A multimedia exhibition commemorating the late Archbishop Emeritus Desmond Tutu’s legacy is now open to the public at the Apartheid Museum, south of Johannesburg.
Although only a temporary display, the museum has gone all out with the design and flow of Tutu’s exhibition, which promises to give visitors a glimpse of the life and times of the late icon.
The modern space on which the exhibition is mounted is draped with large images and quotations signifying significant historical moments of the anti-apartheid stalwart’s life during the struggle.
Purple is a prominent colour that stands out in the exhibition, representing lent, forgiveness, death, and the archbishop’s eminent robe.
The exhibition is titled “Truth to Power: DESMOND TUTU & THE CHURCHES IN THE STRUGGLE AGAINST APARTHEID”. The inspiration for its design was adapted from the well-known Rose Window situated at St. George’s Cathedral on Wale Street in Cape Town.
Desmond Tutu was a South African Anglican archbishop known globally for his opposition to apartheid. He received a Nobel Prize for Peace in 1984 for his stance against the atrocious government policy of racial segregation.
Emilia Potenza, the Curator of the Apartheid Museum, says the exhibition maps the Arch’s legacy through five different themes represented as the petals of the rose window.
“The exhibition offers an opportunity to reflect on the archbishop’s past and creates an opportunity to open dialogue about topics that affect the lives of citizens today,” says Potenza.
The five themes available for museum-goers to see are:
Apartheid Education: The Most Evil Act of All — This is a representation of how the apartheid-era policy of Bantu Education changed Tutu’s life and South Africa’s history.
The Struggle in the Church: Fighting a False Gospel — Viewing the church as a site of struggle between those who supported colonialism and racial oppression and those who fought against it.
Faith in Action: The Campaign for Sanctions — This theme replicates how apartheid’s policy of forcibly removing people of colour from areas designated for white settlement sparked international sanctions against the South African government.
Protest and Peace-Making: In the Streets and Stadiums — This theme looks at how Tutu took every opportunity to preach defiance of apartheid in all its manifestations, to advocate for justice, and to plead for peace.
Tutu, Truth, and Reconciliation: Unfinished Business — The fifth theme portrays the achievements of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission as well as its unfinished business.
In addition to the five themes, Potenza notes that there are five films in the exhibition – one for each theme and a concluding or legacy film for visitors to watch and gain an understanding of what Tutu stood for.
“Being able to have a piece of what the archbishop went through displayed in our museum is phenomenal.” She notes that understanding and learning about Tutu’s wins and losses is precious history that should be remembered for as long as possible.
Tutu’s exhibition at the Apartheid Museum took Potenza three years to curate in partnership with the Desmond & Leah Tutu Legacy Foundation (DLTLF). It is funded by the National Lotteries Commission.
“The Tutu Exhibition opened as a permanent installation in March this year at the Old Granary Building in Buitenkant Street in Cape Town, where the DLTLF is located. It opened when the Apartheid Museum reopened on 1 April 2022 – after being closed to the public for most of the last two years,” says Potenza.
Written by Sascha-Lee Joseph
01/06/2022