The Extraordinary Life and Times of Harry Belafonte

Presentation by Paranjoy Guha Thakurta
 
Born in New York to underprivileged parents with origins in the Caribbean islands of the West Indies, Harry Belafonte was one the world’s most popular and influential singers, activists, and actors. He passed away on 25 April at the age of 96. Some of his most popular songs, including “Jamaica Farewell” and “Banana Boat Song,” have been performed and adapted across the globe from the 1950s onwards. He not only performed in the calypso genre but also sang blues, folk, and gospel songs. Belafonte considered actor and singer Paul Robeson his mentor and was a close confidante of Martin Luther King. He was an outspoken critic of US Presidents George W Bush and Donald Trump, and even described the former as the biggest terrorist on the planet.
 
Moderator: N. Madhavan, music lover and veteran journalist
 
Paranjoy Guha Thakurta is a music lover and an independent journalist, author, publisher, documentary film maker and teacher