South Africa has bid farewell to Archbishop Desmond Tutu, the last great hero of the struggle against apartheid. The requiem mass was held on January 1 at Cape Town’s St George’s Cathedral where, for years, Tutu used the pulpit to rail against a brutal white minority regime. Tutu died last Sunday aged 90, triggering grief among South Africans and tributes from world leaders.
Famous for his modesty, Tutu gave instructions for a simple, no-frills ceremony, with a cheap coffin, donations for charity instead of floral tributes, and an eco-friendly cremation. President Cyril Ramaphosa, who accorded Tutu a special category funeral, stated, “[He was] a humble and brave human being who spoke for the oppressed, the downtrodden and the suffering of the world how fitting is it that his parents named him Mpilo when he was born, meaning life.”
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