HARRY BELAFONTE - BELAFONTE PRAISED FOR CIVIL RIGHTS' WORK

BELAFONTE PRAISED FOR CIVIL RIGHTS' WORK

Calypso singer HARRY BELAFONTE was awarded the Canadian Council of Christians and Jews' International Diversity Award at a gala dinner on Thursday (22Nov07). The 80-year-old - who was a personal friend of Martin Luther King Jr. and supported the civil rights movement in its early days - was awarded for "his contribution to the advancement of human rights and dignities". On receiving his award, Belafonte says, "My social and political interests are part of my career. I can't separate them. "My songs reflect the human condition. The role of art isn't just to show life as it is, but to show life as it should be."