Albert Luthuli

Lore & Background

Albert Luthuli was born in 1898 at a Seventh-day Adventist mission in Bulawayo, Rhodesia, to a Zulu family. After his father died when he was about six months old, he was raised by his mother Mtonya. In 1908 he moved to Groutville, South Africa, to attend school under his uncle, Chief Martin Luthuli. He graduated with a teaching degree, became a school principal, and later earned a Higher Teacher's Diploma at Adams College. He taught at Adams College and became secretary of the Natal Native Teachers' Association in 1928, then its president in 1933.

Luthuli entered politics in 1935 when he was elected chief of the Umvoti River Reserve in Groutville. He joined the ANC in 1944 and became provincial president of the Natal branch in 1951. In 1952 he led the Defiance Campaign against pass laws, was removed from his chief position for refusing to choose between the ANC and his chieftaincy, and was elected President-General of the ANC. After the Sharpeville massacre, he initially opposed armed resistance but gradually accepted it while personally remaining committed to nonviolence. His power waned after banning orders, imprisonment of allies, and the banning of the ANC.

Reader's Guide

Albert Luthuli's significance lies in his leadership of the nonviolent anti-apartheid movement and his recognition with the 1960 Nobel Peace Prize. Inspired by his Christian faith and Gandhi's methods, he advocated for a non-racial South Africa and formed multi-racial alliances with the South African Indian Congress and the white Congress of Democrats, which drew backlash from Africanists who believed Africans should not ally with other races. This schism led to the creation of the Pan-Africanist Congress. Luthuli's supporters compare him to Gandhi and Martin Luther King Jr., the latter of whom admired him. Despite the shift to armed struggle with the creation of uMkhonto we Sizwe, Luthuli remained personally committed to nonviolence. His legacy endures as a global icon of peace and a key figure in the struggle against apartheid.

Did You Know?

• Luthuli was born at a Seventh-day Adventist mission in Bulawayo, Rhodesia (now Zimbabwe).
• He was elected chief of the Umvoti River Reserve in Groutville in 1935.
• He was awarded the 1960 Nobel Peace Prize for leading the nonviolent anti-apartheid movement.
• Luthuli participated in his first act of civil disobedience at Edendale school, protesting a punishment that damaged uniforms.

Notable Quotes (Wikiquote)

"[1]Luthuli used these words to explain his belief that sacrifice, suffering, and perseverance were necessary in the struggle against racial oppression in South Africa." — Albert Luthuli "Our vision has always been that of a non-racial democratic South Africa which upholds the rights of all who live in our country to remain there as full citizens with equal rights and responsibilities." — Albert Luthuli "[2]Luthuli expressed this principle while discussing the African National Congress and its commitment to democracy, equality, and justice." — Albert Luthuli "Who could deny that much of the present bitterness between the races in South Africa stems from the uncompromising white refusal to accept the African as a fellow human being?" — Albert Luthuli