BEING NOBEL
Livia Malcangio
"If you want to make peace with your enemy,
you have to work with your enemy. Then he becomes your partner."
Nelson Mandela
BEING NOBEL
Nobel Peace Laureates
and the Courageous Pursuit of Peace
“We offer the world’s youth our support and
our experience as they pursue a better future.
We urge them to achieve change through
peaceful and moral means. We need your
enthusiasm and we want you to join us in
our continued quest for peace and justice.”
Mikhail Gorbachev, Dalai Lama, Shirin Ebadi, Muhammad Yunus,
Jody Williams, Fredrick W. de Klerk, Lech Walesa
This is an ongoing project that will constantly be updated each year.
This is why some of the contents, although mentioned in the book, are not yet presented.
The contents that are presented in the book are showed in bold text, while those in light text have yet to
be included.
4
CONTENTS
FOREWORD
by His Holiness The Dalai Lama, Nobel Peace Laureate
PREFACE
by Mikhail S. Gorbachev, Nobel Peace Laureate
INTRODUCTION
by Ekaterina Zagladina, President of the Permanent Secretariat of the World Summit of Nobel Peace Laureates
INTRODUCTION TO THE NOBEL PRIZE
NOBEL PEACE LAUREATES
AND THE COURAGEOUS PURSUIT OF PEACE
AFRICA
SOUTH AFRICA - Constitutional Democracy VS Apartheid
1984
Desmond Tutu
connected to Carlos Santana
30
1993
Nelson Mandela
connected to Annie Lennox + Sharon Stone
38
1993
Frederik Willem de Klerk
connected to Peter Gabriel
50
KENYA - Green Belt Movement VS Deforestation
2004
Wangari Maathai
connected to Bob Geldof
62
EGYPT - International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA)
2005
Mohamed ElBaradei & International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA)
connected to Michael Douglas
GHANA - The United Nations Organization (UNO)
2001
Kofi Annan & The United Nations Organization (UNO)
connected to Ted Turner + George Clooney + Don Cheadle + Sean Penn
LIBERIA - Women's Participation in Peace-Building Work
2011
Ellen Johnson Sirleaf & Leymah Gbowee
5
CONTENTS
AMERICA
ARGENTINA - Nonviolent Search for Human Rights VS Repressive Military Regime
1980
Adolfo Perez Esquivel
connected to Pope Francis
COSTA RICA - Disarmament VS Military Dictatorships
1987
Oscar Arias Sànchez
76
GUATEMALA - Promotion of the Mayan Culture VS Ethnic Cleansing of Aborigines
1992
Rigoberta Menchù Tum
connected to Bianca Jagger
88
UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
6
2009
Barack Obama
International Diplomacy and Nuclear Disarmament
connected to Oprah Winfrey
96
2007
Al Gore & Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC)
Global Warming and Global Climate Change
connected to Robert Redford
102
2002
Jimmy Carter
Camp David Accords
connected to Brad Pitt
110
1997
Jody Williams & International Campaign to Ban Landmines (ICBL)
Banning and Cleaning VS Landmines
connected to Queen Noor al-Hussein
116
1996
Elie Wiesel
Memory of the Righteous VS Jews History of Deportations and the Holocaust
connected to Steven Spielberg
126
1973
Henry Kissinger
The Vietnam War
connected to Joan Baez
134
CONTENTS
ASIA
TIBET (China) - Non-violent Struggle of Tibet’s Freedom VS Chinese Occupation
1989
Tenzin Gyatso, XIV Dalai Lama
connected to Richard Gere
150
RUSSIA (Former Soviet Union) - Fall of the Berlin Wall VS Cold War
1990
Mikhail Gorbachev
connected to Leonardo DiCaprio
164
BURMA - Civil Courage for Democracy VS Oppression
1991
Aung San Suu Kyi
connected to Bono Vox
182
TIMOR-LESTE - From Conflict to Reconciliation and Peace
1996
José Ramos-Horta
1996
Carlos Filipe Ximenes Belo
connected to Mahatma Gandhi
190
IRAN - Mothers’ Responsibility VS Patriarchal Culture and Women’s Lower Position in Society
2003
Shirin Ebadi
connected to Rakhshān Bani-E'temād
200
BANGLADESH - Microcredit and Social Business VS Extreme Poverty
2006
Muhammad Yunus & The Grameen Bank
connected to Ravi Shankar
212
CHINA - Freedom of Expression VS Prisoners of Conscience
2010
Liu Xiaobao
connected to Ai Wei Wei
ISRAEL - The Conclusion of the Oslo Accords for the Search of Fraternity in the Middle East VS War and Hate
1994
Shimon Peres
connected to Leonard Cohen + Barbra Streisand
YEMEN - Non-violent Struggle for the Safety of Women and for Women’s Rights to Full Participation
in Peace-Building Work VS Violation on Women’s Rights
2011
Tawakkol Karman
connected to Ahmed Fat’hi
226
7
CONTENTS
EUROPE
POLAND - Autonomous Trade Unions VS Communist Repression
1983
Lech Walesa
connected to Pope John Paul II
236
NORTHERN IRELAND (Great Britain) - Good Friday Agreement VS Repression in Northern Ireland
1976
Betty Williams
1976
Mairead Corrigan Maguire
1998
John Hume
1998
David Trimble
FINLAND - Resolution of Conflicts
2008
8
Martti Ahtisaari
connected to Bob Geldof
connected to Bono Vox
248
258
266
272
CONTENTS
THE CHILDREN’S PEACE PRIZE AND THE WINNERS
SOUTH AFRICA - For a more dignified life of people with HIV/AIDS
2005
Nkosi Johnson
282
INDIA - Combating child labour
2006
Om Prakash Gurjar
284
ZAMBIA - For the right to education
2007
Thandiwe Chama
285
BRAZIL - Against violence in favelas
2008
Mayra Avellar Neves
286
TANZANIA - In support of refugee children
2009
Baruani Ndume
287
DOMINICAN REPUBLIC - For official children’s registration
2010
Francia Simon
288
SOUTH AFRICA - For her commitment to the rights of children with disabilities
2011
Chaeli Mycroft
289
PHILIPPINES - For his effort to improve the rights of street children
2012
Kesz Valdez
290
PAKISTAN - For advocating that all girls in Pakistan should have the right to go to school
2013
Malala Yousafzai
291
AFTERWORD BY THE AUTHOR: LIVIA MALCANGIO
292
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
296
APPENDICES
CHARTER FOR A WORLD WITHOUT VIOLENCE
297
Final Declarations of Nobel Peace Laureates at the World Summits
Educational Curriculum
9
FOREWORD
11
P R E F A C E
Dear students and friends from all over the world,
Receiving the Nobel Prize is, of
course, recognition of an individual or organisation’s outstanding
contribution to the advancement of
mankind in the fields of physics,
chemistry, medicine, literature,
economics or world peace.
The title of this book is Being
Nobel and the play on words in
the title is quite thought-provoking
because in order to effect positive
change in this world, you should
aspire to have a noble spirit. The
winners of the Nobel Peace Prize have shown themselves to possess qualities
of the highest moral character such as courage, generosity and compassion.
I have had the privilege of meeting many of the recipients of the Nobel Peace
Prize. They are wonderful, selfless people who have spared no effort in their
campaigns to end violent conflict and to foster peace and respect among people
all over the world.
Achieving peace has never been easy. It is just as difficult as discovering a
complex physics formula to explain how the universe works or solving a challenging medical problem to save thousands of future lives. And it is just as important to the future of mankind.
Some Nobel Peace Prize winners, like Martin Luther King, Jr., or Yitzhak Rabin,
paid with their lives for their fearless dedication to their causes. Others have had
their lives taken in different ways, like Nelson Mandela, who sacrificed decades
of his life in South Africa to the fight against apartheid. Even 27 years in prison
could not shake his belief. There is also the example of Aung San Suu Kyi, who
spent two decades under house arrest in Burma, hoping that one day democracy
could flourish in her beloved nation. The country’s military dictators offered her
a chance to leave the country to join her ailing husband and two sons in England.
She refused, knowing that if she left, she would never be allowed to go back to
her motherland and to her people, for whom she remained a beacon of hope.
Being noble also means having the capacity to learn from our mistakes - something we
should also try to do. A great example is the Nobel Peace Laureate, my compatriot, Andrei
Sakharov. He was originally a physicist who helped to create nuclear weapons of enormous
destructive power but later became one of the toughest and most uncompromising advocates of nuclear disarmament, risking his own health and freedom in the process. Another
example is Frederik Willem de Klerk of South Africa, the last President of the apartheid
regime, who initiated the dismantling of that system of segregation while he was in office.
In my case, I understood that war and violence were no longer acceptable methods in
modern world politics and that no nation should live in fear of another’s power. So I worked
to transform my ideas into policy and once I was elected leader of the Soviet Union, I began
a fresh round of Soviet-American negotiations, in the hope of seeing noble deeds as a result.
The lesson I learned in those years was that whoever brings peace to others also receives it.
Only after we had stopped threatening each other did we no longer feel threatened ourselves. Then, as leaders, we could begin to bring the interests of our own people in line with
those of the world. My policy of Perestroika, which means restructuring, constituted real
changes in attitudes, in ideas and in practices that entail a radical alternation of both domestic and foreign policy.
I wish the best of success to this inspiring and educational book. I hope that the stories of
these extraordinary people, their dedication and sacrifice, their suffering and their
triumphs, will motivate you to perform noble deeds of your own. I also invite all students
around the world to participate in our annual conference, the World Summit of Nobel
Peace Laureates, where curiosity is a must and faith in humanity is always on the agenda
and every action is driven by solidarity.
Livia Malcangio started to work with Green Cross in 2001. Since then, she has never
abandoned the values and the spirit with which our initiatives are brought forward. She
is a woman of outstanding talent and curiosity, driven by a strong passion for international
politics and human rights. During her time with the Permanent Secretariat of the World
Summit of Nobel Peace Laureates, I have come to appreciate her professionalism and her
smart sense of humour.
I wish all the best to the development of the legacy programs of which this book is an
integral part, and I hope it will continue to bring the stories of Nobel Peace Laureates to
classrooms across the world with our present and future partners centered on peace, social
justice and activism.
Mikhail S. Gorbachev
Nobel Peace Laureate
13
INTRODUCTION
In a world where the path to the future is constantly threatened by inequality and
injustice, each of us has a vitally important role to play in furthering the cause
of peace. That is why the mission of the World Summit of Nobel Peace Laureates
places special emphasis on engaging and empowering youth to take action in
their communities.
Our goal is to give young people direct access to the experiences and networks
of the Nobel Peace Laureates. We believe the moral principles and courage of
these humanitarians will change the attitude of each young individual, giving
them inspiration for their daily lives. We believe they will be motivated to
spread and practice the culture of peace as a means to achieve sustainable
global change.
As part of this commitment, we have developed the Leading by Example
programme, centred on the legacy of the Nobel Peace Prize Winners. Starting
with active workshops at the Summits, we then bring the Laureates’ stories to
classrooms worldwide, through programmes created with partners, and other
curricula centered on peace, social justice and activism.
We are extremely pleased to present the book Being Nobel by our friend and
colleague, Livia Malcangio, as one of the main tools of our educational
programme. This fascinating and informative book recounts the gripping stories
of recent Nobel Peace Laureates and other extraordinary personalities, all
committed to a future in which equality and freedom from oppression are the
rule, rather than the exception. In emotional and uplifting interviews with the
author - in which these humanitarians eloquently discuss their motivations, their
lives and their work - the reader will find true inspiration and several common
traits: courage, dedication, and selflessness.
This book will act as a
digital reference tool for
the Summit's participants
and the schools connected
to Leading by Example
programme. The online
version will continue to
grow with every World
Summit of Nobel Peace
Laureates, becoming a
‘peace
encyclopedia’,
with links to additional
information, lectures and
videos.
The
United
Nations
Educational, Scientific and
Cultural
Organisation
(UNESCO) has identified peace education as essential in ensuring a future without war, and
free of the mistakes and problems of the past. The World Summit of Nobel Peace Laureates
vows to continue to play its part in bringing peace education to as many students in as many
countries as possible, through projects like the book Being Nobel.
The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) has
identified peace education as essential in ensuring a future without war and free of the
mistakes and problems of the past. The World Summit of Nobel Peace Laureates vows to
continue to play its part in bringing peace education to as many students in as many countries
as possible through projects like the book Being Nobel."
Ekaterina Zagladina
President of the Permanent Secretariat
of the World Summit of Nobel Peace Laureates
15
INTRODUCTION TO
THE NOBEL PRIZE
Awarded yearly since 1901 - although in 13 years the Prize was not given, for various reasons - the Nobel Prize was
established by Alfred Nobel (1833-1896), a Swedish chemist, inventor, and industrialist who received over 300 patents
in his lifetime and made a fortune from his most famous invention, dynamite. As stipulated in his last will, most of
Nobel’s estate was used to establish a fund from which prizes would be awarded in his name for those who had done
“the most or best work” for peace, as well as for those achievements in physiology or medicine, chemistry, physics,
and literature had “conferred the greatest benefit on mankind”. A prize for economics was added in 1969.
ALFRED NOBEL “Europe’s wealthiest Vagabond.” Victor Hugo
Alfred Nobel was born in Stockholm, Sweden, on 21 October 1833, to a wealthy family. Trained as a chemical engineer, he was passionate about chemistry and related sciences. He was able to combine his passion with strong entrepreneurial instincts to make a fortune by first inventing and patenting dynamite production at the age of 30 and then
developing this into a business empire. An extremely wealthy industrialist by the time of his death in 1896, he was the
first person in the world to create an international holding company, establishing factories in more than 20 countries.
Nobel’s close relationship with peace professional Baroness Bertha von Suttner, who later won a Nobel Peace Prize
herself, greatly influenced his thinking. Von Suttner was a driving force in the international peace movement that was
establishing itself in Europe towards the end of the 19th century. Such was her influence on Nobel that he became a
member of the Austrian Peace Association and supported it financially. Besides his passion for chemistry and social
issues, he wrote his own poetry and plays, and had a great interest in literature. Alfred Nobel never attended a university, but a more broadly educated person is hard to imagine. He was an extremely generous guy - no wonder - especially with young investors who needed some seed money to get going. He was an advocate of equal opportunity,
individualism and liberty. “Alfred Nobel, the pyro with noble sentiments.”
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16
THE NOBEL PRIZE
SELECTIONS
All proposals for candidates for the Nobel Peace Prize, to be awarded December 10th in Oslo, must be presented to
the Norwegian Nobel Committee before February 1st. In order to be accepted, proposals must be submitted from
qualified persons from the following categories:
Members and former members of the Norwegian Nobel Committee as well as the advisers appointed at the Norwegian Nobel Institute;
Members of the National Assembly and Members of the Government in the respective States, as well as Members of
the Interparliamentary Union;
Members of the International Arbitration Court and the International Court of Justice at the Hague;
Members and Associates of the Institute of International Law;
Members of the executive committee of the International Peace Bureau;
University professors of Political Science and of Law, of History and of Philosophy; and Persons who have received
the Nobel Peace Prize.
The Prize can be awarded to an individual or to an association or organization. Submitted proposals cannot be
published. The Norvegian Nobel Committee gives the Peace Prize for several reasons: to promote a cause, to
congratulate a peacemaker of recent success, to alter the course of a conflict, to crown a lifetime humanitarian.
THE CEREMONY
The Nobel Peace Prize is presented at a stately ceremony held each year on December 10th, the date its Swedish benefactor Alfred Nobel died in 1896. The event is held in the auditorium of Oslo City Hall, that houses the city council and
the most impressive art in Norway. Traditionally, the chairman of the Nobel Committee presents the diploma and gold
medal to the laureates, who are seated on the podium with the five members of the Nobel Committee and its permanent secretary. Invitations are sent to the cultural and political leaders of the country and to members of diplomatic
corps. The ceremony is scheduled to last 95 minutes, a little longer when the prize is shared,
and each laureate is given a limit of 20 minutes for the acceptance and Nobel Lecture. In
early evening there is a torchlight procession honouring the laureate and as an opportunity
to greet the people of Oslo, who can demonstrate their support and, on occasion, their
protest. The event concludes with a formal banquet in the Grand Hotel, where the laureates are accommodated.
“If I have a thousand ideas a year, and only one
turns out to be good, I’m satisfied.”
“My homeland is where I am working
and I work everywhere.”
Alfred Nobel, the pyro with noble sentiments
17
WHERE DO THEY
18 19
23 45
46 47
64 72
38 62
95 97
73 80
87 96
83 84 109 1 108
49 93 115
106 53 82 37
90 92
2 65 103 114
56 69 70 89 91 98 17 40 55 113
66
107 111 118 119
7 9 14 20 34 35 51
54 57 58 61 68 71 74
75 76 77 85 86 88 94
99 102 112
8
59 60 67 104
78 79 100
110
105 116
117
11
43
24
25
26
44
39
29
33
3 4
15
12
41
81
18
27 28
36 63
ALL COME FROM?
31 48
16
6
50
13
32
42
5
10
30
52
21 22
19
NOBEL PEACE
0
1
2014
2013
2
2012
3-4-5
2011
6
2010
7
2009
8
2008
9
2007
10
2006
11
2005
20
...
Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW)
(The Netherlands)
"for its extensive efforts to eliminate chemical weapons"
European Union (EU), (Belgium)
"for over six decades having contributed to the advancement of peace
and reconciliation, democracy and human rights in Europe"
Ellen Johnson Sirleaf (Liberia), Leymah Gbowee (Liberia),
Tawakkol Karman (Yemen)
"for their non-violent struggle for the safety of women and for women’s
rights to full participation in peace-building work"
Liu Xiaobao (China)
“for his long and non-violent struggle for fundamental human
rights in China”
Barack Obama (USA)
“for his extraordinary efforts to strengthen international diplomacy
and cooperation between peoples”
Martti Ahtisaari (Finland)
“for his important efforts, on several continents and over more than
three decades, to resolve international conflicts”
Al Gore (USA), Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change
“for their efforts to build up and disseminate greater knowledge about
man-made climate change, and to lay the foundations for the measures
that are needed to counteract such change”
Muhammad Yunus (Bangladesh), Grameen Bank
“for advancing economic and social opportunities for the poor,
especially women, through their pioneering microcredit work”
Mohamed ElBaradei (Egypt), International Atomic Energy Agency
“for their efforts to prevent nuclear energy from being used for military
purposes and to ensure that nuclear energy for peaceful purposes is used
in the safest possible way”
PRIZE WINNERS
12
2004
13
2003
14
2002
15
2001
16
17
18-19
2000
1999
1998
20
1997
21-22
1996
23
1995
24-25-26
1994
27-28
1993
29
1992
Wangari Maathai (Kenya)
“for her contribution to sustainable development, democracy and peace”
Shirin Ebadi (Iran)
“for her efforts for democracy and human rights. She has focused
especially on the struggle for the rights of women and children”
Jimmy Carter (USA)
“for his decades of untiring effort to find peaceful solutions
to international conflicts, to advance democracy and human rights,
and to promote economic and social development”
Kofi Annan (Ghana), United Nations Organization (UNO)
“for their work for a better organized and more peaceful world”
Kim Dae-jung (South Korea)
Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF), (France)
John Hume (Great Britain), David Trimble (Great Britain)
“for their efforts to find a peaceful solution to the conflict
in Northern Ireland”
Jody Williams (USA), International Campaign to Ban Landmines
“for their work for the banning and clearing of anti-personnel mines”
Carlos Filipe Ximenes Belo (Timor Leste), José Ramos-Horta (Timor Leste)
“for their work towards a just and peaceful solution to the conflict
in East Timor”
Joseph Rotblat (Great Britain),
Pugwash Conferences on Science and World Affairs
Yasser Arafat (Palestinian National Authority), Shimon Peres (Israel),
Yitzhak Rabin (Israel)
“for their efforts to create peace in the Middle East”
Nelson Mandela (South Africa), FW de Klerk (South Africa)
“for their work for the peaceful termination of the apartheid regime,
and for laying the foundations for a new democratic South Africa”
Rigoberta Menchú Tum (Guatemala)
“in recognition of her work for social justice and ethno-cultural
reconciliation based on respect for the rights of indigenous peoples”
21
NOBEL PEACE
30
1991
31
1990
32
1989
33
1987
34
1986
35
36
1985
1984
37
1983
38-39
40
1982
1981
41
1980
22
Aung San Suu Kyi (Burma)
“for her non-violent struggle for democracy and human rights”
Mikhail Gorbachev (Russia, former Soviet Union)
“for his leading role in the peace process which today characterizes
important parts of the international community”
Tenzin Gyatso, The 14th Dalai Lama (Tibet, China)
“for his consistent resistance to the use of violence
in his people's struggle to regain their freedom”
Oscar Arias Sánchez (Costa Rica)
“for his work for peace in Central America, efforts which led
to the accord signed in Guatemala on August 7 this year”
Elie Wiesel (USA)
“with his message and through his practical work in the case
of peace, is a convincing spokesman for the view of mankind
and for the unlimited humanitarianism which are at all times necessary
for a lasting and just peace”
International Physicians for the Prevention of Nuclear War (IPPNW), ( )
Desmond Tutu (South Africa)
“role as a unifying leader in the campaign to resolve the problem
of apartheid in South Africa”
Lech Walesa (Poland)
“contribution, made with considerable personal sacrifice, to ensure
the workers’ right to establish their own organizations”
Alva Myrdal (Sweden), Alfonso García Robles (Mexico)
Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees
(UNHCR) (Switzerland)
Adolfo Pérez Esquivel (Argentina)
“he champions a solution of Argentina’s grievous problems that dispenses
with the use of violence, and is spokesman of a revival of respect
for human rights”
PRIZE WINNERS
42
43-44
45
46-47
1979
1978
1977
1976
48
49-50
51-52
1975
1974
1973
57
58
59-60
1972
1971
1970
1969
1968
1967
1966
1965
1964
1963
61
62
63
64
65
66
1962
1961
1960
1959
1958
1957
53
54
55
56
Mother Teresa (India)
Anwar al-Sadat (Egypt), Menachem Begin (Israel)
Amnesty International (AI), (Great Britain)
Betty Williams (Northern Ireland, Great Britain),
Mairead Corrigan (Northern Ireland, Great Britain)
“their initiative paved the way for the strong resistance against violence
and misuse of power”
Andrei Sakharov (Former Soviet Union)
Seán MacBride (Ireland), Eisaku Sato (Japan)
Henry Kissinger (USA), Le Duc Tho (Northern Vietnam)
“whose joint efforts brought the ceasefire accord on January 23
of this year”
Willy Brandt (Germany)
Norman Borlaug (USA)
International Labour Organization (ILO), (Switzerland)
René Cassin (France)
United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF), (USA)
Martin Luther King Jr. (USA)
International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), (Switzerland),
League of Red Cross Societies (LRCS), (Switzerland)
Linus Pauling (USA)
Dag Hammarskjöld (Sweden)
Albert Luthuli (South Africa)
Philip Noel-Baker (Great Britain)
Georges Pire (Belgium)
Lester Bowles Pearson (Canada)
23
NOBEL PEACE
67
68
69
70
71
72
73-74
75-76
77
78
79
80
81
82
83
84
85-86
87
24
1956
1955
1954
1953
1952
1951
1950
1949
1948
1947
1946
1945
1944
1943
1942
1941
1940
1939
1938
1937
1936
1935
1934
1933
1932
1931
1930
Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees
(UNHCR), (Switzerland)
George C. Marshall (USA)
Albert Schweitzer (France)
Léon Jouhaux (France)
Ralph Bunche (USA)
Lord Boyd Orr (Great Britain)
Friends Service Council (FSC), (Great Britain)
American Friends Service Committee (AFSC), (USA)
Emily Greene Balch (USA), John R. Mott (USA)
Cordell Hull (USA)
International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), (Switzerland)
Nansen International Office for Refugees (Switzerland)
Robert Cecil (Great Britain)
Carlos Saavedra Lamas (Argentina)
Carl von Ossietzky (Germany)
Arthur Henderson (Great Britain)
Sir Norman Angell (Great Britain)
Jane Addams (USA), Nicholas Murray Butler (USA)
Nathan Söderblom (Sweden)
PRIZE WINNERS
88
89-90
91-92
93-94
95
96-97
98
99
100
101
102
103-104
105
106-107
108-109
110-111
112
113
114
115
116-117
118-119
1929
1928
1927
1926
1925
1924
1923
1922
1921
1920
1919
1918
1917
1916
1915
1914
1913
1912
1911
1910
1909
1908
1907
1906
1905
1904
1903
1902
1901
Frank B. Kellogg (USA)
Ferdinand Buisson (France), Ludwig Quidde (Germany)
Aristide Briand (France), Gustav Stresemann (Germany)
Sir Austen Chamberlain (Great Britain), Charles G. Dawes (USA)
Fridtjof Nansen (Norway)
Hjalmar Branting (Sweden), Christian Lange (Norway)
Léon Bourgeois (France)
Woodrow Wilson (USA)
International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), (Switzerland)
Henri La Fontaine (Belgium)
Elihu Root (USA)
Tobias Asser (Netherlands), Alfred Fried (Austria)
Permanent International Peace Bureau (IPB), (Switzerland)
Auguste Beernaert (Belgium), Paul Henri d'Estournelles de Constant (France)
Klas Pontus Arnoldson (Sweden), Fredrik Bajer (Denmark)
Ernesto Teodoro Moneta (Italy), Louis Renault (France)
Theodore Roosevelt (USA)
Bertha von Suttner (Austria)
Institute of International Law (IDI), (Belgium)
Randal Cremer (Great Britain)
Élie Ducommun (Switzerland), Albert Gobat (Switzerland)
Henry Dunant (Switzerland), Frédéric Passy (France)
25
SOUTH AFRICA
BACKGROUND
The borders of modern South Africa were established only in
1910 when the Boer Republics of the Transvaal and the
Orange Free State, conquered by the British in 1902, were
united with the British colonies of the Cape of Good Hope
and Natal. The new Union encompassed a wide variety of
peoples and territories including descendants of British
settlers known as Afrikaners, Coloureds, Indians and nine
African peoples including Zulus, Xhosas, Swazis, Ndebeles, Tswanas, Southern and Northern Sothos, Vendas and
Tsongas. This was the era of colonialism in Africa and as was
the case throughout the rest of the continent at that time,
political rights were, in practice, granted only to those who
classified as white in the new Union.
South African politics during the first half of the 20th century were dominated by the continuing struggle between Afrikaner nationalists who wished to re-establish their own republic and those who supported closer ties with Britain. Most
black South Africans continued to live in the rural homelands under tribal rule supervised by the government. The
increasing number of blacks who had migrated to the cities were often subjected to discrimination, exploitation and
appalling living conditions. In 1948, the newly elected National Party government codified existing discrimination into
the pervasive system of segregation and white domination known as apartheid. Social facilities, schools and communities were rigidly segregated and severe restrictions were placed on black employment, the rights to own property and
on the ability of black people to move freely within South Africa.
From 1958 onward, the National Party implemented a policy of ‘separate development’ in which it extended political
rights to blacks in their ‘traditional homelands’. However, these rights were only extended to a population comprised
of 13.7% of the country and no provision was made for the political rights of blacks in the rest of the land. Those not
covered under separate development were continuously subject to the harsh discrimination of apartheid. Indeed, apartheid was vehemently rejected by most of the black, Coloured and Indian populations and was increasingly condemned by the international community.
Beginning in 1978, the National Party government under the leadership of President PW Botha endeavored to reform
apartheid starting with trade union reforms. In 1983, it adopted a new constitution which extended greater political
rights to Coloured and Indian South Africans and, by 1986, it had repealed more than 100 apartheid laws. However,
Botha refused to accept the principle of one-man-one-vote because of his fear that this would lead to the kind of
chaos experienced by most other post-independence African countries. He was also deeply concerned about the
growing Soviet threat in continental south Africa and the influence of the South African Communist Party within the
Abolition
of slavery
1833
26
Formation of the Union of
Banning of the ANC and
South Africa and entrance
Nobel Peace Prize awarded
into the Commonwealth.
to the ANC President
Full independence
First racist laws enacted
Albert Luthuli
from England
1910
1960
1931
1902
1912
1948
1961
End of Anglo-Boer
Birth of the Native
The National Party takes
The UN declares
wars
National Congress which later
power and apartheid officially
apartheid a crime
became the African National
introduced
against humanity
Congress (ANC)
BACKGROUND
African National Congress (ANC). Additionally, Botha was also reluctant to surrender the Afrikaners’ right to national self-determination for which they had struggled for more than 150 years.
PW Botha’s reforms simply intensified black demands for full political rights. Consequently, widespread protests and
civilian unrest led to greater isolation amongst the peoples of South Africa and to intensified sanctions from the international community.
By 1987, all major political parties accepted the idea that there could be neither a military nor a revolutionary solution
and secret talks began between Nelson Mandela, an anti-apartheid revolutionary, and the South African government.
In 1988, an agreement was reached on the withdrawal of 50,000 Cuban troops from Angola and in 1989, Namibia, which
had been ruled by South Africa since 1915, moved towards independence under UN supervision. In November 1989,
the international community witnessed the fall of the Berlin Wall symbolizing the collapse of Soviet communism.
FW de Klerk was elected leader of South Africa’s National Party in February 1989 and would eventually go on to serve
as South Africa’s state president. In some of his first acts as president, De Klerk immediately began with democratic
reforms calling for the end of racism in his country. Sticking to his beliefs, De Klerk permitted peaceful demonstrations
led by Archbishop Desmond Tutu and released prominent African National Congress prisoners. On 2 February 1990, he announced the release of
Keyword:
Nelson Mandela, the unbanning of all political parties, and his goverSe
Apartheid gregation
nment’s decision to start negotiations on a new non-racial constitution.
m
in the Af eans “separatene
The negotiations at the Convention for a Democratic South Africa,
ss”
rikaans la
commonly referred to as CODESA, and the National Negotiating Forum
nguage.
was the
I
t
p
o
licy of r
lasted for the next three years and were marred by ongoing violence,
acial seg
gation im
reposed by
walkouts and boycotts. However, despite these ongoing challenges, the
the postwar whit
e
governme
negotiations culminated successfully in December 1993 with the adopSouth Af
nt of
rica’s Na
tion of an interim constitution and South Africa’s first universal nontional Pa
which he
rty,
ld power
racial election on 27 April 1994.
from 194
until 199
8
4. South
As a result of the election, the African National Congress won 62.6%
Africa als
applied a
of the vote and the National Party followed with the second highest
o
system o
f aparth
in Namib
amount of votes at 20.6%. In May 1994, Nelson Mandela was inaueid
ia, which
it administered un
gurated as president and head of the newly established Government
til 1990.
of National Unity (GNU). FW de Klerk was elected as one of two
executive deputy presidents and served in that capacity until he
withdrew the National Party from the GNU in June 1996.
Mandela was succeeded by Thabo Mbeki in 1999, Kgalema Motlanthe in 2008,
and Jacob Zuma in 2009.
Soweto Uprising.
Election of FW de Klerk
More than 600 people
Nobel Peace Prize awarded
as president of South Africa
killed in subsequent
Nelson Mandela
to Nelson Mandela
and beginning of abolition
incident
arrested
and FW de Klerk
of racial laws
1963
1976
1993
1989
1964
1984
1990
South Africa banned
Nobel Peace Prize
Release
from the Olympic
awarded to Desmond Tutu
of Nelson Mandela
Games until 1992
27
CONSTITUTIONAL DEMOCRACY
VS APARTHEID
“Apartheid” is the Afrikaans word for “separateness”. The
idea behind the system that characterised South Africa
throughout much of the 20th century was to maintain white
minority rule in the country by dividing the non-white population and displacing them to different parts of the country.
In 1958, blacks were stripped of their South African citizenship and categorised, sometimes at random, according to
tribe. The intention was to relocate them to one of ten separate tribal territories or “Bantustans,” a designated territory
for blacks. Under the new system, blacks were deprived of material assets and civil rights, including the right to vote.
Each black South African was given citizenship of their new tribal homeland and relocated there, often by force. During
this time, the South African government claimed that their goal was for each of these Bantustans to eventually go on
to develop as self-governing and independent cities. In reality, they remained under white rule.
Those displaced individuals who came back to the cities were forced to live in segregated urban areas or townships.
In fact, almost every aspect of life in South Africa was segregated. Non-whites were forbidden to use public facilities assigned to whites. Furthermore, whites and non-whites had separate restrooms, drinking fountains, hospitals, schools, beaches and public transportation. Even the cemeteries were segregated. Of course, the facilities
afforded to the white population were also far superior to those of the non-whites. At one point, the government’s
spending on black education fell to one tenth of its spending on whites. Overall, whites, who made up 20% of the
population, dominated 87% of the resources, and virtually all political power.
A non-white person entering what was considered a white area, even if they worked there, required an official pass or
permit or they could be arrested on the spot. Non-white visitors to South Africa were granted “Honorary White” status
to give them the rights and privileges denied to the non-white population of the country. Interracial marriage and sexual
relations were criminal offences. Torture and imprisonment were everyday occurrences for critics of the regime.
This system, which became the law of the land when the National Party came to power in the 1948 elections,
persisted right up until the fall of President PW
Botha in 1989. Under the leadership of FW de
Klerk, a new era began.
In 1998, the true extent of the horrors of apartheid
finally came to light thanks to the Commission for
Truth and National Reconciliation chaired by
Archbishop Desmond Tutu.
First democratic elections
extended to all citizens,
Mandela elected president
of South Africa
1994
1999
Thabo Mbeki president of the
government after Mandela’s
withdrawal
28
Mandela and De Klerk hold their hands high as they address a huge crowd of people in front of the Union Buildings
29
after the first presidential inauguration on May 10, 1994
DESMOND TUTU
A spiritual, social, and political leader in South Africa, Desmond Tutu campaigned for racial justice and equality without
ever submitting to hatred or violence. Born in 1931 in Transvaal, Tutu moved to Johannesburg with his family at an early
age, where his mother became a cook in a missionary school for the blind. His first jobs were selling peanuts at the
railway stations and caddying on a golf course. As a young man, he wanted to become a doctor but his family had no
money for medical training and so, following in his father’s footsteps, he became a teacher.
In 1953, after the Nationalist government ratified the Bantu Education Act fully segregating the school system ultimately subjecting blacks to a second-class education, Tutu resigned his teaching job and took to protest. It was then
that Tutu decided to become a priest, although he later admitted his motivation was not religious. “I was not moved
by very high ideals. It just seemed that if the church would accept me, this might be a likely means of service,” he said.
Tutu spent seven years in England furthering his theological education and working after being ordained in the Anglican Church in 1961. He later returned to South Africa in 1967 and became the chaplain at the University of Fort Hare,
which was at the time a hotbed of racial and political dissent. Tutu went on to become the Bishop of Lesotho, the first
black General Secretary of the South African Council of Churches, the Bishop of Johannesburg and eventually the
Archbishop of Cape Town. Along the way, he focussed on the stark racial inequalities in his home nation.
Unlike many of his fellow anti-apartheid activists, Tutu was able to negotiate directly with Afrikaner politicians such as
PW Botha over many key issues. Through boycotts, peaceful assemblies and demonstrations, he pressured for reform
on civil rights, segregated schools, passport laws, and forced deportation.
The Soweto Uprising of June 1976 was a turning point in South Africa’s history. The world could no longer ignore what
was happening. It was after the tragic events of that year that Tutu truly began to emerge as one of the leading voices
in the anti-apartheid movement.
For his role in the fight against apartheid, Tutu was awarded the 1984 Nobel Peace Prize.
The recognition came at a crucial time, as certain influential world leaders were actively promoting policies of
constructive engagement, which aimed to ease economic sanctions placed on South Africa while attempting to
effect change by offering incentives instead. Winning the Nobel Peace Prize raised Tutu’s international profile. It
effectively made him the spokesperson for the anti-apartheid cause and lent greater weight to his insistence on
maintaining economic and political sanctions against South Africa until apartheid was dissolved.
Tutu established a scholarship programme enabling blacks from South Africa to study in the United States with the
monies awarded through his Nobel Prize.
“for his role as a unifying leader in the campaign to resolve
the problem of apartheid in South Africa.”
31
INTERVIEW
with Desmond
Tutu
Speaking at the KidsRights Millennium Development Goals Conference in Johannesburg in July, 2010, F.W. de Klerk
said of Desmond Tutu, “Tutu is the symbol of hope for South Africans. He is the conscience of South Africa. Fearless
in speaking up when needed, the role he played in our country was fundamental. Please carry on with the important
work you are doing!” Nelson Mandela once said of Tutu, “The signature quality of Archbishop Desmond Tutu is a
readiness to take unpopular stands without fear.” Preaching amid tear gas and police dogs, rallying a people against
apartheid, Tutu’s motto was “Be nice to whites; they need you to rediscover their humanity”. When apartheid was
dismantled and South Africa needed a heart big enough to forgive its sins, Archbishop Desmond Tutu was called by
the first democratically elected President of South Africa, Nelson Mandela, to serve his country once more, as chairman
of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission. Fifteen years into the era of the new, free South Africa, Bishop Tutu
continues to council the government and to work towards a more just nation and world. (July 2010)
This amiable Anglican cleric
became the leader and spokesman of the non-violent struggle for racial equality in South
Africa. His determination and
compassion were crucial in the
fight for justice and the South
Africa’s peaceful transformation into what he calls a “Rainbow Nation”.
Good morning Father Tutu,
What has the 2010 World Cup meant for the future of
South Africa?
It inspired us all. We want this euphoria and patriotism to be
beneficial to all South Africans, especially the children. It just
lifted us all, giving us self confidence and made us proud to
be South Africans. We have shown ourselves to be hospitable, thankful, and while supporting the Ghana team, it reunited us all as Africans. We should never go back to what
happened in 2008. The spirit prevailing in our country today
is priceless, you cannot buy it. They say it’s been the most
profitable World Cup ever organized.
What has this last month done for South Africa? Did you expect it?
I could have never predicted it! It’s been more than what we experienced when Mandela was released in 1990, more
than when we won the Rugby World Cup in 1995. People are proud to be South Africans. We have proved to be
fantastic hosts and foreigners felt welcome, we simply surprised ourselves!
So FIFA has been a unifying force?
To Black, White, Indian, Coloured people, we offered state-of-the-art stadiums, infrastructures: we just showed the
world we can do it! The world has been amazed! The negative publicity that was given before on TV has changed. We
should become more aware that we are a nation. We are a rainbow nation. When I see cars on the streets with South
African flags I am so happy! President Zuma said, “We should harvest this spirit”.
Is there any specific policy in place to ensure that?
If I was in the Government I would make sure to build 50,000 houses, because you need to show you are doing something practical for the people.
1931
Born October 7
in Klerksdorp,
South Africa
32
1948
The National Party
wins the general
elections
1955
Marries Leah
Nomalizo Shenxane
1958
Enters St Peter’s
Theological College
1961
Ordained in the
Anglican Church
1962
Studies Theology
at King’s College,
London
The people who came here, including the soccer players, were so nice. A few of the teams were even carrying out
soccer clinics for the kids in the townships! 22 children were escorting each soccer team into the stadiums...this is
something they will never forget! Of course we need programmes to ensure the benefits of 2010 such as health
programmes, such as building clinics near the townships. We need to do more but certainly we have better policies
with regard to AIDS with this President.
We want to make our country a success story. If we were able to make the most
Legacy
successful World Cup ever, then for God’s sake, providing efficient schools, vaccinations, clinics should not be difficult! From July 12 on I want to see people going to
At a time when many antiwork on time, traffic flowing as smoothly as now, I want to see as many policemen on
apartheid leaders had
the street as now.
been murdered, exiled or
imprisoned, Tutu quickly
What does the World Cup mean for the children?
became the voice of the
Excitement! And participation! Just think about the soccer clinics in the townships or
day-to-day struggle of the
the kids escorting the teams into the stadiums. I hope this country will be able to
South African people. The
harvest this for the benefit of young people and I really hope the government will
force of his personality,
continue to build clinics in rural areas.
indignant but unthreateIn terms of education, we should ensure that all children go to school, but not just
ning, steadfast but hopegoing to school to play, but to attend good schools, especially in rural areas.
ful, exuding love for his
country and his countryWhat do you think of the situation of children in Africa?
men regardless of race
I think that we need to eradicate poverty. If we can’t, it means many kids will be impriwas instrumental in the
soned by preventable diseases, won’t go to school, and we would end up with kidnapeffort to end apartheid
ped, trafficked, abused kids, and child soldiers.
and in his country’s
peaceful transition to
What is the message you would like to send to fellow Laureate Mandela?
democracy. Tutu’s unwaThank you Madiba, for reminding us that the children are not just our future; they are
vering message of unity
our present.
and forgiveness made
him the logical choice to
What does poverty mean to South Africa?
chair the Truth and
Poverty first of all reduces your dignity as a human being. It limits your choices.
Reconciliation CommisImagine a mother saying to her son, “sorry baby, there’s no food today”. We shall say
sion. It is no wonder why
NO to this injustice. If we want to live peacefully in this country, we need to make
he is considered one of
justice and equity happen for EVERYONE. Children have done nothing but they are
the
most
respected
penalized with no access to water or education.
voices in the world. And
Today we can predict what 75 million kids in the world will not be or become. These
he did it all with a smile
75 million kids still don’t have access to education, and that’s terrible. Education is
on his face.
not a privilege. It is a right. Apartheid was a massive, powerful system, but it has
ended. Politicians are our servants, they get into their position because we vote for
them, and we must have accountable politicians.
1965
Obtains Bachelor
of Divinity, London
1966
Obtains Masters
Degree in Theology,
London
1968
Returns to South
Africa to teach at
St Peter’s College,
Eastern Cape
1970
Lectures at the
University of
Botswana, Lesotho
and Swaziland
1972
Appointed Associate
Director of the
Theological
Education Fund,
London
1975
Appointed Dean
of Johannesburg
33
Abominations such as Apartheid do not start with an entire population suddenly becoming inhumane.
How could Apartheid begin?
Abominations such as Apartheid start with generalizing unwanted characteristics across an entire segment of a population. They start with trying to solve a problem by asserting superior force over a population. They start with stripping
people of rights and dignity, such as the right to be presumed innocent until proven guilty, that you yourself enjoy.
When you strip a man or a woman of their basic human rights, you strip them of their dignity in the eyes of their family
and their community, and even in their own eyes. An immigrant who is charged with the crime of trespassing for simply
being in a community without his papers on him is being told he is committing a crime by simply being. He or she feels
degraded and feels they are of less worth than others of a different skin colour. These are the seeds of resentment,
hostility and in extreme cases, conflict.
Sense of Humour
Desmond Tutu’s sense of
humour and infectious laugh
are legendary and he would
often use jokes to draw
attention to serious issues.
“Once a Zambian boasted about
their Minister of Naval Affairs. The
South African asked, ‘But you have
no navy, no access to the sea. How
then can you have a Minister of
Naval Affairs?’ The Zambian retorted, ‘Well, in South Africa you have
a Minister of Justice, don’t you?’”
“Most of God’s best collaborators and partners
have been young people.”
“If you are neutral in situations of injustice,
you have chosen the side of the oppressor.
If an elephant has its foot on the tail of a mouse
and you say that you are neutral, the mouse will not
appreciate your neutrality.”
“When the missionaries came to
Africa they had the Bible and we
had the land. They said. ‘Let us
pray.’ We closed our eyes. When we
opened them, we had the Bible and
they had the land.”
“Be nice to whites; they need you to rediscover their humanity.”(1980s)
1976
Consecrated Bishop
of Lesotho
34
1977
Appointed General
Secretary of the
South African
Council of Churches
1984
Receives Nobel
Peace Prize
1985
Installed as Bishop
of Johannesburg
1986
Consecrated as
Archbishop of Cape
Town, head of the
Anglican Church in
South Africa
1990
Mandela is released
Presentation Speech by the Chairman of the
Norwegian Nobel Committee (selected excerpts)
Recalling the Nobel Peace Award to South African Albert
Luthuli in 1960, the Committee said this was “a renewed
recognition of the courage and heroism shown by black
South Africans in their use of peaceful methods in the
struggle against apartheid”.
“…Racial discrimination in South Africa is rightly regarded
as a threat to peace and as an outrageous violation of
basic human rights. Fortunately, a peaceful alternative
exists. On a broad front a campaign is being fought with
the weapons of the spirit and reason – a campaign for
truth, freedom and justice. In recognition of the fact that it
is this alternative which must succeed, the South African
bishop, Desmond Tutu, has been selected as this year’s
Peace Prize laureate.
Desmond Tutu has shown that to campaign for the
cause of peace is not a question of silent acceptance,
but rather of arousing consciences and a sense of
indignation, strengthening the will and inspiring the
human spirit so that it recognizes both its own value
and its power of victory. To this fight for peace we give
our affirmative ‘yes’ today.
It is depressing to think of the list of debts. Which is written with the African’s suffering, tears and blood. Think of
the humiliation and exploitation which human beings from
this continent have had to endure – from the first slave
traffic, through centuries of colonialism to today’s discrimination. On a day like this our memories are indeed
painful – not only account of what the white man has done
and still does, but also on account of what he, to this day,
has neglected to do.
Kunta Kinte was right. Negro slavery was incompatible
with American civilization in the same way as the apartheid system is in reality incompatible with South Africa.
Copyright © The Nobel Foundation (1984)
Desmond Tutu's Nobel Lecture in Peace
(selected excerpts)
“…I come from a beautiful land, richly endowed by God
with wonderful shining stars out of blue skies, with radiant
sunshine, golden sunshine. There is enough of the good
things that come from God’s bounty, there is enough for
everyone, but apartheid has confirmed some in their selfishness, causing, them to grasp greedily a disproportionate
1994
Mandela elected
President of South Africa
1995
Mandela appoints Tutu
as Chairperson of the
Truth and Reconciliation
Commission
share, the lion’s share, because of their power. They have
taken 87% of the land, though being only about 20%
of our population. The rest have had to make do with the
remaining 13%. Apartheid has decreed the politics of
exclusion. 73% of the population is excluded from any
meaningful participation in the political decision-making
processes of the land of their birth. The new constitution,
making provision of three chambers, for whites, Coloureds,
and Indians, mentions blacks only once, and thereafter
ignores them completely. Blacks are systematically being
stripped of their South African citizenship and being
turned into aliens in the land of their birth. This is apartheid’s final solution, just as Nazism had its final solution for
the Jews in Hitler’s Aryan madness.
Violence is not being introduced into the South African
situation de novo from outside by those who are called
terrorists or freedom fighters, depending on whether you
are oppressed or an oppressor. The South African situation is violent already, and the primary violence is that of
apartheid, the violence of forced population removals, of
inferior education, of detention without trial, of the
migratory labour system.
Because there is global insecurity, nations are engaged in
a mad arms race, spending billions of dollars wastefully
on instruments of destruction, when millions are starving.
And yet, just a fraction of what is expected so obscenely
on defence budgets would make the difference in
enabling God’s children to fill their stomachs, be educated, and given the chance to lead fulfilled and happy lives.
We have the capacity to feed ourselves several times over,
but we are daily haunted by the spectacle of the gaunt
dregs of humanity shuffling along in endless queues, with
bowls to collect what the charity of the world has provided, too little too late.
Copyright © The Nobel Foundation (1984)
THE CONNECTION
DESMOND TUTU AND CARLOS SANTANA
CARLOS SANTANA HAS DONE OUTSTANDING WORK
BRINGING GLOBAL ATTENTION TO AIDS IN AFRICA. IN
PARTICULAR, CARLOS AND HIS WIFE DONATED THE
PROCEEDS OF HIS 2003 TOUR TO SEVERAL SOUTH
AFRICAN ORGANIZATIONS BATTLING AIDS. FATHER TUTU
WAS SO PROUD AND THANKFUL, THAT HE FLEW TO LOS
ANGELES TO ATTEND THE CONCERT THERE.
1996
Retires as Archbishop
1998
Establishes Desmond
Tutu Peace Trust
2007
Presented with the
International Gandhi
Peace Prize
35
CARLOS SANTANA
Blending many different musical influences, guitarist and composer Carlos Santana has become an icon of a modern
multi-cultural America. Born in 1947 in Mexico, he began playing music at an early age, following in the footsteps of
his father, a mariachi. He started playing the violin at the age of five, but soon developed a love for the guitar. While
still a child, he moved to California with his family, where he continued to play as he completed his education and
where he was exposed to a wide range of musical styles.
After a few years of performing and working odd jobs, Santana formed his first band and quickly started to develop a
cult flowing. His big break came in 1969, when his band appeared at Woodstock before they had even released a
record. It was at this point that Carlos Santana was introduced to the world.
His first album came out later that year but it was with the 1970 release of his second album, Abraxas, that his career
skyrocketed. He never looked back. Santana went on to release more than 20 albums and his name eventually became
synonymous with all-time greatness when it comes to rock guitarists.
His 1999 album, Supernatural, released 30 years after his first album, sold over 27 million copies worldwide, won nine
Grammy Awards and three Latin Grammy Awards. Even today, 40 years after his big debut, musicians from all genres
are still lining up to collaborate with him.
As a world-renowned musician, Santana has always put his talent at the service of humanitarian causes. In 1985, he
took part in the “Live Aid” concert series. In 1998, he created with his then-wife Deborah, the Milagro Foundation,
an organization for abandoned children. In an attempt to call global attention to the catastrophic AIDS pandemic in
Africa, Carlos and Deborah Santana donated the entire net proceeds from Santana's 2003 Shaman tour to support
South African organizations battling AIDS on the frontlines. This marks the first time that an artist ever donated the entire
net proceeds from an extended concert tour to charity. In response to this historic call to action, 1984 Nobel Peace
Prize recipient and South African Archbishop Emeritus, Desmond Tutu, made a special trip to his concert in Los Angeles to participate.
In 2005, Santana participated in the “Peace Concert Tour”, commemorating the 60th anniversary of the detonation
of the atomic bomb in Japan.
With six multi-platinum disks and countless other awards, Santana proves to be one of the most acclaimed and
enduring artists of all time. Santana was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1998 and received the World
Music Awards’ Legend Award in 2005.
“The most valuable possession you can own is an open heart.
The most powerful weapon you can be is an instrument of peace.”
“If I never got an award, that would be fine with me, because the company that I keep is
very inspiring and stimulating. I love hanging around vibrant people, people who don’t
walk around with a tag. You can never put a tag on a Mandela or a Desmond Tutu or a
Harry Belafonte. You cannot buy these people, and once they set out to do something, you
can’t bribe them. Those are the kinds of people that I’d like to be center stage with.”
37
NELSON MANDELA
For nearly half a century, Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela has been South Africa’s voice of justice. Born the son of a tribal
chief in 1918 in Transkei, South Africa, Mandela studied law at the Universities of Fort Hare and Witwatersrand. While
still a student, Mandela became involved in student protests aimed at the white colonial administration of the school.
Soon after graduating, he joined the African National Congress (ANC) which was the largest body promoting unity and
justice for black South Africans in a nation fiercely divided by racism.
Inspired by another lawyer who had once struggled against discrimination in South Africa, Mohandas Gandhi, Mandela
was initially committed to non-violent protest through the Defiance Campaign (1952) and the Congress of the People
(1955). However, even these peaceful initiatives provoked a hardline response from the government. In 1956, Mandela
and 155 other anti-apartheid activists were charged with treason and tried in a court case that dragged on for five
years. By 1960 the government was more determined than ever to crush any resistance to their increasingly extreme
segregationist policies. After the Sharpeville Massacre, in which scores of protesters were killed by police and the
subsequent banning of the African National Congress, Mandela and some of his colleagues felt they had no choice but
to take more drastic action, so they established Umkhonto we Sizwe (Spear of the Nation), the ANC’s military wing,
and launched a campaign of sabotage against the government.
Mandela lived as an outlaw for the next year and a half and was eventually arrested and sentenced to life in prison.
While in prison, he wrote extensively and continued to establish himself as an inspirational figure to the South African
people as he refused to renounce his principles or his fellow freedom fighters to bargain for his release. Because
of this, Mandela went on to become one of the most famous prisoners on earth. In the minds of people across the
world, his imprisonment epitomised the oppression of the South African people and “Free Nelson Mandela” became
the mantra of the anti-apartheid movement.
When he was finally released by President FW de Klerk in 1990, Mandela committed himself to building a new South
Africa, leading the negotiations with the ruling National Party for the dismantling of apartheid and the drafting of a new,
inclusive constitution. For their work, Mandela and de Klerk received the 1993 Nobel Peace Prize.
In 1994, Nelson Mandela was elected President of South Africa in the nation’s first free elections. During his five-year
presidency, he advocated national and international forgiveness and reconciliation, uniting a nation so deeply divided
for so long.
Even after his retirement from politics, Mandela remained one of the world’s most influential statesmen, and continued
to campaign against poverty, AIDS, and discrimination.
Though completely retired from public life for the last ten years of his life, Mandela still represented a powerful, fascinating and influential presence on the world stage.
On 5 December 2013, Nelson Mandela, the first President of South Africa elected in a fully representative democratic
election, died at the age of 95 after suffering from a prolonged respiratory infection. South Africa observed a national
mourning period of 10 days.
"He was not only an amazing gift to humankind, he made South Africans and Africans feel good about being who we
are. He made us walk tall. God be praised." Desmond Tutu
"He no longer belongs to us - he belongs to the ages. He took history in his hands and bent the arc of the moral universe
towards justice." Barack Obama
"While I mourn the loss of one of Africa's most distinguished leaders, Madiba's legacy beckons us to follow his example to strive for human rights, reconciliation and justice for all.” Kofi Annan
“for their work for the peaceful termination of the apartheid regime and for laying the
foundations for a new democratic South Africa.”
39
1918
Born Rolihlahla Mandela
in Mvezo, South Africa.
The English name Nelson
is given to him later by
one of his teachers
1939
Enrols at University of
Fort Hare, from which he
is expelled for protesting
the school’s policies
1942
Earns his BA via
correspondence from the
University of South
Africa; joins the ANC
1944
Marries Evelyn Ntoko
Mase. Forms the ANC
Youth League with Walter
Sisulu and Oliver Tambo
1946
Son, Thembekile, born
1947
Daughter,
Makaziwe, is born
and dies aged nine
months
1950
Son, Makgatho,
born
1952
Opens South Africa’s
first black legal firm
with Oliver Tambo;
elected deputy national
president of ANC
1953
Daughter, also
called Makaziwe, is
born
1956
Start of
Treason Trial
1958
Marries Winnie
Madikizela;
daughter, Zenani,
born
41
During my lifetime I have dedicated myself to this
struggle of the African people, I have fought against
white domination, and I have fought against black domination. I have cherished the ideal of a democratic and
free society in which all persons live together in harmony
and with equal opportunities. It is an ideal which I hope
to live for and to achieve. But if it needs be it is an
ideal for which I am prepared to die.
(Rivonia Trial)
Legacy
A crusading lawyer who
struggled against apartheid until his 27-year
imprisonment made him
a global icon and eventually the first democratically elected President of
South Africa.
Nelson Mandela is commonly referred to as South Africa’s most famous son.
He was a living legend who had dedicated and sacrificed most of his life to
the fight against human injustice. Ironically, Mandela’s imprisonment did not
isolate him from the world causing him to be forgotten as the apartheid government had hoped; rather it gave protesters a face and a name to rally around.
Demonstrators all over the world waved decades-old photos of Mandela’s
determined face and the slogan “Free Nelson Mandela” became synonymous
with “Free South Africa”.
Released from prison after 27 years, his 71-year-old face, barely recognisable
as the same one that once adorned over a million picket signs of posters
worldwide, it was clear that the weight of expectation on his shoulders was
massive. Undoubtedly, Mandela managed to live up to these expectations,
immediately accepting his role as a national leader steering his country
peacefully towards democracy and quickly helping turn South Africa from a
global outcast into a flourishing and influential player on the world stage.
“I learned that courage was not the absence of fear, but the triumph over it. The brave
man is not he who does not feel afraid, but he who conquers that fear.”
“No one is born hating another person because of the color of his skin, or his background,
or his religion. People must learn to hate, and if they can learn to hate, they can be taught
to love, for love comes more naturally to the human heart than its opposite.”
1960
ANC banned;
daughter,
Zindiswa, born
42
1962
Jailed for five
years; start of
Rivonia Trial
1964
Sentenced to life
imprisonment
1969
Son Thembekile
dies in car
accident. He is
not permitted to
attend the funeral
1980
International
campaign launched for his release by an exiled
Oliver Tambo
1990
ANC unbanned;
released from
prison
1991
Elected president
of ANC
Presentation Speech by the Chairman of the
Norwegian Nobel Committee (selected excerpts)
Nelson Mandela's Nobel Lecture in Peace
(selected excerpts)
…This is the third time the Nobel Committee has awarded the prize to human rights advocates who have actively participated in the struggle against the apartheid
regime in South Africa. There are many reasons why
South Africa has attracted so much attention. After the
Second World War and the fall of the Hitler regime,
racism as a system was thoroughly discredited. The
general trend was to remove institutionalised racial
barriers at the same time as the old colonial empires were
being dismantled. But just when this was the general
trend, South Africa chose to move in the opposite direction. From 1948 onwards the apartheid regime was
consolidated and systematically, through legislation and
organisational forms, developed into a brutal regime of
oppression based on criteria of race alone. Thus it also
became the symbol of particularly debasing form of
oppression. The apartheid regime gave racism a face.
…The two Prize-Winners, from their highly disparate
points of departure, the one from the side of the oppressors and the other from the side of the oppressed, have
taken initiatives to break the vicious circle that their country was caught up in.
…Eminent statesmanship has been demonstrated in
South Africa, and it is astonishing what has been achieved since Mandela was released in 1990. The institutionalized apartheid regime has been dismantled, a
provisional constitution has been adopted, a broadly
based Transitional Executive Council has been established. The date for fully democratic elections has been
set. There can be no doubt that the main credit for these
highly significant steps towards a peaceful transition to a
democratic South Africa is due to these two PrizeWinners.
…It is the conviction of the committee that Nelson R.
Mandela and Frederick Willem de Klerk have made a brilliant contribution and attained astonishing results with
their policy of peace and reconciliation. They have given
peace a chance. Whether peace will prevail, time will
have to show…”
Copyright © The Nobel Foundation (1993)
(With State President FW de Klerk,) …we join two distinguished South Africans, the late Chief Albert Luthuli and
His Grace Archbishop Desmond Tutu, to whose seminal
contributions to the peaceful struggle against the evil
system of apartheid you paid well-deserved tribute by
awarding them the Nobel Peace Prize. It will not be
presumptuous of us if we also add, among our predecessors, the name of another outstanding Nobel Peace
Prize winner, the late Rev Martin Luther King Jr. He, too,
grappled with and died in the effort to make a contribution to the just solution of the same great issues of the
day which we have had to face as South Africans.
…I am also here today as a representative of the millions
of people across the globe, the anti-apartheid movement,
the governments and organizations that joined with us,
not to fight against South Africa as a country or any of its
people, but to oppose an inhuman system and sue for a
speedy end to the apartheid crime against humanity.
These countless human beings, both inside and outside
our country, had the nobility to stand in the path of
tyranny and injustice, without seeking selfish gain. They
recognized that an injury to one is an injury to all and
therefore acted together in defence of justice and a
common human decency. Because of their courage and
persistence for many years, we can, today, even set the
dates when all humanity will join together to celebrate
one of the outstanding human victories of our century.
When that moment comes, we shall, together, rejoice in
a common victory over racism, apartheid and white
minority rule. That triumph will finally bring to a close a
history of five hundred years of African colonization that
began with the establishment of the Portuguese empire.
…I would like to take this opportunity to join the Norwegian Nobel Committee and pay tribute to my join laureate.
Mr. F.W. de Klerk. He had the courage to admit that a
terrible wrong had been done to our country and people
through the imposition of the system of apartheid. He had
the foresight to understand and accept that all the people
of South Africa must through negotiations and as equal
participants in the process, together determine what they
want t make of their future.
Copyright © The Nobel Foundation (1993)
1993
Awarded Nobel
Peace Prize with
FW de Klerk
1994
Elected President
of South Africa
1996
Divorces Winnie; steps down
as ANC
president
1998
Marries Graça
Machel; steps
down as
president of
South Africa
2004
Announces
retirement from
public life
2005
Named on Time’s
‘List of 100
Influential People’.
Son, Makgatho
dies from AIDS
2009
The UNGA
declares July 18
'Mandela Day’ for
his contribution
to world freedom
43
PAIRED NOBELS
In October 1993, the Norwegian Nobel Committee announced a joint
award to Nelson R. Mandela, President of the African National Congress
(ANC), and Frederick Willem de Klerk, President of South Africa. The
Committee noted that it had previously recognised the efforts to attain
racial equality in South Africa through its prizes for Albert Luthuli (1960)
and Desmond Tutu (1984). It said that it hoped that Mandela and de Klerk
would now carry the work for equality and democracy to completion and
that their policies of peace and reconciliation might serve as an example
for the resolution of similar ethnic conflicts elsewhere in the world. It was
the first time that a head of government and the leader of the opposition
forces had been awarded by the Norwegian Nobel Committee, in the
effort to achieve the peaceful resolution of a civil conflict.
The history of paired Nobels has not always been a happy one. Henry
Kissinger of the United States and Le Duc Tho of North Vietnam shared
the 1973 prize for negotiating an armistice that was already being
broken. Le Duc Tho refused his prize and after the North Vietnamese
conquered the South, Kissinger offered to return his, which the rules do
not permit. This award has attracted the most worldwide criticism.
In 1978, Egypt’s Anwar El Sadat and Israel’s Menachem Begin shared
the prize for the Camp David Accords. The resulting peace treaty between
the two countries did hold, but Begin went on to unleash war on Lebanon
and there were calls in the Norwegian parliament for his prize to be
rescinded. On each occasion, the Nobel Committee rewarded past efforts,
encouraged the prize winners to go further, and took a chance on the future.
Nelson Mandela,
with Winnie Madikizela-Mandela,
leaving jail after 27 years
imprisonment (1990)
THE CONNECTION
NELSON MANDELA AND ANNIE LENNOX
ANNIE LENNOX HAS WORKED EXTENSIVELY TO FIGHT THE SPREAD OF AIDS IN AFRICA, ESPECIALLY IN SOUTH AFRICA.
SHE HAS ALSO WORKED FOR NELSON MANDELA’S 46664 FOUNDATION, HELPING TO PROVIDE SOUTH AFRICANS WITH
TREATMENT AND TESTING, HIV EDUCATION, AND PREVENTION PROGRAMMES.
ANNIE LENNOX
Famous for her flamboyant personal style, singer-songwriter Annie Lennox uses her unmistakable voice with its four-octave range to hit all the right notes, both in her singing career and
in her political and social activism. Born in 1954 in Scotland, Lennox displayed a very early
gift for singing and the flute. After high school, she attended London’s Royal Academy of
Music, where she gave up the flute to concentrate on vocal training and songwriting, all the
while working odd jobs to stay financially afloat.
Along with Dave Stewart, Lennox formed the band Eurythmics, which combined modern
synthesized arrangements with the smooth soul flavour of Lennox’s vocals to form the
most successful “New Wave” synthpop sound of the 1980’s. After their 1983 megahit
Sweet Dreams (Are Made of This), the peripatetic duo produced seven albums,
giving us a wide range of classic songs from the plaintive and haunting “Who’s
That Girl” to the pizzicato urgency of “Here Comes the Rain Again”. As a
solo artist, Lennox released hit albums Diva and Medusa, among
others.
When not singing solo or collaborating with Stewart, Lennox
devotes her time to a variety of causes with particular emphasis on the fight against HIV/AIDS and poverty in Africa. She
has worked extensively with UNICEF, Nelson Mandela’s
46664 Foundation, and Witness.
In 2007, she wrote the song Sing to raise money and awareness for the global HIV/AIDS pandemic. She recorded this
song along with 23 of the world’s most acclaimed female
vocalists and since its release, Sing has raised over $2 million.
Through its partnership with the Treatment Action Campaign (TAC), monies raised by Sing
has helped to provide South Africans with AIDS treatment and testing, HIV education, and
prevention programmes.
In 2008, the British Red Cross presented Annie Lennox with their Services to Humanity Award.
In 2009, she received the Peace Summit Award from several Nobel Peace
Laureates attending the 10th World Summit of Nobel Peace Laureates in Berlin “for her efforts in
raising awareness on the impact of AIDS on women and children, especially in South Africa”.
"The daily brutality faced by millions of women and girls is unacceptable.
If we are to end the cycle of human devastation triggered by the AIDS epidemic,
we must address the rights of women and girls and challenge their second class
citizen status, which puts them at greater risk of HIV.”
46
Annie Lennox receives the 2009
Peace Summit Award in Berlin
SING
This is a call for the national implementation of mother to child transmission prevention programme in all the maternity hospitals in South Africa.
Sing, my sister, sing
Let your voice be heard
What won’t kill you will make you strong
Sing, my sister, sing
Sing, my sister, sing
Let your voice be heard
What won’t kill you will make you strong
Sing, my sister, sing
You don’t need to disrespect yourself again
Don't hide your light behind your fear
Now women can be strong
You’ve known it all along
What you need is what you haven’t found
So…
Sing, my sister, sing
Let your voice be heard
What won’t kill you will make you strong
Sing, my sister, sing
Sing, my sister, sing
Let your voice be heard
What won’t kill you will make you strong
Sing, my sister, sing
Women are the mothers of the world, my friend
I tell you womankind is strong
Take your beautiful self up to the heights again
(Ooh)
Back to the place where you belong
So…
Sing out
Sing loud
Sing proud
Sing, my sister, sing
Let your voice be heard
Sing, my sister, sing
Let your voice be heard
Sing, my sister, sing
Let your voice be heard
Sing, my sister, sing
Let your voice be heard
Written by: Ann Lennox
Published by: Universal Music - MGB Songs (ASCAP)
47
ORDINARY LOVE
There was no way U2 weren't going to win an award for a song about Nelson Mandela. And so it came to pass
at the 71st Golden Globe Awards that the Irish stadium rockers took home the Best Original Song trophy for
"Ordinary Love," their first new song in three years, written in honour of the late Nelson Mandela and featured in
the Idris Elba-starring biopic Mandela: "Long Walk to Freedom."
"This really is personal for us," Bono said during the band's acceptance speech. "This man turned our life upside
down, right-side up, a man who refused to hate, not because he didn't have rage or anger or these things, but that
he thought love would do a better job. We wrote a love song because it kind of is what is extraordinary about the film
- it is kind of a dysfunctional love story. That's why you should see this film. You know about the global statesman,
you don't know about the man, that's why you should see this film. We're good at the dysfunctional love stories."
The sunlight warms your skin
All the beauty that's been lost before wants to find us again
I can't fight you any more, it's you I'm fighting for
The sea throws rock together but time leaves us polished stones
We can't fall any further if
We can't feel ordinary love
And we can't reach any higher,
If we can't deal with ordinary love
Birds fly high in the summer sky and rest on the breeze.
The same wind will take care of you and I.
We'll build our house in the trees.
Your heart is on my sleeve
Did you put it there with a magic marker?
For years I would believe that the would couldn't wash it away
'Cause we can't fall any further if
We can't feel ordinary love
And we can't reach any higher,
If we can't deal with ordinary love
Are we tough enough for ordinary love?
We can't fall any further if
We can't feel ordinary love
And we can't reach any higher,
If we can't deal with ordinary love
We can't fall any further, if
We can't feel ordinary love
And we can't reach any higher,
If we can't deal with ordinary love
48
Written by: Bono and Danger Mouse
Published by: Danger Mouse
Nobel Peace Laureate Archbishop Emeritus Desmond Tutu embraces Irish singer Bono after his speech at the launch
of the book 'Tutu: The Authorised Portrait' at the St Georges Cathedral in Cape Town.
South Africa, 06 October 2011
49
FREDERIK WILLEM DE KLERK
During his presidency, Frederik Willem de Klerk ended apartheid and initiated the process that led to the granting of
full political and constitutional rights to all people of South Africa regardless of skin colour. Born in 1936 in Johannesburg, he was the son of Jan de Klerk, a leading politician who became a minister in the South African government and
president of the senate. His brother Willem was a newspaperman and one of the founders of the liberal Democratic
Party. F.W. de Klerk studied at Potchefstroom University and became a lawyer. He followed his father into politics,
joining the National Party and he was eventually elected to parliament in 1969. He earned his first cabinet post in 1978
and went on to serve variously as minister of telecommunications and social welfare, energy and environmental planning, internal affairs, and education.
For much of his time within government, de Klerk was regarded as a centrist in the National Party even though he had
initiated some of the most significant early reforms of the apartheid system. Nevertheless, there was little outward indication that he was fated to become the greatest reformer his country had ever seen. De Klerk made it clear in his
first speech after becoming leader of the National Party in February 1989, following the resignation of P.W. Botha as
party leader, that he wanted “a totally changed South Africa”. He became acting state president after P.W. Botha’s
resignation as president in August 1989 and was inaugurated state president in September 1989.
As state president, de Klerk initiated the process that led to the transformation of South Africa. He permitted the first
legal anti-government demonstrations and ordered the release of leading African National Congress prisoners.
On 2 February 1990, he opened the way to negotiations by announcing the release of Nelson Mandela and the unbanning of political organizations such as the ANC. He subsequently lifted the 5-year-old State of Emergency and ordered the dismantling of South Africa’s clandestine nuclear weapons programme. Over his five-year term as president,
de Klerk and his National Party removed all remaining vestiges of apartheid and entered into negotiations with the
ANC and other significant political parties. Together they drafted a new and inclusive constitution which extended political, economic, and civil rights to all South Africans.
In 1993, the Nobel Peace Prize was presented jointly to Frederik Willem de Klerk and Nelson Mandela for ending
apartheid and for establishing an inclusive and non-racial constitutional democracy. The following year, the nation’s
first free elections named Mandela president and de Klerk as one of two executive deputy presidents elected to
serve the country.
De Klerk stepped down as deputy president in 1996 and retired from politics in 1997. Just two years later, he published his autobiography and established the FW de Klerk Foundation. In 2004 he established the Global Leadership
Foundation in London and continues to campaign for peace and justice worldwide.
“for their work for the peaceful termination of the apartheid regime and for laying the
foundations for a new democratic South Africa.”
51
INTERVIEW
with Frederik
Willem de Klerk
Soon after he became President, FW de Klerk sent clear signals that he intended to implement the mandate for change
that he had received in the election. After meeting with Archbishop Tutu and other leaders of United Democratic Front,
he permitted peaceful protests in South Africa's major cities. He also announced that the government would release
some of the most prominent prisoners who had been convicted with Nelson Mandela at the Rivonia trial in 1964.
Listening to the wise words of the man who launched a new era in a divided country, it is always educational for me,
as it has been this time in Johannesburg. (July 2010)
Good afternoon Mr. de Klerk,
What factors led to your decision to initiate constitutional negotiations in February, 1990?
By the end of the ‘eighties all of the major parties had reached the conclusion that there could be no armed solution
to the escalating conflict in South Africa. There was general acceptance that we would only be able to solve our
complex inter-racial problems by reaching agreement on a new constitutional system based on equality and the constitutional protection of the rights of all South African citizens and communities. Our efforts were helped by the successful implementation of the UN independence process in Namibia. One of the main factors was, however, the collapse
of international communism because of the threat that Soviet involvement in southern Africa had posed since the mid1970s and because of the influence of the pro-Soviet South African Communist Party within the ANC.
How did you manage to persuade your followers to support such far-reaching transformation?
My party fought the 1986 and 1989 elections on an unambiguous platform of fundamental reform. Although we lost
some support, the majority of white South Africans voted for us. In 1992, when it appeared that white support for the
constitutional negotiations might be waning, I called a referendum in which almost 70% of whites voted for the continuation of the reform process. We succeeded in persuading most whites that their long term interests could be best
protected by peaceful negotiations and the constitutional protection of the rights of all South Africans.
What role did the international community play in helping you to come to your decision?
Our constitutional transformation process was a purely South African initiative. We did not want or need international
facilitators or mediation. At the same time - the international community and leading countries like the United States,
Britain, France and Germany - played an important role on the sidelines by providing encouragement and moral support
for the successful conclusion of the negotiations.
How were you able to establish constructive relations with the ANC - an organization that had until the end of
the 1980s been your government’s mortal enemy?
There had been some exploratory contacts between the ANC and the government during the late eighties that helped
to build confidence in the possibility of a negotiated solution. When we finally met one another in formal negotiations
all sides discovered that the other parties were not quite so bad as they had depicted them in their propaganda. They
also discovered that they shared important common interests and important common goals for the future.
1936
Born in Johannesburg, South Africa
52
1958
Graduates with LLB
degree,
Potchefstroom
University
1969
Marries Marike
Willemse. Elected
to parliament
1978
Becomes a cabinet
minister
1989
Assumes the leadership of the National
Party and becomes
State President
1990
Orders the release
of Mandela, the
unbanning of the ANC
and the lifting of the
State of Emergency
How did your relationship with Mr Nelson Mandela develop and what role did
it play in the search for a negotiated solution?
I first met Nelson Mandela in December 1989, while he was still in prison. We both
concluded that we would be able to work together. However, we remained political opponents and our relationship during the following six years was often stormy.
Nevertheless, when the situation required it - such as after the ANC’s withdrawal
from the negotiations in June 1992 and the assassination of Chris Hani - we were
always able to come together to get the process back on the tracks. After we both
retired from politics we became friends.
What were the main problems that you encountered during the negotiations?
The most serious problems that we encountered during the negotiations came
primarily from the threat posed by continuing violence. The main source of the
conflict was ongoing low-level warfare between the ANC and the Zulu-based Inkatha Freedom Party. At various stages, renegade elements within the security forces
and the ANC were responsible for instigating violence. We also experienced difficulties in keeping all the main parties within the negotiations. In June, 1992 the
ANC decided to boycott them, and as soon as they returned to the talks in September that year, the IFP and some right wing parties pulled out. The IFP returned to
the process only a few days before the elections on 27 April 1994.
The last President of segregation-era South Africa who
called an end to apartheid
and dismantled decades of
institutionalised racism in a
few short years.
Legacy
Legacy
Disproving the conventional philosophy that those
who hold power over others never willingly relinquish it, FW de Klerk had no sooner reached the peak
of his political career than when he declared his
intention to hand power over to the people. A fourthgeneration Afrikaaner politician from a prominent
family who seemingly had everything to lose, de
Klerk still took a stand for what he believed to be the
right path forward for his country, knowing that he
would very likely be sacrificing his and his party’s
political influence in the process.
De Klerk’s leap of faith also serves the purpose of
demonstrating that many white South Africans also
wanted an end to apartheid, a system that was dehumanising to all races. The fact that change was initiated from within the white establishment instead of
being purely a reaction to outside influence was
crucial to the peaceful transition to democracy, the
reconciliation of the people and the redemption of
South Africa as a nation.
1993
Receives Nobel
Peace Prize with
Nelson Mandela
1994
Democratic elections; appointed as
one of two executive
deputy presidents of
president Mandela
1996
National Party
withdraws from
Government of
National Unity
1997
Retires from active
politics
1998
Divorces Marike;
marries Elita
Georgiades
2000
Establishes the FW
de Klerk Foundation
53
What benefits has South Africa derived from the peaceful transition to constitutional democracy?
South Africa has derived enormous benefits. We are once again a respected member of the international community
and are playing a leading role in Africa. Until the global downturn in 2008 we had seventeen years of uninterrupted
economic growth. There has been a massive increase in tourism - which now contributes significantly more to our
economy than mining. We manufacture 600,000 cars a year and export 170,000. Perhaps, the best symbol of all of
this if the very successful FIFA World Cup that we hosted earlier this year.
Do you have any regrets? Are there any decisions in retrospect that you would like to change?
There are a few things that I would have done differently. However, I have no regrets about any of the major decisions
that I took - and, with all the knowledge of hindsight, would take them all again.
What qualities do leaders need to manage a complex process of historic change?
They must have a vision of a better future and must be able to persuade their followers to make that vision a reality.
They require good communication skills, resilience to overcome the inevitable setbacks, and perseverance to continue to pursue their vision regardless of all the problems and crises that historic change always involves.
Is the new South Africa today what you had in mind when you launched the transformation process twenty
years ago?
Naturally, there are many elements in the new South Africa that are disappointing - particularly our failure to improve
education, to create jobs and promote equality. However, I am happy with the fundamentals. We have a strong constitution; we have had consistent economic growth; we are a respected member of the international community; and relations between
South Africans from our different communities are good and getting
better. This is, indeed, what I had in mind and what I hoped for.
What is the most important lesson to teach a child?
Honour. If you are honourable you will have integrity; you will behave
correctly; you will treat everyone with consideration; and you will
have respect for yourself.
Who is the international figure that inspired you most in
strengthening your democratic values?
Bismark during the nineteenth century and Margaret Thatcher in my
own time.
Which is your favourite movie? And your favourite actor?
Alfred Hitchcock movies and my favourite actor is Paul Newman.
Which is the book that inspired your policy most?
The Bible.
Your favourite singer and song?
Luciano Pavarotti - and ‘Ave Maria’.
54
“...Mr Nelson Mandela could play
an important part. The Government
has noted that he has declared
himself to be willing to make a
constructive contribution to the
peaceful political process in South
Africa. I wish to put it plainly that
the Government has taken a firm
decision to release Mr Mandela
unconditionally” (1990)
“I think that it reflects an element of justice
that we (whites) who began this long
chapter in our history, should have been
called to close the book on apartheid.”
18 March 1992
“Mr Mandela has walked a long road and
now stands at the top of the hill…..
As he contemplates the next hill, I hold out
my hand to Mr Mandela - in friendship
and in co-operation.”
4 May 1994
“Today I look back and I say with great
humility: It was a privilege to lead our
country and my party in that period.
God Almighty created windows of opportunity for us.
We are thankful that He also gave us the
strength and courage to use them.”
9 September 1997
FW de Klerk's Nobel Lecture in Peace
(selected excerpts)
“…Five years ago people would have seriously
questioned the sanity of anyone who would have
predicted that Mr Mandela and I would be joint recipients of the 1993 Nobel Peace Prize. And yet both of
us are here before you today. We are political opponents.
We disagree strongly on key issues and we will soon fight
a strenuous election campaign against one another. But
we will do so, I believe, in the frame of mind and within the
framework of peace which has already been established.
…The coming election will not be about the past. It will
be about the future. It will not be about Blacks and
Whites, or Afrikaners and Xhosas. It will be about the
best solutions for the future in the interests of all our
people. It will not be about apartheid or armed struggle.
It will be about the future peace and stability, about
progress and prosperity, about nation-building…”
Copyright © The Nobel Foundation (1993)
THE CONNECTION
FREDERIK WILLEM DE KLERK AND PETER GABRIEL
WHILE GABRIEL WAS STILL IN THE PROCESS OF ESTABLISHING HIMSELF AS A SOLO ARTIST, HE RELEASED “BIKO” A SONG ABOUT THE SOUTH AFRICAN ANTI-APARTHEID
LEADER STEVE BIKO, WHO WAS KILLED IN PRISON IN 1977.
THIS WAS A BOLD MOVE, AS IN 1980 THE ANTI-APARTHEID
MOVEMENT WAS NOT YET THE CAUSE CÉLÈBRE AMONG
WESTERN ARTISTS THAT IT WOULD LATER BECOME AND
POP STARS WERE NOT YET SINGING OR SPEAKING ABOUT
SOUTH AFRICA. AT THE SAME TIME, FW DE KLERK WAS
GRADUALLY CLIMBING THE POLITICAL LADDER. EVENTUALLY, THIS CLIMB WOULD TAKE HIM TO A HEIGHT WHERE
HE WAS IN A POSITION TO EFFECT MASSIVE CHANGE IN
SOUTH AFRICA AND IMMEDIATELY STATED HIS DETERMINATION TO DO SO, EVEN THOUGH HE COULD NOT POSSIBLY
HAVE PREDICTED HOW THIS WOULD BE RECEIVED BY HIS
POLITICAL PEERS OR BY MANY OF THE PEOPLE. IN THE
END, HIS FAITH IN HIS COUNTRYMEN WAS WELL-PLACED.
55
PETER GABRIEL
A Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductee and winner of multiple Grammy Awards, Peter Gabriel has pushed the boundaries of technology for the music industry since he got his start with the band Genesis while still a student. Since
leaving Genesis in 1975, he has released seven solo albums, and is widely recognised as an innovator who helped give
rise to the music video as a form of art. His 1986 Sledgehammer video, created by then-unknown Aardman Animation
Studios, was recently named by MTV as the most played video of all time. He founded and owns Real World Studios
in Wiltshire, England, which houses both a cutting edge studio used by leading artists from around the world, as well
as a record label uniquely dedicated to recording and promoting a broad spectrum of international artists.
Gabriel first made his mark in the human rights arena in 1980 with the release of Biko, a song about the South African
anti-apartheid leader Steve Biko, who was killed while in police custody in 1977. Biko was the first popular song that
hit international airwaves to directly address the anti-apartheid struggle. That same year, Gabriel also founded WOMAD
(World of Music, Arts and Dance) to unite traditional and modern forms of music, art and dance from around the world
through international music festivals, fostering multicultural understanding and communication through the arts. This
is the only multicultural arts festival to have been successfully exported to a total of 26 countries.
Gabriel has had a long-standing relationship with Amnesty International and graciously participated in all of their acclaimed benefit tours of the 1980’s including the “Secret Policeman’s Ball” and “A Conspiracy of Hope”. In 1988, he participated in the “Human Rights Now!” Tour, that toured the world to promote the 40th anniversary of the Universal
Declaration of Human Rights. Gabriel shared the stage with Youssou N’Dour, Bruce Springsteen, Tracy Chapman and
Sting. This tour resulted in a doubling of Amnesty International’s worldwide membership and brought international
attention to many unpublicized human rights struggles.
In 1992 Gabriel founded Witness, to arm human rights activists around the world with hand-held video cameras,
computers and communication technology so they can document and subsequently put an end to human rights abuses
in their local communities. Founded in conjunction with the “Reebok Human Rights Foundation” and the “Lawyers
Committee for Human Rights”, Witness has supplied hundreds of cameras to individuals and organizations in over fifty
countries, provided video testimony to human rights commissions and international peace-keeping agencies and had
its work shown on television stations around the world. While continuing to write, produce and tour, Gabriel is one of
the most socially responsible and active celebrities in the world today. While continuing to guide the growth and development of Witness, he has supported the Nelson Mandela Foundation’s concerts for AIDS, spoken before the United
States Congress on human rights abuses in Burma, and campaigned internationally against the death penalty, torture
and juvenile incarceration.
In the year 2006, Peter Gabriel received the Peace Summit Award from several Nobel Peace Laureates attending the
7th World Summit of Nobel Peace Laureates in Rome “for his extensive contribution and work on behalf of human rights
and peace”.
"To receive this recognition from the Nobel Peace Laureates who have inspired me and
countless others with their extraordinary lives, means more than any of the other awards
I have been given.”
“Music speaks about emotions and reaches everybody.
As singers, we can be the instruments to build a world without violence.”
57
BIKO
September '77
Port Elizabeth weather fine
It was business as usual
In police room 619
Oh Biko, Biko, because Biko
Oh Biko, Biko, because Biko
Yihla Moja, Yihla Moja
-The man is dead
When I try and sleep at night
I can only dream in red
The outside world is black and white
With only one colour dead
Oh Biko, Biko, because Biko
Oh Biko, Biko, because Biko
Yihla Moja, Yihla Moja
-The man is dead
You can blow out a candle
But you can't blow out a fire
Once the flames begin to catch
The wind will blow it higher
Oh Biko, Biko, because Biko
oh Biko, Biko, because Biko
Yihla Moja, Yihla Moja
-The man is dead
And the eyes of the world are
watching now
watching now
Written by: Peter Gabriel
Published by: Real World
Music Ltd, EMI Music
Publishing
58
STEVEN BANTU BIKO
Steven Bantu Biko (1946-1977) was an anti-apartheid
activist in South Africa. His death in police custody
when he was only 30 years old was instrumental in
unifying black Africans in the struggle against the country’s government. In 1970, he founded the “Black
Consciousness Movement”, an organization born of the
anguish and frustration of educated Africans who saw
themselves deprived of any kind of freedom and ability
to prosper under apartheid. From 1973 onward, he was
forbidden to make speeches in public, publish his
writings or travel.
On the 6th of September 1977, the South African police
arrested Biko at a roadblock in Port Elizabeth. After
several days in prison, during which he was interrogated
and tortured, Biko suffered a massive head injury and
died after being driven over 1,000 kilometres naked and
handcuffed to another prison in Pretoria for medical
treatment. He left behind a wife and two young children.
According to the official police report, his death was
due to the effects of an extended hunger strike. Biko’s
death made him a symbol for black South Africans who
saw him as a martyr and a hero of the resistance
against the Afrikaner regime. His funeral provided the
occasion for a huge mass demonstration and his death
unleashed an international protest and an arms
embargo imposed by the United Nations. An inquiry at
the end of the 1980’s still failed to find anyone responsible for his death. However in 1997, five former policemen admitted to complicity in the incident.
In 1980, Peter Gabriel recorded a tremendously successful song entitled Biko, which was
banned from the South African radio
airwaves. The song was covered by
the group Simple Minds on their 1989
album Street Fighting Years, which
also included tracks dedicated to
other figures such as Nelson Mandela
and Víctor Jara. In 1987, the English
filmmaker Richard Attenborough
directed the movie Cry Freedom,
chronicling Biko’s final days. The film
starred Denzel Washington as Biko
and was based on the writings of a
white South African journalist and antiapartheid activist, Donald Woods.
Apartheid Legislation
As soon as the party assumed power in 1948, the Nationalist Government of South Africa began to enact laws to
define and enforce racial and ethnic segregation. What makes South Africa's apartheid era different from periods
of segregation and institutional racism that have occurred in other countries is the systematic way in which the
National Party formalised it through law. Key apartheid laws are described below.
1949 - Prohibition of Mixed Marriages Act, prohibited marriage between Whites and other races.
1957 - Immorality Amendment Act, prohibited adultery, fornication or related immoral acts (extra-marital sex)
between Whites and other races.
1950 - Population Registration Act, led to the creation of a national register in which every person's race was
recorded. All South Africans were classified as “White”, “Black”, “Coloured” or “Indian”. A Race Classification
Board took the final decision on what a person's race was in disputed cases.
1950 - Group Areas Act, forced physical separation between races by creating different residential areas for
different races. Led to forced removals of people living in "wrong" areas, for example, non-whites living in District
Six in Cape Town.
1950 - Suppression of Communism Act, outlawed communism and the Communist Party in South Africa. Under
the act, Communism was defined so broadly that it covered almost any call for radical change in the country.
“Communists” could be banned from participating in all political activities and were restricted to particular areas.
1951 - Bantu Building Workers Act, allowed black people to be trained as artisans in the building trade, something previously reserved for whites only but they had to work within an area designated for blacks. This law made
it a criminal offence for a black person to perform any skilled work in urban areas except in those sections designated for black occupation.
1951 - Separate Representation of Voters Act, together with the 1956 amendment, this act led to the removal
of non-whites from the common voters' roll.
1951 - Prevention of Illegal Squatting Act, gave the Minister of Native Affairs the power to remove Blacks from
public or privately owned land, destroying their homes if deemed necessary, and to establish resettlement camps
to house these displaced people.
1951 - Bantu Authorities Act, provided for the establishment of black homelands and regional authorities and,
with the aim of creating greater self-government in the homelands, abolished the Native Representative Council.
1952 - Natives Laws Amendment Act, narrowed the definition of the category of blacks who had the right to
permanent residence in towns. Section 10 limited this to those who had been born in a town and had lived there
continuously for not less than 15 years, or who had been employed there continuously for at least 15 years, or
who had worked continuously for the same employer for at least 10 years.
1952 - Natives (Abolition of Passes and Co-ordination of Documents) Act, commonly known as the Pass
Laws, this ironically named act forced black people to carry identification with them at all times. No black person
could leave a rural area for an urban one without a permit from the local authorities.
1953 - Native Labour (Settlement of Disputes) Act, prohibited strike action by blacks.
1953 - Bantu Education Act, established a Black Education Department in the Department of Native Affairs which
would compile a curriculum that suited the "nature and requirements of the black people". Its aim was to prevent
Africans receiving an education that would lead them to aspire to positions in society that they would not be allowed to hold.
1953 - Reservation of Separate Amenities Act, forced segregation in all public amenities, public buildings, and
public transport with the aim of eliminating contact between whites and other races. "Europeans Only" and "NonEuropeans Only" signs were put up. The act stated that facilities provided for different races need not be equal.
1959 - Promotion of Bantu Self-Government Act, allowed the creation of independent “Bantustans" which all
Blacks would be relocated to according to their ethnic categorization.
AFTERWORD
THE NOBEL PEACE PRIZE, AN ETHICAL NORTH STAR
History is all too often a story emphasising the pursuit
of war and power, while the stories of most of the
Nobel Peace Prize Winners illuminate another
historical perspective - the non-violent pursuit of
peace. The importance of changing the way that
history is taught, learned, and understood by youth
around the world, is the idea behind this book. The
importance of conceptualizing history through peace
rather than war is a factor that could serve to
Livia with Mikhail Gorbachev
eradicate the perpetual legacies of disaster currently
(2001)
engrained in so many education systems. The
curriculum study based on this book, will be used to inform the world’s youth
about how to responsibly look to the past in order to understand how to pave
the way for a more harmonious and sustainable future. Through the stories of
these bearers of guiding values, students may find their own ethically correct
reference points, and will eventually learn to self-identify as human rights
defenders who, when faced with injustice and inequality, can stand up and let
their voices be heard. From the vast number of peace-builders in the world worth
being acknowledged, I had the honour of meeting most of the recent Nobel
Peace Laureates in the last 15 years. With their stories and sacrifices, they have
touched my heart and inspired me in times of personal growth. Seeing now
students coming each year to the World Summit of Nobel Peace Laureates, from
different parts of the world, to meet and discuss about their future with "living
history", because that's what these extraordinary personalities are, makes my
ethical north star brighter every time.
Being Nobel goes through the integrated journeys of those who, by accident or
design, shaped the world history of the last 60 years. These visionaries of peace,
besides sharing the most prestigious Prize in the world, have in common a
sincere desire to strive for a better life for all. It is with this spirit that I started to
meticulously arrange the book, continent by continent, with separate chapters,
each dedicated to a Nobel Peace Laureate, illustrated by vivid and sometime
rare photography through which I could best convey my perception of these
talented peacemakers. I decided to connect to them the solidarity actions of
influential celebrities, who are using their fame to support humanitarian causes
directly related the ones of the Nobel Peace Laureates. Not everyone will agree
with each of the connections,
but hopefully all will be
inspired and, in most cases,
enriched.
A
significant
example is rock star Bono, the
leader of U2, known as much
for his charity work and
political activism as he is for
his music. Over the years, he
has put his fame to good use,
raising awareness and money
for humanitarian efforts,
particularly ones involving
Africa, starting in 1984, when
he sang on the first of the allstar charity singles Do They
Know
it's
Christmas?,
Livia with Muhammad Yunus (2006)
produced by Bob Geldof. The
U2 band also lent public
support to the Good Friday
Agreement, bringing John Hume and David Trimble onstage at their concert in Belfast, just
a few days before the historic peace agreement in Northern Ireland was signed. That is why
I connected him to these two political opponents, who received the Nobel Peace Prize in
1998. "...When a celebrity like Bono and Bob Geldof talks, the world listens. These people
play an extremely important role and it is important to appreciate and not trivialize what
they do", once remarked Wangari Maathai.
Having worked for children's rights for almost a decade, for KidsRights Foundation, I had the
privilege to meet courageous teenagers in different parts of the world, who strive to improve
their own circumstances, but also those of other children in their surroundings and even the
world. That's why I decided to also include the groundbreaking stories of the winners of the
International Children's Peace Prize, an award launched by KidsRights in 2005. By receiving
this yearly world-renowned recognition from a Nobel Peace Laureate, these incredibly
courageous kids get an outstanding permanent platform to speak out for children's rights. An
inspiring example is Chaeli, who received the prize for her commitment to the rights of
children with disabilities in South Africa, or Malala, who received the prize because she
stands up for every child’s right to an education. As Nobel Peace Laureate and patron of
KidsRights, Archbishop Desmond Tutu says: “KidsRights seeks to give a voice to the voiceless.
293
Getting closer to the history of the Nobel Peace
Prize, one discovers that this prestigious award has
encouraged many of the winners to persevere in
their noble aims, and has brought to the
international spotlight countless hidden conflicts
and ignored abuses. As in the case of the 1984, the
Nobel Prize was awarded to Desmond Tutu for his
work against apartheid, which immediately gained
the attention of the international community. This
quickly and significantly helped support for the
ongoing political and economic sanctions placed
on South Africa that pressured and helped
overthrow the apartheid regime. Standing against
the injustices of "inferior" education, Tutu used his
prize money to establish a bursary program for
Livia with Malala Yousafzai (2013)
non- white South African students to attend school
and study in the United States.
The 1996 prize serves as an example of how the Nobel Prize can make a significant
contribution to international peace. In the year 1975, while the whole world was asleep, a
Muslim-governed Indonesia invaded their small Catholic neighbour, Timor-Leste, which had
recently liberated itself from Portuguese colonisation. For years, the island of Timor-Leste
was brutalised by the new invaders, or at least until the Nobel Committee decided to award
the prize to José Ramos-Horta, its exiled Foreign Minister who later became President of the
island, and Carlos Filipe Ximenes Belo, the island's spiritual leader, who over the years
survived numerous assassination attempts on his life for having sheltered entire families. "In
the hope that this Prize will spur efforts to find a diplomatic solution based on the people's
right to self-determination", the Prize managed to turn the spotlight on a just cause ignored
by the media.
Mairead Corrigan and Betty Williams from Northern Ireland, and the Guatemalan Rigoberta
Menchù were young women when they received the Nobel Peace Prize. They all suffered and
witnessed terrible abuses, in Ireland the killing of family members by the Irish Republican
Army and the British forces, and in Guatemala the dictatorship tortured and killed loved
ones. These women never wavered in their selfless commitment to fight for justice and human
rights and were able to lead hundreds of thousands of people in peaceful protests. They
challenged those who love power with the unflinching power of caring and love.
Being Italian, I often remind students of the extraordinary gestures of solidarity from Ernesto
Teodoro Moneta from Milan, who, in 1907, became the first - and only - Italian to have won
294
the Nobel Peace Prize. In the mid 19th century,
Lombardy was under the rule of Austria, and
inspired by Giuseppe Mazzini, one of the
greatest political thinkers of the 1800’s, Moneta
created the Italian Peace Movement, involving
hundreds of Italians in the noble aim of unifying
the nation. The uprising of 1848 in Milan and
the bloody consequences of those events left an
indelible mark on him. He was then 15 years
old and was already fighting on the front line
with his father and brothers. One day he saw
three Austrian soldiers fatally wounded. "This
sight froze the blood in my veins, and I was
overcome by a great compassion. In these three
soldiers I no longer saw enemies but men like
Livia with Desmond Tutu (2010)
myself... In that instant I felt all the cruelty and
inhumanity of war", Moneta related when
awarded the Prize in Oslo. After fighting alongside Giuseppe Garibaldi, his passion for
truth and information led him to journalism, and as editor he prompted Il Secolo di
Milano [The Century of Milan] to be the most widely read daily newspaper in Italy for
almost 30 years.
This book does not exhaust the many acts, deeds and heroic gestures of its protagonists. But
from many examples one can see a common message: peace is an absolute value to be
pursued with persistence and dialogue.
I would like to conclude with a quote by Father Belo from Timor-Leste, which I believe
summerises the essence of this project: "Society is a succession of interwoven rings in which
each generation has the duty to contribute to the next generation in order to live in the world
peacefully fraternally. On your shoulders, dear young people of the entire world, weigh the
responsibility to transform tomorrow's world into a society where peace, harmony and
fraternity reign."
I dedicate this book to Rosa Parks, the queen mother of a movement whose single act of
heroism sparked a movement for freedom, justice and equality. Her greatest contribution is
that she told us a regular person can make a difference.
I also dedicate this book to all students of the world, including my two boys Nicola and
Giovanni.
295
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
I would like to thank everyone who
helped to make this book a reality.
Without the enthusiastic support of the
following friends, it would have been
impossible to finalize this first and the
second editions of "Being Nobel":
David Steward and Megan Bronwin Dick
from FW de Klerk Foundation, Piotr
Gulczynski from Lech Walesa Institute,
Lamiya Moshed from Yunus Centre,
Vladimir Polyakov from Gorbachev
Foundation, Ashley Woods and the
International Peace Bureau, Jonathan
Granoff from Middle Power Initiative,
Livia with Sharon Stone (2013)
David Ives and Louis Venturelli from the
Albert Schweitzer Institute, Louis Alberto
Cordero from Arias Foundation, Fuad Al-Hothefy from Tawakkol Karman
organisation, Sonia Neto from the European Commission, Gensei Ito from ASCA,
Didi Mills from Hong Kong, Ambassador Thomas Stelzer, Ekaterina Zagladina,
Enzo Cursio, Matteo Rebesani, Silvia Manco, Manfredo Fraccola, Viktoria
Vedvariani, Paula Mancini, Peter Kolbe, Luca D'Alessio, and Flaminia Spadone
from the Permanent Secretariat of the World Summit of Nobel Peace Laureates,
Sara Wilson from The Hunger Project, Marc Dullaert, Roland Van der Hoek, Cindy
De Visser, Sjierly Rodrigues Pereira and Ellen Vroonhof from KidsRights
Foundation, Mauro Aparo from Ugo La Malfa Foundation, Edy Quaggio, Filippo di
Robilant, Renato Roncagli Miceli, Alessandro di Gregorio, Rima Akkad, Anna
Maria Callisto, Lorenzo Attolico, Filippo Aparo and Shahram Azizi.
Cover photo of His Holiness The Dalai Lama by Pascal Della Zuana.
Photographs from Corbis, Getty Images, AFP and Keystone/AP, Peter Badge/Typos1
Irina Kalashnikova, Archive of the World Summit of Nobel Peace Laureates.
Sean Sutton/Mines Advisory Group, page 96.
Mitra Mahasseni, page 206.
Second Photo of Ramos-Horta: Romney Müller-Westernahgen, 2015.
Maps from National Geographic Education.
No state or individual can be secure in an insecure world. The values of
nonviolence in intention, thought, and practice have grown from an option
to a necessity. These values are expressed in their application between states,
groups and individuals.
We are convinced that adherence to the values of nonviolence will usher in
a more peaceful, civilized world order in which more effective and fair governance, respectful of human dignity and the sanctity of life itself, may become
a reality.
Our cultures, our histories, and our individual lives are interconnected and
our actions are interdependent. Especially today as never before, we believe, a truth lies before us:
our destiny is a common destiny. That destiny will be defined by our intentions, decisions and actions
today.
We are further convinced that creating a culture of peace and nonviolence, while a difficult and long
process, is both necessary and noble. Affirmation of the values contained in this Charter is a vital step
to ensuring the survival and development of humanity and the achievement of a world without violence.
We, Nobel Peace Laureates and Laureate Organizations,
Reaffirming our commitment to the Universal Declaration of Human Rights;
Moved by concern for the need to end the spread of violence at all levels of society and especially
the threats posed on a global scale that jeopardize the very existence of humankind;
Reaffirming that freedom of thought and expression is at the root of democracy and creativity;
Recognizing that violence manifests in many ways, such as armed conflict, military occupation,
poverty, economic exploitation, environmental destruction, corruption and prejudice based on race,
religion, gender, or sexual orientation;
Realizing that the glorification of violence as expressed through commercial entertainment can contribute to the acceptance of violence as a normal and acceptable condition;
In the knowledge that those most harmed by violence are the weakest and vulnerable;
Remembering that peace is not only the absence of violence but that it is the presence of justice and
the well-being of people;
Realizing that the failure of States to sufficiently accommodate ethnic, cultural and religious diversity is at the root of much of the violence in the world;
CHARTER FOR A WORLD WITHOUT VIOLENCE
"Violence is a preventable disease.
Recognizing the urgent need to develop an alternative approach to collective security based on a
system in which no country, or group of countries, relies on nuclear weapons for its security;
Being aware that the world is in need of effective global mechanisms and approaches for nonviolent
conflict prevention and resolution, and that they are most successful when applied at the earliest
possible moment;
Affirming that persons invested with power carry the greatest responsibility to end violence where it
is occurring and to prevent violence whenever possible;
Asserting that the values of nonviolence must triumph at all levels of society as well as in relations
between States and peoples;
Beseech the global community to advance the following principles:
First: In an interdependent world, the prevention and cessation of armed conflict between and within
States can require the collective action of the international community. The security of individual
states can best be achieved by advancing global human security. This requires strengthening the
implementation capacity of the UN system as well as regional cooperative organizations.
Second: To achieve a world without violence, States must abide by the rule of law and honor their
legal commitments at all times.
Third: It is essential to move without further delay towards the universal and verifiable elimination
of nuclear and other weapons of mass destruction. States possessing such weapons must take
concrete steps towards disarmament, and a security system that does not rely on nuclear deterrence.
At the same time, States must sustain their efforts to consolidate the nuclear non-proliferation regime,
by taking such measures as strengthening multilateral verification, protecting nuclear material and
advancing disarmament.
Fourth: To help eliminate violence in society, the production and sale of small arms and light weapons
must be reduced and strictly controlled at international, regional, state and local levels. In addition
there should be full and universal enforcement of international disarmament agreements, such as the
1997 Mine Ban Treaty, and support for new efforts aimed at the eradication of the impact of victimactivated and indiscriminate weapons, such as cluster munitions. A comprehensive and effective
Arms Trade Treaty needs to be enacted.
Fifth: Terrorism can never be justified because violence begets violence and because no acts of terror
against the civilian population of any country can be carried out in the name of any cause. The struggle against terrorism cannot, however, justify violation of human rights, international humanitarian
law, civilized norms, and democracy.
Sixth: Ending domestic and family violence requires unconditional respect for the equality, freedom,
dignity, and rights of women, men and children by all individuals, institutions of the state, religion
and civil society. Such protections must be embodied in laws and conventions at local and international levels.
298
Eighth: Preventing conflicts arising from the depletion of natural resources, in particular sources of
energy and water, requires States to affirmatively and, through creation of legal mechanisms and
standards, provide for the protection of the environment and to encourage people to adjust their
consumption on the basis of resource availability and real human needs.
Ninth: We beseech the UN and its member states to promote appreciation of ethnic, cultural and religious diversity. The golden rule of a non-violent world: Treat others as you wish to be treated.
Tenth: The principal political tools for bringing into being a non-violent world are functioning democratic institutions and dialogue based on dignity, knowledge, and compromise, conducted on the
basis of balance between the interests of the parties involved, and, when appropriate, including
concerns relating to the entirety of humanity and the natural environment.
Eleventh: All states, institutions and individuals must support efforts to address the inequalities in the
distribution of economic resources, and resolve gross inequities which create a fertile ground for
violence. The imbalance in living conditions inevitably leads to lack of opportunity and, in many
cases, loss of hope.
Twelfth: Civil society, including human rights defenders, peace and environmental activists must be
recognized and protected as essential to building a nonviolent world as all governments must serve
the needs of their people, not the reverse. Conditions should be created to enable and encourage civil
society participation, especially that of women, in political processes at the global, regional, national and local levels.
Thirteenth: In implementing the principles of this Charter we call upon all to work together towards
a just, killing-free world in which everyone has the right not to be killed and responsibility not to
kill others.
To address all forms of violence we encourage scientific research in the fields of human interaction
and dialogue, and we invite participation from the academic, scientific and religious communities
to aid us in the transition to non-violent, and non-killing societies."
Mairead Corrigan Maguire, Dalai Lama, Mikhail Gorbachev, Lech Walesa, F.W. De Klerk, Desmond
Tutu, Jody Williams, Mohamed ElBaradei, John Hume, Carlos Filipe Ximenes Belo, Betty Williams,
Muhammad Yunus, Wangari Maathai, International Physicians for the Prevention of Nuclear War,
International Committee of the Red Cross, International Atomic Energy Agency, American Friends
Service Committee, International Peace Bureau.
CHARTER FOR A WORLD WITHOUT VIOLENCE
Seventh: Every individual and state shares responsibility to prevent violence against children and
youth, our common future and most precious gift. All have a right to quality education, effective
primary health care, personal safety, social protection, full participation in society and an enabling
environment that reinforces non-violence as a way of life. Peace education, promoting non-violence
and emphasizing the innate human quality of compassion, must be an essential part of the curriculum of educational institutions at all levels.