Cape Town – Archbishop Desmond Tutu was remembered yesterday, 14 months after his passing, in the screening of a new and in-depth documentary which seeks to remember him.
The Old Granary building in Cape Town housed the screening of “A Tree Has Fallen – Remembering Desmond Tutu” a documentary that takes an intimate look into the Arch’s remarkable life. Desmond Tutu’s daughter, Mpho Tutu van Furth, who also featured in the documentary, shared with the Weekend Argus how she misses her father dearly.
“Actually, I just miss the fact of him being around. There are so many details and dimensions of missing, but it’s the himness of him that I miss.
“First, he was my dad. My loving, wise, funny, stern, prayerful daddy. He was my co-author who sharpened my thinking and encouraged my writing. He was a grandfather and great grandfather to my children and grandchildren who was excited by each birth and was funny, silly, playful and gentle. He and my mom were my heroes; they were very much a unit,” she said.
Marika Griehsel, the director of the intimate documentary, said that her wish is for people to reflect, and remember and be proud of South Africa, and keep on being inspired by the words and deeds of Archbishop Desmond Tutu and Nelson Mandela.
“I hope that people of all ages, and anywhere in the world, will discuss what makes a good leader. We are in deep need of good and honest leadership all over this globe. I had the great fortune to meet and talk to both these leaders, and I am deeply grateful for what they did, not just in SA but in the whole world,” she said.
Griehsel shared that she encountered various challenges during the making of this documentary, for example, how she had to continue working on the documentary even after the passing of Archbishop Tutu.
“And after the Arch’s passing in December 2021, we continued our interviews, and after that there was no way back. I had given myself a task and to me it was very important that I could work independently and feel free.
“We had some challenges with making choices with our archival material. We had to go over many hours of interviews that I had done previously with the Arch – many reports that I had made from 1990 - 2005,” she said.
“A Tree Has Fallen – Remembering Desmond Tutu” remembers Archbishop Tutu’s fight for justice, peace and democracy which made him one of the most powerful voices during the struggle against the racist minority regime in South Africa. The documentary is supported by the Desmond and Leah Tutu Legacy Foundation.