AU's student government.
Eric Morley, KPU director, said that when choosing a speaker for the 35th Anniversary lecture series, the aim was to "add to the students' experience, and try to provide a variety of view points, both domestic and international."
Morley had also announced at the event that an Alumni Advisory Board would be formed.
KPU's next speaker will be Nadine Strossen, president of the American Civil Liberties Union, on March 23, at 7 p.m. in Ward 1. Strossen will discuss the balancing of civil liberties and security.
