Bishop Tutu spotted!

Yesterday, we attended a Catholic Mass at the Saint George’s Cathedral in the city center (known as the “city bowl”). It was no ordinary mass, but one commemorating Anti-Apartheid Bishop Michael Lapsley who lost both hands and an eye when he opened a letter bomb sent by the Apartheid Government twenty years to the day in 1990.

Bishop Tutu was in attendance, along with important functionaries from around the world. Tutu, along with Lasley, gave short speeches. About half the attendees were Americans on my CIEE program–apparently word on the grapevine spreads quickly about Tutu!

After mass, we attended a reception in the courtyard outside, eating the free breads, cheeses and pastries(yum) and of course looking for Tutu.

As we were thinking of leaving, he appeared, sporting that goofy-gremlin like style of his that’s so well known.

“Now’s my chance, now my chance!” I remembered thinking

Matt whispered from behind me, “Let’s go up there, now. Get close to him.”

We interposed as he was moving to the breads and cheeses and got two vaguely dismissive hand shakes, like “who the hell are you.”

Also yesterday we attended a COSATU (the most powerful labor union in SA) rally at the Good Hope center in the city bowl. Nothing but pure “criminalize labor brokers, and power to the people stuff.” Us white American selves looked far too bourgeois to fit in.

Later that same day I was at a poker night with some South African friends I had met through the student newspaper here, the Varsity and I was bragging about my day: “I bet you can’t guess who I just shook hands with.”

“Who?”

“Desmond Tutu”

One of them said something to the effect of, “Oh, we’ve all shaken his hand. He even slapped my knees and gave me a gremlin laugh.” I guess Tutu gets around. What a man!

Now it’s time to start my two 3,000 word essays, one due tomorrow and one due Wednesday.