Founded in 2013, the Desmond and Leah Tutu Legacy Foundation represents one of the
world's most iconic leaders, and his life-long partner.
The Foundation strives to ensure their uncompromised bravery is celebrated,
communicated and curated for posterity.
The core of the Foundation's work is
THE COURAGE TO HEAL
This is supported by three strategic programmes
LATEST NEWS
Truth to Power exhibition explores Tutu’s activism
This year will see the launch of a new permanent exhibition detailing Archbishop Emeritus Desmond Tutu’s enormous contribution to South African and world history, the Desmond and Leah Tutu Legacy Foundation announced on 25 February 2021. The exhibition will be on display at the Old Granary building in Cape Town,…
Protect the vulnerable from climate change or face disaster
The Desmond and Leah Tutu Foundation endorses United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres’s call for the global community to take immediate action to protect those suffering from increasingly frequent and severe climate change events. Climate change is no longer a future threat; it is visible across the world, from the drought…
BULLETIN
The Covid-19 pandemic is a revolutionary event; in future, people will speak of the first global lockdown, and pre-virus and post-virus eras. It is a moment requiring the kind of collective response that many predicted would first be forced on humanity by climate change. Like just about everyone else in the World, the Tutu Legacy Foundation is adapting to our changed realities.
Whereas much of our pre-virus focus involved using our extraordinary physical space, now we realise the fundamental importance of developing parallel digital track…to reach out across lockdowns, social distancing and whatever else tomorrow brings. (Without having budgeted for it, of course.)
As we sharpen our pencils and tweak our plans, to stay ahead of the curve, so to speak, the words of former President Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela ring in our ears: “It always seems impossible until it is done.”
YESTERDAY
Fossil fuel divestment: Corporations understand the logic of money
“The divestment movement played a key role in helping liberate South Africa. The corporations understood the logic of money even when they weren’t swayed by the dictates of morality.
“Climate change is a deeply moral issue too, of course; here in Africa we see the dreadful suffering of people from worsening drought, from rising food prices, from floods — even though they’ve done nothing to cause the situation. Once again, we can join together as a world and put pressure where it counts.” – Archbishop Tutu, message recorded for 350 Degrees, September 2012
TODAY
Air France leads tax pushback in climate vs recovery fight
“PARIS/BRUSSELS (Reuters) – Air France-KLM is battling new green taxes on top of the coronavirus crisis – in a test of growing policy tensions between righting Europe’s crippled airlines and delivering on climate goals.
“The struggle unfolding around Air France-KLM is part of a larger reckoning for carbon-intensive industries as efforts to tackle global warming spawn more taxes and regulation.
“While campaigners say those are long overdue, crisis-hit airlines warn their timing and severity will cost thousands more jobs and hurt development of lower-carbon technologies.” – reuters.com, September 2020
TOMORROW
Heed the voices of Greta Thunberg, Vanessa Nakate and Ayakha Melithafa – they are our Earth’s future
“Thus must we generate more power, to generate more consumption. Thus do we need more water, thus do we belch out more poisons, thus do we no longer know what to do with our waste, thus do we disregard the fact that we live on a finite planet with finite resources – thus do we continue the cycle of destruction.
“It is to this cycle that the world’s political leaders, captains of industry and members of the middle class are exhorting us to return from the miseries of Covid-19. Yet the climate crisis sounds a clarion alarm to do precisely the opposite.
“It’s a Catch-22 position we’re in. Perpetuating inequality requires us to perpetuate climate change. And that’s the choice those who are invested in the economy have made.” – Bishop Geoff Davies, September 2020
