The Tutu Class of 2024 graduated on 8 September 2024 that culminated in a joyful celebration at the Africa Centre in London. The keynote speaker, Moky Makura from AfricaNoFilter, challenged us to examine and take accountability for the stories we tell about the continent – a fitting capstone to a 6 month journey during which we examined and expanded the stories we hold about ourselves, others, and the world at large.

Our exploration meandered along three pathways: Deepening our Roots to build the capacity for self-leadership, connecting to and learning from the Tribes we belong to (especially this one!) so we can grow in how we lead others, and exploring what it means to be a Good Ancestor when it comes to nudging positive and enduring systemic change.

Judging from the feedback, the signature experiential modules of the program delighted and challenged us all in equal measure. Stepping into the conductor’s seat in the magical Balliol College chapel left no-one untouched. How is it possible that Peter Hanke and his team can help reveal our leadership patterns so precisely, just by observing us ‘leading without words’? Coming on the back of the insightful Shakesperean session on Leadership Archetypes offered by Caroline Kilpatrick, we all stepped out with new awareness. The African Cookery School experience was described as ‘life-changing’ and ‘eye opening’ – an amazing opportunity to discover how we show up in a pressurised and resource constrained environment, where much is beyond our control.

We were blessed by the academic speakers who joined us at Oxford, including our (by now familiar) colleagues Ian Goldin, Stefan Dercon and Ngaire Woods, and for the first time Prof John Tasioulas who offered a thought provoking talk on AI. James Mwangi from Africa Climate Ventures challenged us on taking innovative action when it comes to climate change, while Mark Kaigwa from Nendo offered a perspective on the challenge of leading a youthful continent, reflecting the intersection between social media and societal protest. Martin Kalungu-Banda joined our close friend Shadreck Chirikure for a vibrant dialogue on having agency in the context of intergenerational patterns of change, and the personal stories they shared really brought home what is possible when leaders choose to be both humble and courageous.

On the back of the highly valued introduction of a session on Trauma-informed Leadership in 2023, we were very grateful to Amy Fox (Founder and CEO of Mobius Executive Leadership) for choosing to join us once again this year. One of our fellows reflected on how this topic is a chronically undiagnosed and underdiscussed reality in our world; another referenced the value of being more conscious about the patterns that would otherwise stay in our blind spot, hard as it is to ‘take a look’.

From Oxford, we headed to the Conduit Club in London for our conversation with Andrew Feinstein, who has addressed every Tutu Fellowship cohort to date. Andrew’s provocative perspective on speaking truth to power – a choice he continues to make every day – left a number of us asking ourselves where we might be ‘playing small’.

Sunday morning’s learning integration and peer feedback session in the Africa Centre was rich and extended. It is always hard to accept that journeys as profound as this one, also come to an end, yet the depth of friendship that was revealed by the honest conversation will extend far into the future. Our last session, drawing on the tools of theatre to embody our purposeful commitments, was once again masterfully hosted by the MAP Consortium – thank you Chris and team!

The final award ceremony was a touching close to a magnificent journey together – the attached photo reveals a tiny glimpse into the magic of this collective of humans. Thank you Class of 2024, for joining our Tutu Family – it has been a true privilege to walk this path with you!

 Header Image - Official picture of the Class of 2024 from the London Oxford Workshop.