For immediate release
Monday, 16 May 2022
Showcasing moral and ethical leadership – launching the second of the Desmond & Leah Tutu Legacy Foundation’s inspiring 2022 TutuTalks series
The Desmond & Leah Tutu Legacy Foundation represents one of the world’s most respected leaders in Archbishop Emeritus Desmond Tutu. Tutu was a living example of changing the world without political authority. This is highly relevant in a world facing a crisis of ethical political leadership and where our wicked issues (environmental crisis, inequality, social division, eroding institutions, corruption, wars and pandemics) are not solvable through traditional policy instruments, but require a major change in values and mindsets.
Today the Foundation presents the first in a series of TutuTalks; conversations with African leaders who are making a difference in their chosen spheres of work and demonstrating the kind of moral and ethical leadership the Arch exemplified. By showcasing these leaders, we hope to inspire and empower emerging young leaders by introducing them to role models they can learn from and emulate.
The Foundation has partnered with the African Leadership Institute (AFLI) to bring forward profound stories of leadership from across the African continent. In the 2022 TutuTalks series we will engage with twelve leaders from nine African countries, starting on 16 May 2022 with Aidan Eyakuze from Tanzania, who as Executive Director of Twaweza East Africa, works to enable children to learn, citizens to exercise agency and governments to be more open and responsive in Tanzania, Kenya and Uganda. On 30 May 2022, we will feature Hopewell Chinono, an award-winning Zimbabwean journalist and documentary filmmaker, who has been arrested and harassed repeatedly in his country for simply doing his job as a news reporter.
Find out how Aidan Eyakuze, a trained economist and banker turned “accidental activist” stumbled into a life of public service and stepped up without hesitation. His work with youth and advocacy efforts that activate the agency of ordinary citizens is a testament to his courage of conviction and action.
Hopewell Chinono movingly speaks about his first time in prison, how he found courage through the example of Nelson Mandela and Archbishop Desmond Tutu in speaking out against injustice and corruption in Zimbabwe.
“It is important to honour the work of eminent people like Archbishop Tutu by respecting the values and principles that they fought for and respecting the things that came into being, the culmination of the liberation struggle, which is the vote, and making sure that we live respectable lives,” Chinono says.
Desmond & Leah Tutu Legacy Foundation Acting CEO, Phumi Nhlapo, says this series of TutuTalks will not only be shining the spotlight on those who are serving with purpose and distinction and challenging the narrative that the African continent is lacking in leadership.
“We aim to use the TutuTalks to demonstrate what it means to be a leader in the way that Archbishop Tutu was a leader. The Arch’s style of leadership has great resonance in an era where young people are increasingly finding their voice outside of political parties. African leaders should be recognised for making a difference in the spaces where they are, which will undoubtedly be of great benefit to young people looking to be inspired into action,” she says.
The TutuTalks series can be viewed on the Foundation’s website (https://events.tutu.org.za/) from 16 May 2022 at 12pm.