Tutu to Oslo

Through his struggle to defeat apartheid, Nobel Peace Prize laureate and nonviolence activist Desmond Tutu has witnessed some of the worst crimes a person can be subjected to. In the course of his work he is often asked: How can I forgive? To answer that question he has written the book The Book of Forgiving, in collaboration with his daughter Mpho Tutu. The Norwegian edition is available as of September.

“Throughout his life, Nobel Peace Prize laureate Desmond Tutu has been an outspoken and fearless champion in the struggle against apartheid and for nonviolence. I am very much looking forward to welcoming him and his daughter Mpho to Oslo in September, and I am sure that the conversation between Archbishop Tutu and Geir Lippestad at the Oslo Concert Hall will be both thought-provoking and interesting,” says Bente Erichsen, executive director of the Nobel Peace Center.

“We are proud to be co-hosting Mpho and Desmond Tutu along with the Nobel Peace Center. The Tutus message of reconciliation and forgiveness is something we wish to put on the agenda in Norway as well. We are delighted to invite the public to a unique conversation between Geir Lippestad and Mpho and Desmond Tutu in September, and to be the publisher of the Norwegian version of their book The Book of Forgiving,” says Ole Jacob Mosvold, deputy managing director of the newspaper Vårt Land, and divisional director at Mentor Medier.

In conversation with Geir Lippestad, Desmond and Mpho Tutu will talk about the nature of forgiveness, how we can forgive and why forgiveness is crucial both for our own lives and for peace between people. The question of how far human dignity stretches and whether every individual deserves forgiveness is also of central importance.

Following the end of apartheid, Desmond Tutu led the Truth and Reconciliation Commission, one of the world’s best known exercises in restorative justice. The process was crucial for South Africa’s transition from racial segregation under the apartheid regime to freedom and democracy. The transition has not been painless, and South Africa today is a society riven by deep social inequalities and widespread violence.

Geir Lippestad was appointed as defence counsel for the perpetrator of the terrorist attacks in Norway on 22 July 2011. His confident handling of the difficult defence role, combined with the Norwegian judicial process, sparked considerable international interest.

“….I would like to share with you two simple truths: there is nothing that cannot be forgiven, and there is no one undeserving of forgiveness. When you can see and understand that we are all bound to one another—whether by birth, by circumstance, or simply by our shared humanity—then you will know this to be true.” Desmond M. Tutu.

Desmond M. Tutu is Archbishop Emeritus of Cape Town, South Africa. It is 30 years since Desmond Tutu was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for his struggle against apartheid. Since then he has been one of the world’s foremost advocates of nonviolence, reconciliation and hope. South Africa’s president Nelson Mandela appointed him to lead the Truth and Reconciliation Commission after the apartheid era. This commission played a crucial role in South Africa’s journey towards freedom and democracy. Tutu has become an icon far beyond the church, and far beyond South Africa’s borders, and has been hailed for his outspokenness, fearless attitude and forthright opinions.

Mpho A. Tutu is an ordained Anglican minister and leads The Desmond and Leah Tutu Legacy Foundation. She is an experienced public speaker and is the author of several books. She has, among other things, worked with rape victims in Grahamstown, South Africa, with South African and Namibian refugees, with The Phelps Stokes Fund in New York, and has chaired the Global AIDS Alliance. Mpho A. Tutu is Desmond Tutu’s youngest daughter.

Geir Lippestad is an attorney at law, and is widely known for his role as defence counsel in the 22 July terrorism trial in Norway. Lippestad was named Person of the Year by several newspapers in 2012. Together with his wife he received the Menneskeverd Livsvernpris (Translates to Conservation of Life Award) in 2013. He is author of the book Det vi kan stå for (Translates to What we can defend)