Jody Williams calls for radical humanity and collective courage at Desmond Tutu Peace Lecture

As South Africa marks another Nobel Peace Prize milestone, the 2026 lecture challenges the world to confront division, reject complicity and turn hope into action.

In a world fractured by conflict, polarisation and inequality, insisting on our shared humanity has become a radical act. This was the defining message emerging from today's Desmond Tutu International Peace Lecture, where Nobel Peace Laureate Jody Williams challenged audiences to move beyond passive hope and take responsibility for creating a more peaceful world.

The lecture coincided with the announcement that South African human rights jurist Judge Navi Pillay had been awarded the 2026 Nobel Peace Prize, renewing international attention on South Africa's contribution to peace, justice and human dignity.

Held at the Baxter Theatre in Cape Town, the lecture formed part of the Desmond & Leah Tutu Legacy Foundation's TUTU95: United for Humanity campaign, commemorating what would have been Archbishop Desmond Tutu's 95th birthday. Under the theme A Kinder, Braver, More Human World, the gathering challenged audiences to consider how humanity can prevail in an increasingly divided world.

Williams, who received the 1997 Nobel Peace Prize alongside the International Campaign to Ban Landmines, delivered a provocative and deeply personal address on courage, complicity and collective responsibility.

"If you know something's wrong and you don't do something to make it different, you are complicit," she told the audience. Reflecting on childhood experiences of standing up against discrimination, Williams illustrated how seemingly small acts of courage can challenge injustice.

"When we stand up, we make a difference,” she said. “You all know it. Your country knows it. My country needs to relearn it. The world right now needs to relearn it."

Questioning society's glorification of conflict, she challenged why peace struggles to command the same attention and resources as war. "Peace isn't sexy. War is glorious, right?" she remarked, asking how people could be made to understand that peace is "the fabric that makes life liveable".

Her address confronted global conflict, the concentration of wealth and power, and the risks posed by artificial intelligence and nuclear weapons. She also acknowledged the difficulty of recognising humanity in those whose actions we fundamentally oppose, reflecting a central tension within Archbishop Tutu's philosophy of reconciliation.

Opening the lecture, Janet Jobson, CEO of the Desmond & Leah Tutu Legacy Foundation, reflected on Tutu's unwavering belief in humanity's capacity for goodness.

"The Arch believed that peace is something people make together through ordinary acts of courage. He also believed stubbornly that we as people are made for goodness," said Jobson.

She described the annual lecture as an opportunity for collective witnessing, reflection and action, reinforcing that peace requires participation rather than passive optimism.

Representing PeaceJam globally, Sergio Titus shared his journey from a young South African seeking to understand peace to mentoring future peacebuilders. "The start of peacebuilding, to me, is simply to listen and be able to look at the person next to you and see their dignity, see their humanity, understand their story," he said.

Acclaimed South African singer-songwriter Msaki brought another dimension to the programme through music exploring grief, struggle and hope.

"Songs of hope come after I've meditated on what's wrong and really lamented," she shared, reminding audiences that hope often emerges through confronting suffering rather than turning away from it.

As polarisation and division deepen worldwide, the lecture reinforced that recognising our shared humanity is itself an act of courage. Under the banner of TUTU95: United for Humanity, the gathering challenged audiences to move beyond expressions of hope towards collective action.

Williams' message echoed Archbishop Tutu's enduring conviction that our humanity is inextricably bound together. Peace is not simply the absence of conflict, but something individuals and communities must actively create.

In a poignant moment of celebration, the audience joined together to sing Happy Birthday in honour of three remarkable individuals whose lives embody the power of ordinary people to create extraordinary change. The gathering marked what would have been Archbishop Desmond Tutu’s 95th birthday on 7 October, Nobel Peace Laureate Jody Williams’ birthday today, and Mama Leah Tutu’s birthday on 14 October. The shared celebration was a fitting tribute to lives defined by courage, compassion and an unwavering commitment to humanity, reinforcing the spirit of TUTU95: United for Humanity.

“The message from Cape Town was clear: hope is a collective act, humanity is our shared responsibility, and peace begins with what each of us chooses to do next,” Jobson closed.