This is 6 Minute English

from BBC Learning English.

I'm Sam.

And I'm Neil.

In this 6 Minute English, we're

celebrating the life of one of

modern South Africa's founding

fathers - the icon and Nobel

laureate, Archbishop

Desmond Tutu.

Archbishop Tutu was one the

leaders of the non-violent

movement to end the system

of racial segregation known

as apartheid.

Apartheid was

enforced against the black

population of South Africa

by the white minority

government from 1948

until 1991.

It's impossible to imagine

South Africa's difficult

journey to freedom without

Archbishop Desmond Tutu.

While other anti-apartheid

leaders, like his close

friend Nelson Mandela,

were imprisoned or even

killed, Archbishop Tutu

was there at every step

of the struggle - the

rebellious priest

speaking out against

the injustices of apartheid.

Archbishop Tutu was a hero

of the 20th century.

He died in December 2021

and was laid to rest in

Cape Town in a state

funeral on New Year's Day.

In this programme, we'll

hear about some important

moments from his life and,

as usual, learn some

related vocabulary as well.

But first I have a

question for you, Neil.

Nelson Mandela was sometimes

affectionately called by

his clan's name, Madiba,

but do you know what

nickname Archbishop Desmond

Tutu was given?

Was it:

a) The Des?

b) The Bish?

or

c) The Arch?

I don't know, but I'll guess

his nickname was c) the Arch.

OK, Neil.

We'll find out

if that's the correct answer

at the end of the programme.

Desmond Mpilo Tutu was born

in 1931 in the town of

Klerksdorp in northern

South Africa.

In this

2014 interview with BBC

World Service programme,

Outlook, he looks back

on some of his earliest

childhood memories.

I had a very happy

childhood.

I am a boy

child between two girls.

My sisters sometimes

thought that our mother

rather spoiled me,

pampered me.

My mother

was not educated much

but she had an incredible

loving for people and

was very generous.

Part of my own

unhappiness was

precisely that anyone

could want to take

advantage of such a

gracious, gentle,

generous person.

As a child, Desmond

Tutu's mother would pamper

him - give him special

treatment and make him

feel special by doing

nice things for him.

He also says his mother

spoiled him - let him

do or have whatever he

wanted.

Spoiling a child

usually has a bad effect

on their character as

they grow up, but this

doesn't seem to be

true for Desmond Tutu.

What upset the young

Desmond was how his

mother was treated by

some white South Africans

who would take advantage

of her - treat her

unfairly for their

own benefit.

In 1955 Desmond Tutu

married his wife, Leah.

They had children and

the family moved to

London for a time,

before returning to

South Africa when Desmond

was made Dean of

Johannesburg.

He knew that returning

to a racially segregated

South Africa would be

difficult for his family.

In this interview with

BBC World Service

programme, Outlook,

Archbishop Tutu remembers

one terrifying incident

involving his wife, Leah,

who had gone to the

Johannesburg traffic

department to renew

a car licence.

... they handcuffed her,

and they walked with

her in the streets,

she was paraded, and

then when the court case

was heard my wife was

acquitted - but they

had done what they

wanted to do which was

humiliate her, and in

the process hit at me.

I have to say that I

found those actions

near unforgivable,

because I was the one

who was out in the

forefront...

although

Leah... she's a

toughie!

Police officers arrested

and handcuffed Leah

to humiliate her - make

her feel ashamed

and stupid.

When she went to court,

Leah was acquitted -

declared not guilty of

committing a crime.

But the police continued

to harass her, even

though his wife was,

in his own words, a

toughie - someone who

is tough and determined.

Archbishop Tutu describes

the event as "near

unforgivable" but, in

fact, he did forgive

the white police

officers, and in 1991,

at the end of apartheid,

he started the Truth