Tutu's Inquisition

To: DEHENNES@stthomas.edu, DJDEASE@stthomas.edu, MCDIENHART@stthomas.edu, SLALEXANDER@stthomas.edu, LCHALVERSON@stthomas.edu, ARCALLAGHAN@stthomas.edu, webmaster@stthomas.edu, gradcath@stthomas.edu, mgmt_center@stthomas.edu, CCIGIELSKI@stthomas.edu, RMHALL@stthomas.edu, VCTHOUIN@stthomas.edu, NHZINGALE@stthomas.edu

Date: 8th Oct. 2007

Dear Sirs,

I have to object in the strongest terms possible to Archbishop Tutu being refused permission to speak at your institution. Having, as a South African activist, worked with the Archbishop's office for many years I can only hold the highest regard for his work both in South Africa and outside.

In particular, his efforts to eradicate the scourge of Southern Debt have been an inspiration for Africans across the continent. Despite serious illness, he has consistently stood up for moral truths and against exploitation.

In denying him access to speak, you are denying all Africans a voice. Perhaps the voice of the poor and dispossessed, made so by your country's policies, is too uncomfortable for you to hear. It is your actions, on a daily basis through your government and your methods of consumption, that repress us. By not allowing Tutu to speak, you are hiding from the uncomfortable truth that the collective North is actively engaged in economic warfare against the South. You should be ashamed.

Or is it, perhaps, that you didn't receive the notice that the Inquisition ended in 1834?

All the best,

Tristen Taylor
Former Jubilee South Africa Apartheid Debt Campaign Coordinator
Johannesburg, South Africa