The Desmond Tutu programme (DTP)
The Desmond Tutu Programme (DTP)
On June 16, 2007, Archbishop Emeritus Desmond Mpila Tutu visited VU University Amsterdam on the occasion of South Africa’s Youth Day, which commemorates the Soweto Uprisings of 1976. As an international icon and Nobel Laureate, Archbishop Tutu is a global symbol of reconciliation, multiculturalism and the striving towards a “rainbow” society. To honour Archbishop Tutu’s lifetime struggle against inequality and his quest for reconciliation, VU University Amsterdam offered the Archbishop a Chair on Youth, Sports & Reconciliation to bear his name. The themes of the chair (and subjects related to it) also provide directions for VU University Amsterdam’s internationalisation programme in South Africa, the Desmond Tutu Programme (DTP). The assumption underlying the DTP is that VU University Amsterdam will be working together with its South African partners in a spirit of international academic cooperation, while at the same time contributing to issues of capacity building at campuses in South Africa.
Four faculties will host a Desmond Tutu chair for an initial period of five years: the Faculty of Social Sciences (FSS), the Faculty of Economics and Business Administration (FEWEB), the Faculty of Human Movement Sciences (FBW), and the Faculty of Theology (FGG). As from October 1st 2009, the Faculty of Medicine will also host a Desmond Tutu chair.
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