HARRY BELAFONTE - BELAFONTE DEDICATES AWARD TO HIS BLACK HEROES

BELAFONTE DEDICATES AWARD TO HIS BLACK HEROES

HARRY BELAFONTE dedicated the Black Entertainment (BET) Humanitarian Award he picked up on Monday (27JUN06) night to MALCOLM X and NELSON MANDELA. The 79-year-old was honoured for his work as an entertainer and activist at the ceremony in Los Angeles. Belafonte revealed he was inspired to pursue a career in showbiz so he could carry on the work of his heroes. He said, "I came into the arts because I saw it as an instrument of purpose. "I never set out to break records or get a gold records. I had a mission to overthrow oppression. My weapon of choice was art because it is one of the most powerful weapons in the world. It (the entertainment arts) is non-violent and it changes hearts, minds and souls. "This award is for Malcolm X and Nelson Mandela. It is for the struggle of FANNIE LOU HAMMER and for the bloods and the crips who are meeting and trying to make peace; it is also for my Mexican brothers in northern California and my Native American brothers in the struggle."