“I don’t think you could find two people on the planet who are more different than the Dalai Lama and Archbishop Desmond Tutu,” said Doug Abrams, who interviewed the two men for the film Mission: Joy (BBC Four). “One is from Africa, one is from Asia; one is a Buddhist, one is a Christian; one grew up in absolute poverty, the other grew up in a 1,000-room palace. But immediately they recognised each other as what they call their ‘mischievous spiritual brother’.”
That mischievous spirit was on display throughout this jolly 90-minute documentary, because the pair of them could not stop teasing each other. The Dalai Lama ribbed Tutu for being bald. Tutu joked with the Dalai Lama about being teetotal. When Abrams posed a question about Buddhist monks renouncing pleasure, the Dalai Lama said: “Sex!” Tutu joshed: “Can you say that? You’re a monk, remember!” And with that, they went into one of their very frequent fits of laughter.
As Tutu’s daughter put it: “Honestly, the energy between them is ‘eight-year-old boy’.”
All this made for an uplifting film but one lacking any great spiritual insights. The big idea was to find out how these men maintained their joyful, optimistic outlook on life when they had gone through such travails: Tutu (who died in December) in his lifelong fight against apartheid, the Dalai Lama in forced exile from his homeland. Their answers were no doubt heartfelt, but the tone of the film meant they registered as mere platitudes: be kind to others, don’t be selfish, live a meaningful life.
It was also, dare I say it, a little disappointing to see the Dalai Lama in action during a visit to a Tibetan village that provided a home for refugee children. Granted an audience with the great man, a teenage girl sobbed as she recalled being separated from her family when she was just five. She no doubt hoped for some words of solace, but the Dalai Lama merely said something about the importance of studying history “and you’ll feel OK”. Afterwards, his translator felt the need to explain that the Dalai Lama tries to give courage rather than comfort because “he is always aware there is a kind of expectation on his part to be the rock, to be the anchor for every Tibetan.”
That is indeed a heavy responsibility for someone chosen for the role when he was just two years old. No wonder he delighted in the company of Tutu, who expected nothing of him but friendship. The true joy in this film was in witnessing their bond.
