Archbishop Emeritus Desmond Tutu has dedicated his United States Presidential Medal of Freedom to all South Africans who fought for freedom and justice.
”I am standing out only because millions of my compatriots are carrying me on their shoulders,” he said in a statement after receiving the award from US President Barack Obama at the White House on Wednesday.
The ”extraordinary symbolism” of America’s first African American president presenting the award to ”a former South African township urchin”, was humbling, he said.
Tutu was among 16 actors, athletes, activists, scientists and humanitarians to receive the award from Obama.
Other recipients include Irish President and United Nations human rights commissioner Mary Robinson and British physicist Stephen Hawking.
Tutu said Obama’s rise to the Oval Office gave hope not just to America, but to the whole world as it grappled with global warming, the global financial crisis, poverty, prejudice and HIV/Aids.
”We are honoured that in these trying times the president saw fit to salute the contribution South Africans have made to deepen the worlds understanding of peace, justice and reconciliation,” he said.
The Presidential Medal of Freedom is the highest civilian award in the US, and is not limited to US citizens or civilians.
It recognises people who have made an especially meritorious contribution to the security or national interests of the US, world peace, cultural or other significant public or private endeavours.
According to the Associated Press, the White House described Tutu as having ”unflagging devotion to justice, indomitable optimism, and an unmistakable sense of humor…[and of stirring] the world’s conscience for decades”.
”As a man of the cloth, he has drawn the respect and admiration of a diverse congregation,” the White House said.
Tutu had led South Africa through a turning point in modern history with unshakeable humility and a commitment to common humanity.
”He helped heal wounds and lay the foundation for a new nation. Desmond Tutu continues to give voice to the voiceless and bring hope to those who thirst for freedom.”
Before placing the blue-ribboned medal around the neck of wheelchair-bound scientist Hawking, Obama joked he was a ”brilliant man and a mediocre student”.
”From his wheelchair, he’s led us on a journey to the farthest and strangest reaches of the cosmos. In so doing, he has stirred our imagination and shown us the power of the human spirit here on Earth.”
Obama’s selection of Robinson to receive the medal sparked anger among some pro-Israel lobby groups, who accused her of bias against the Jewish state.
But Obama described the former United Nations Commissioner for Human Rights as an ”advocate for the hungry and the hunted,” though his spokesperson Robert Gibbs earlier said the president did not agree with all of her beliefs.
”It’s been said that Sidney Poitier does not make movies, he makes milestones — milestones of artistic excellence, milestones of America’s progress,” Obama said of the famed star of Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner.
Poitier, the president added, had not only entertained, but shifted racial attitudes, broadened hearts and brought Americans together.
Poignantly, another medal recipient, Senator Edward Kennedy, was missing from the ceremony, and was represented by his daughter Kara.
Kennedy, who is battling brain cancer, suffered another blow on Tuesday with the death of his sister Eunice Kennedy Shriver.
”The life of Senator Edward M Kennedy has made a difference for us all,” Obama said.
Obama also honoured economist Yunus, who lifted millions of people out of poverty by offering them small loans.
”Muhammad Yunus was just trying to help a village, but he somehow managed to change the world,” he said.
Obama also presented medals to breast cancer crusader Nancy Goodman Brinker, medical campaigner Pedro Jose Greer Jr, tennis legend Billie Jean King, civil rights leader Reverend Joseph Lowery, native American tribal chief Joseph Medicine Crow, former Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O’Connor, actress Chita Rivera, and cancer researcher Dr Janet Davison Rowley.
He awarded posthumous medals to former Republican congressman, football quarterback and vice presidential candidate Jack Kemp and gay rights campaigner Harvey Milk. – Sapa, AFP