GERMANY: At screening of film about his life veteran singer and rights campaigner Harry Belafonte says he is still fighting for justice

Record ID: 219155

  • Title: GERMANY: At screening of film about his life veteran singer and rights campaigner Harry Belafonte says he is still fighting for justice
  • Date: 14th February 2011
  • Summary: BERLIN, GERMANY (FEBRUARY 13, 2011) (REUTERS) (*** FLASH PHOTOGRAPHY ***) EXTERIOR OF FRIEDRICHSTADTPALAST WHERE 'SING YOU SONG' PREMIERES BERLINALE POSTER CAMERA CREWS AT RED CARPET BERLINALE LOGO HARRY BELAFONTE ON RED CARPET GERMAN SINGER UDO LINDENBERG ON RED CARPET BELAFONTE TALKING TO REPORTERS (SOUNDBITE) (English) HARRY BELAFONTE, SAYING: "What is my aim? Justice. It's a universal goal. People in Cairo want justice, people in Germany want justice, all of them are asking for justice. So my aim is to work wherever I can to that goal." BELAFONTE IN PHONE DISPLAY BELAFONTE TALKING TO REPORTERS (SOUNDBITE) (English) HARRY BELAFONTE, SAYING: "I have no choice because that's the way of life. What else is there to do? Sit on a beach? I can do that. But it's more important to do what I am doing." FANS AT RED CARPET (SOUNDBITE) (English) 'SING YOUR SONG' DIRECTOR SUSANNE ROSTOCK, SAYING: "It is just deep inside him and he cares so much about the world, he hears the cries of the weary and just answers them." BELAFONTE WALKING INSIDE
  • Embargoed: 1st March 2011 12:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: Germany, Germany
  • Country: Germany
  • Reuters ID: LVA8GUOZFS015HAOIPSYI0GA7LR0
  • Story Text: At the age of 83, his days of singing calypso tunes to thousands of fans are behind him, but Harry Belafonte says he still has one song to sing for people around the world -- his song of justice.
    Belafonte on Sunday (February 13) walked the red carpet at the Berlin Film Festival to present a new documentary, "Sing Your Song," that tells of his life from being born in Harlem and raised in Jamaica to becoming a star singer of the 1950s and '60s with hits such as "Banana Boat Song," also known as "Day-O."
    But what the non-fiction film focuses on -- and what Belafonte thinks may be lost on some people, especially younger generations -- is the work he and others did to advance civil rights and justice in the United States and around the world.
    "What is my aim? Justice. It's a universal goal. People in Cairo want justice, people in Germany want justice, all of them are asking for justice. So my aim is to work wherever I can to that goal" Belafonte said as he arrived for the screening.
    "I have no choice because that's the way of life. What else is there to do? Sit on a beach? I can do that. But it's more important to do what I am doing" he added.
    For his life time's work, Belafonte was awarded a silver camera by festival director Dieter Kosslick.
    Susanne Rostock directed the film and told Reuters about the spirit that, in her opinion, keeps Belafonte going:
    "It is just deep inside him and he cares so much about the world, he hears the cries of the weary and just answers them."
    The movie's title comes from something African-American singer Paul Robeson told Belafonte when he was a young man: "Get them to sing your song, and they will know who you are."
    At the Sundance film festival, Belafonte admitted to some trepidation about making a documentary of his life when approached by producer Michael Cohl because, he said, "it looked like self-indulgence."
    He was swayed by family members and by his own concern that the groundbreaking history of women and men like Dr. Martin Luther King, was lost on a younger generation.
    "Sing Your Song" traces Belafonte's career as a singer and in movies and on television. He was a major star of his generation, yet in the late 1950s and 1960s when travelling to segregated U.S. cities, he was barred from some restaurants, hotels and other public places because he was black.
    The documentary tells how he fought racism by marching with civil rights protesters such as Dr. King and singing and dancing with white women on TV at a time when such a thing was not done in some communities.
    In the 1970s and '80s, Belafonte extended his influence to the anti-apartheid movement in South Africa, and was instrumental in distributing the song, "We Are the World," which raised money to help feed people around the globe.
    Belafonte now uses a walking stick and moves slower than he once did. He no longer wears the tight pants and open shirt that helped make him an international sex symbol.
    But two things are still true about Belafonte while watching and listening to him in 'Sing Your Song'. His vision is as clear as ever, and his voice is still strong.
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