BACK TO EXHIBITS
Ubuntutu: Life Legacies of Love and Action
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<LF) 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.
-
Documentation Project
Women of Color Quilters Network Michigan State University
-
Museum
Michigan State University Museum Michigan Quilt Project
-
Documentation Project
South Africa Quilt History Project Michigan State University
-
Ephemera
Womenfolk 22. African American Quilts:...
Breneman, Judy Anne
-
2016
A Belated Thank Y... Austin, Lauren
-
2016
Desmond Tutu - A ... Barnard, Elaine
-
2016
Voice of the Voic... Beaumont, Helga
-
2016
Untitled Betani, Nkosazana
-
2016
Desmond Tutu - A ... Biddle, Dana
-
2016
The Origami Heart... Burtenshaw, Wendy
-
2016
Little Bits of Go... Butler, Bisa
-
2016
Bishop Tutu: The ... Coackley, Marian
-
2016
Preserving Innoce... Coleman, Marion
-
2016
Compassion Crump, Carolyn
-
2016
Shadowbind De Villiers, Celia;...
-
2000-2025
Tutu Delft Eccles, Merithy (bo...
-
2016
No Comfort in Res... Fell, Deborah
-
2015
The Tutus in a Ci... Fox, Kathryn Harmer...
-
2016
Ode to Archbishop... Hartwell, Peggie
-
2016
The Cross of Peac... Hearn, Jenny
-
2015
Guiding Light Hermans, Jenny
-
2016
I Am Kerry-Harlan, Sharo...
-
2016
The Voice of the ... Krugel, Trienie
-
2016
Touched by the Sp... Lockhart, Cynthia
-
2016
For Leah (After R... Makan, Amita
-
2015
Arches for the Ar... Marsburg, Madeline
-
2016
A Khata Cloth for... Mason, Tamar
-
2016
Alongside Every G... McCannon, Dindga
-
2016
The Face of Peace... McCraw, Barbara Ann...
-
2016
With These Hands McGowan, Peggy Luca...
-
2016
Desmond and Leah ... McMaster, Annette
-
2016
Reflections Miller, Edjohnetta
-
2016
Peacemaker Murray, Barbara
-
2016
The Man in the Pi... Niederhumer, Gina
Load More