PDP 2- The Question of South Africa

PDP 2- The Question of South Africa

Author Bio: Bishop Desmond Tutu, recipient of the Nobel Peace Prize in 1984, was born in 1931 and was 53 years old at the time he delivered the speech. Tutu was the first Black Archbishop or Capetown in the Angelicam Church. Desmond used his high powered position to speak against the policy regarding segregation of race in South Africa. Desmond Tutu had an average amount of bias on the topic, however, he did not want justice for just blacks of South Africa but for the whites as well.

Date/Context: Desmond Tutu broke the serrated barriers becoming the first Black Archbishop. The speech was originally delivered at the United Nations Security Council, on October 23, 1984. Desmond was speaking out against Apartheid in South Africa, asking for the policy to change in order for the implementation of great human rights for the Blacks in South Africans.

Summary: At the time that Desmond Tutu made the speech, "The Question of South Africa" the Apartheid was in place. The Apartheid was a policy that mandated that there would be segregation between then races. The social and political conditions of South Africa are opposite of what one may think the conditions may be. One may think that people would be living happily in peace with a surplus of resources because of the beautiful environment, however, the people of South Africa, as described by Tutu were living in misery and fear everyday because of the social injustices. Desmond described that people lived like this because of the high unemployment rates cause by the ongoing drought, as well as the implementation of increased food prices and rent from the government. According to Tutu, the world was not taking actions on these living conditions because the conditions did not cause mass casualties. Tutu believed that all social and political conditions in South Africa routed from the Apartheid. Examples that Tutu gives of the social injustices include the stripping of their citizenship for population removals and the destruction of poor Blacks shelters. Furthermore Desmond Tutu used detailed examples of the killings of innocent black children, officials, and infants. During this speech Tutu was asking the Security Council of the United Nations to pressure the government in South Africa to negotiate the apartheid. The ultimate goal of Desmond Tutu was to peacefully eliminate the apartheid, creating a safe peaceful environment for both white and black South Africans. Desmond did not want true fairness and justice for the blacks but also for the whites of South Africa. Tutu expresses that he is willing to share a non violent democratic country with the Whites.

Key Quotation: "Through this lofty body I wish to appeal to my white fellow South Africans to share in building a new society, for blacks are not intent on driving whites into the sea but on claiming only their rightful place in the sun in their land of their birth."