Archbishop Desmond Tutu, the former archbishop of Cape Town and one of the greatest living moral icons of our time, is scheduled to lecture on a segment of Holland America Line’s 2014 Grand World Voyage on ms Amsterdam. The Nobel Peace Prize laureate will sail March 28 to April 2, 2014, from Durban to Cape Town, South Africa.
Tutu will address guests at two speaking engagements onboard about his role as the first black African to serve as archbishop of Cape Town and about his work forging racial equality throughout the world. Beginning with his opposition to apartheid in South Africa, he has worked tirelessly to spread peace, justice and democracy around the globe. A question-and-answer session will enable guests to gain more insight into his remarkable life.
“We strive to bring our guests the most interesting, relevant and unique experiences, and to have a lecturer of the caliber of Desmond Tutu on the Grand World Voyage is as thrilling for me as I know it will be for our guests,” said Richard Meadows, executive vice president, marketing, sales and guest programs for Holland America Line. “To give our guests an opportunity to hear from someone like Desmond Tutu during their vacation is a shining example of our commitment to enhancing the cruise experience through our enrichment program.”
Tutu is among the world’s foremost human rights activists, and his teachings speak about the struggles for equality and freedom for all oppressed people. Tutu is known for his unshakable optimism in the face of overwhelming odds and his limitless faith in the ability of people to do good works.
In 2007, Tutu joined The Elders, a group of seasoned world leaders including Nelson Mandela, Kofi Annan, Jimmy Carter and others, who meet to discuss ways to promote human rights and world peace.
Prior to retiring in 1996, Tutu was Archbishop of Cape Town, an office he was elected to in 1986. In 1978, he left his job as Bishop of Lesotho to become general secretary of the South African Council of Churches. In that position, which he held until 1985, Tutu became a recognized national and international figure.
Tutu is the recipient of several distinguished awards. He received the Nobel Peace Prize in 1984, the Albert Schweitzer Prize for Humanitarianism in 1986, the Pacem in Terris Award in 1987, the Sydney Peace Prize in 1999, the Gandhi Peace Prize in 2007 and the United States’ Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2009.
Tutu and his wife Leah founded the Desmond Tutu Peace Centre, a nonprofit organization committed to creating a society that nurtures tolerance and understanding among all people. It is guided by the virtues that the archbishop identified as essential human values and the building blocks for sustainable peace: love, hope, tolerance and courage.
