Rev Naomi Tutu reconnected with former colleague Milly Morrow to create an event that balanced mourning with resilience—a reflection of her lifelong work shaped by South Africa’s Apartheid struggle. She encouraged students seeking social or institutional change to persist despite resistance, noting that transformation is gradual and built through “small victories.” Drawing on her anti-Apartheid activism at Berea College, she urged students to remember that justice movements unfold over generations and that perseverance is part of a collective story toward liberation.
Mungi Ngomane emphasised the importance of dialogue in social change, citing her grandfather Desmond Tutu’s belief in maintaining communication even with opponents. Both women discussed the value of learning from past movements and accessing alternative media and community-based histories, such as those preserved at the Highlander Center or the King Center. Naomi also warned against relying solely on U.S. mainstream media, which she views as biased in global conflicts.
Naomi: ‘I continue to be amazed that major newspapers [in the U.S.] are still talking about the Israel-Hamas war. What Israel-Hamas war? No, we are facing a genocide. The Palestinian people are facing a genocide, and if we stay on U.S. media, we will continue to listen to these sources that are biased and not covering the full story.”
Reflecting on their upbringing, they described how activism shaped their values, with each finding her own path in the broader pursuit of justice grounded in faith, resilience, and Ubuntu!
Mungi: “I used to joke that the family business wasn’t handed down to me, specifically because I am not a priest. But it wasn’t forced upon me. I ended up working with the peace and conflict side and the Ubuntu side.
Along with my grandparents saying to my mom, ‘whatever you do, it will be enough,’ she [also] said [this] to my brother and me.
No matter which struggle for justice you choose, they’re all interconnected.”
To read the full interview: https://wwcecho.news/features/nontombi-naomi-tutu-and-mungi-ngomane