Desmond Tutu received the Nobel Prize for Peace in 1984 for his role in the opposition to apartheid in South Africa. He became South Africa's first black Anglican bishop in 1985, and he retired as archbishop of Cape Town in 1996 and became archbishop emeritus. In 2010 he effectively withdrew from public life and continued his work with the Elders, a group of international leaders he cofounded in 2007 for the promotion of conflict resolution and problem solving throughout the world.

In addition to the Nobel Prize, Tutu received numerous honours, including the U.S. Presidential Medal of Freedom (2009), an award from the Mo Ibrahim Foundation that recognized his lifelong commitment to “speaking truth to power” (2012), and the Templeton Prize (2013).  He was also a prolific author.

photograph: Benny Gool—Oryx Media/Desmond Tutu Peace Centre