Elgan speaks
...and her words thunder across the land

Today�s inspiration is from harri3tspy. Thank you!

Tuesday, Feb. 3, 2004
8:49 a.m.
You know you live in Canada when you overhear a couple of students on campus frolicking in the -5�C sunshine and saying to each other, �It�s so warm out!�

In the fall of 1999, our university held a special convocation in order to confer a doctorate of laws honoris causa on Archbishop Desmond Tutu of South Africa. I actually missed a world premiere of one of my husband�s works in Montreal that day because I was not going to miss this. The entire gymnasium was filled with chairs, and the highschools had bussed in students, so that all the seats on the floor and in the bleachers were filled. And for good reason. It was one of the most moving experiences of my life.

In his convocation address, Desmond Tutu talked about the end of apartheid in South Africa, the election of a majority government and the work of the Truth and Reconciliation committee set up to look into the horrible, horrible things done by the white government. I find the name quite interesting in itself. Some of the things he told us made one particular highschool audience member say �Ew!� loud enough for all to hear, and there were many audible gasps as he described the tortures and iniquities heaped on blacks by their white rulers. He was inspiring.

He is an Anglican priest though, and had to bring God and Jesus into the whole thing. The title of his address could have been �In the Fullness of Time�, and he spent a lot of time talking about the power of prayer, and how he and his fellow churchmen had prayed that the world would take note, and when the rest of the world started praying, change was effected. I don�t know about that. My own belief in supreme beings and their actions for the benefit or detriment of mankind is rather lacking. But the ending of the convocation made up for all that.

As usual, the L�ville Pipe Band had piped in the convocation, which always brings a tear to my eye. But on the way off the podium, we all of a sudden heard the wail of a trumpet, and Tiger Okoshi (who was there for a concert at Centennial Theatre the next night) launched into �Oh When the Saints� to the accompaniment of our own Goat on jazz guitar. Desmond Tutu, who is a really cute, short guy, danced his way out of the hall, followed by the staid members of the faculty and administration in their robes. It was quite something, something I will remember for all time.

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