The public hearings of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission, led by Archbishop Desmond Tutu, were cathartic to South Africans. Millions listened daily on the radio to the excruciating testimonies of victims of human rights violations. This exhibition is a taster of the material that can be found in the digital archive of speeches, letters, reports photos, and audiovisual material.

A timeline, which is on ongoing work-in-progress. This timeline is being engineered to provide a linear overview of the life and times of Desmond Tutu, places him in time, event and geographic context. As the archive expands, the timeline will be populated with more information and digital objects to provide an interesting and intimate interaction with Archbishop Tutu’s life.

Archbishop Desmond Tutu was awarded and honoured by the governments, the public sector and civil society. He won important global prizes, and received honorary degrees from universities across the world. This gallery covers a broad period of Desmond Tutu’s life and includes objects, certificates, letters, and photographs.