As we look back at the late Archbishop Desmond Tutu’s legacy, one name that comes to mind is that of the 14th Dalai Lama. For most of his life, Archbishop Tutu called the Dalai Lama a close friend.
The two Nobel Prize laureates shared a unique relationship – often referring to the other as their spiritual guides and mischievous brothers.
The late Anglican Archbishop died in his Cape Town home at the age of 90 on Sunday. He will be laid to rest on Saturday.
The Dalai Lama often referred to Archbishop Tutu as his ‘elder spiritual brother’. One of the last meetings between the two leaders was in April 2015, when Archbishop Tutu flew to India.
He was personally received by the Dalai Lama and spent several days in Dharamsala – his second visit there in four years.
The city, nestled among the majestic Himalayas, is home to the Tibetan government-in-exile. And here as the two leaders met local school children, you could see the warmth and playfulness that came to symbolize their friendship.
They often teased each other- bantering and laughing as they interacted with local students. Every once in a while they’d reach out and clasp each other’s hands – at one point the two even broke into a dance.
They were meeting on the occasion of the Dalai Lama’s 80th birthday and there, Archbishop Tutu reminded Tibetans of the lessons that South Africa’s anti-apartheid movement held for them.
“For many many years, South Africa lived under a system of injustice and oppression. Many many of our people went into exile. And it seemed like the chain of oppression would never be broken. That our leaders who were on Robben Island would never come home alive. But it happened! (squeals) And the exiles came back home. One day you too will see your beloved Tibet,” said Tutu on April 23, 2015.
Book of Joy
Their friendship also resulted in the two Nobel Peace Prize laureates collaborating over a book called “The Book of Joy”.
The last time the two of them interacted was over a video call in June 2021. They were speaking to commemorate the release of the film – ‘Mission: Joy – Finding Happiness in Troubled Times’ – which is based on their book.
“Although physically we are far apart, mentally we are always together. Till my death, I’ll carry your spirit,” said the Dalai Lama.
Every interaction between the two was jovial – with Archbishop Tutu’s family even describing them as eight-year-old boys. But the two leaders were united by their own personal experiences of taking on authoritarian regimes.
Archbishop Tutu – often called South Africa’s ‘moral compass’ – fought racial injustice in his home country and was instrumental in dismantling apartheid.
The Dalai Lama has lived in exile in India for more than five decades – having fled Tibet after the Chinese government took control in 1959.
