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Ubuntutu: Life Legacies of Love and Action

Ubuntutu: Life Legacies of Love and Action, was displayed at the Nelson Mandela Gateway Museum, Cape Town, South Africa from October 3 - November 2016; and Stellenbosch University Museum, Stellenbosch, South Africa, November 24, 2016 - February 28, 2017,

Desmond Mpilo Tutu, the first black Archbishop of Cape Town and bishop of the Church of the Province of Southern Africa (now the Anglican Church of Southern Africa), became one of the most well-known champions of anti-apartheid in South Africa and has campaigned vigorously for many human rights causes. He received the Nobel Peace Prize in 1984. Nomalizo Leah Shenxane and Desmond Tutu married in 1955. Leah was one of the founders of the South African Domestic Workers Association, and has worked alongside Desmond in activities that advocate for peace and social justice. Together they founded the Desmond Tutu Peace Centre, which is devoted to activities that will bring peace in the world.

This publication and exhibition, featuring quilts made in 2015 and 2016, was developed by The Desmond & Leah Tutu Legacy Foundation (D&LTLF) and the Michigan State University Museum (MSUM) in association with textile artists in South Africa and United States, especially members of the Women of Color Quilters Network. These works pay tribute to the indelible contributions that Desmond and Leah Tutu have made in addressing human rights, advancing social justice issues, and advocating for peace in South Africa and around the world. This art also honours their faith and the enduring love they have for each other.

The word ubuntutu, used as the title of this book and the exhibition, was the creative invention of the quilt artist Diana Vandeyar and it combines the name Tutu with the word ubuntu, a Nguni word that roughly means "human kindness."  In more contemporary times it has become an oft-used word in South Africa, that means roughly, "I have humanity [or I am human] because of my connection to you," "I am what I am because of who we all are," or, more simply, "I am because of us." Through his published writing and speeches, Desmond Tutu, helped spread the concept of ubuntu to those outside South Africa, as in this oft-published statement: "Ubuntu speaks particularly about the fact that you can't exist as a human being in isolation. It speaks about our interconnectedness. You can't be human all by yourself, and when you have this quality - Ubuntu - you are known for your generosity. We think of ourselves far too frequently as just individuals, separated from one another, whereas you are connected and what you do affects the whole world."

It is in this spirit of ubuntu, then, that these artists affirm Desmond and Leah Tutu, themselves. All of these works remind us that we are all interconnected and that our humanity is grounded in defending all humanity.

- Marsha MacDowell and Aleia Brown
From Ubuntutu: Life Legacies of Love and Action, 2016.

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