BuaNews (Tshwane)
Matome Sebelebele
23 November 2004
Pretoria — Archbishop Emeritus Desmond Tutu has cried foul at South Africans who sell short the country, saying many seem to be "embarrassed" by the nation's astonishing successes.
"The result is that we have tended to be despondent, to seem to say behind every ray of sunshine there must be an invisible cloud, just you wait long enough and it will soon appear," said the Nobel laureate.
Archbishop Tutu affirmed that the country, which he coined "Madibaland", had come a long way and was now reaping socio- economic and political fruits, producing more heroes and heroines everyday.
And this, he said, called for a celebration but not for pessimistic South Africans.
"I think we should change our perspective. If we are forever looking at our shortcomings and our faults then the mood will be pervasive and pessimistic and in a way we will provide the environment that encourages further failure," he explained.
The world-renowned cleric made these remarks during the second annual Nelson Mandela Lecture in Johannesburg today.
The Archbishop became the second person to deliver the lecture following in the footsteps of former US President Bill Clinton, who presented the inaugural lecture last year.
Taking the audience down memory lane, the former Archbishop reminded everyone of Apartheid's draconian laws and the "scariest" moment when the nation was on the brink of what he described as "comprehensive disaster, a bloody conflagration".
"But it didn't happen...we really have much to celebrate and much for which to be thankful".
The world was still mesmerized by the manner in which South Africa transformed itself from a brute regime to a constitutional democracy.
"Now we are, I still think, the flavour of the week," he added, saying that by working together, the country would become a scintillating success.
"We will succeed because God wants us to succeed for the sake of God's world; for we are so utterly probably a beacon hope for the rest of the world."
He however called for a robust national debate on numerous issues, saying, "the truth cannot suffer from being challenged and examined.
"We want our society to be characterised by vigorous debate and dissent where to disagree is part and parcel of a vibrant community, that we should play the ball not the person and not think that those who disagree, who express dissent, are ipso facto disloyal or unpatriotic.
"An unthinking, uncritical, party line-toeing is fatal to a vibrant democracy," he warned.
To countries in conflict such as those in the Middle East, Northern Ireland, Sri Lanka, Rwanda, the Democratic Republic of Congo and Burundi, Archbishop Tutu had a message: "There is no future without forgiveness".
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