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Hear Archbishop Tutu and the Dalai Lama discuss how to find joy amid tragedy at the 11th Desmond Tutu Annual Peace Lecture

When you attend this year’s Desmond Tutu International Peace Lecture, you will also get to watch the film Mission Joy: Finding Happiness in Troubled Times, celebrating the decades-long friendship between Archbishop Emeritus Desmond Tutu and the Dalai Lama, Tibet’s highest spiritual leader.

Since the inaugural lecture in 2011, the address has evolved into a flagship event, and the 11th Desmond Tutu International Peace Lecture will be delivered on the Archbishop’s 90th birthday, 7 October 2021, exploring the topic Speaking Truth to Power: No future without justice. The event will be online-only, due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

The lecture event will be a unique opportunity for many to watch Mission Joy, which was created by a team that includes four Academy Award winners and is not being shown on the commercial film circuit or online. It is only available at selected film festivals in North America.

Mission Joy is a chuckle-filled documentary of a week-long discussion between the two spiritual leaders on how to find joy amid personal and collective suffering. Learn the insights to overcoming deeply traumatic events – of which both men have personal experience – and emerging unbroken. The film also delves into the science behind happiness, and how joy boosts human immune systems, helping us live longer.

Register for the 11th Desmond Tutu International Peace Lecture and gain a once-in-a-lifetime chance to watch Mission Joy, within the context of addresses by four prominent leaders who offer keys to carving a more sustainable and fulfilling future for humanity in the wake of the socio-economic devastation wrought by the Covid-19 pandemic.

Attendees will hear South Africa’s former public protector, Thuli Madonsela, speak about constitutionalism and the rule of law; women’s and children’s rights activist Graça Machel, on how to support tomorrow’s leaders as they develop and grow; chair of The Elders and former president of Ireland Mary Robinson, on our duty to defend the Earth so that there is a planet for humanity to share; and the Dalai Lama on how compassion is the bedrock for a secure and fulfilling future for all people.

Each of the four speakers has previously delivered the Desmond Tutu International Peace Lecture.

As an African platform for international discourse, the annual Desmond Tutu International Peace Lecture is a vital element in the Foundation’s mission to foster societal conversations about the important issues of the time. The peace lecture was initiated to honour and celebrate the contribution made by the Archbishop to global peace and justice, and takes place on his birthday each year. October is also the birth month of Leah Tutu, co-founder of the Desmond & Leah Tutu Legacy Foundation.

Register today to attend this once-in-a-lifetime event: https://events.tutu.org.za/register/31/desmond-tutu-11th-annual-peace-lecture-2021

Please find additional information below and follow the Desmond & Leah Tutu Legacy Foundation on Twitter on @TutuLegacy, Instagram: tutu_legacy_foundation or Facebook for further details.

Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_nlUl5yNgIE&t=3s

Annual lecture access: https://events.tutu.org.za/

Mission Joy webpage: https://missionjoy.org/