A gentle rabble-rouser
A gentle rabble-rouser

Summary/Abstract: ‘A rabble-rouser for peace’ is the title of a biography of Desmond Tutu, written by John Allen (2006). Years ago I received this book from Kris Vanspauwen and his colleagues. I still remember very well how Kris handed it over to me. I must confess that the meaning of ‘rabble-rouser’ was unknown to me, and I needed to consult an English dictionary. I would like to call Kris a ‘gentle rabble-rouser’. Kris had the chance to personally interview Desmond Tutu in 2007 (Vanspauwen, 2007), but putting them on the same footing is risky. True, there are some similarities between these two men, but also, obviously, enormous differences. They shared the same sense of justice and peace, their love for people and an admirable fortitude in their daily endeavours. But Kris was not the inflammatory orator Tutu was (thank God!), he was not a table jumper (my dining room was not destroyed after the party), he never placed himself in the centre of public attention (he was Flemish). However, Kris offered a lot of wisdom, inspiration and guidance to all who were travelling with him. I may call myself one of his fellow travellers, sometimes nearby in the same convoy, sometimes following a bit more from distance, but always heading onto the same route. In what follows, I do not intend to present a biographical sketch of Kris. I rather prefer to return to some of our shared episodes. This ‘retour’ offers me the opportunity to reflect on what kept us going, on what mattered for many of us. Needles to say: restorative justice is the file rouge, our infinite common aspiration.

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