Our dear much-loved Harry Belafonte is no more. May his soul rest in peace! Had the pleasure of working for the children with him when I was with the Bangladesh Mission and was chairing the Programme Committee of UNICEF Executive Board, 1984. This photo was taken in front of the UN building.
ReplyDeleteI represented ESARO with the Zimbabwe team which welcomed Harry Belafonte to highlight the problems and breakthroughs for children there. He carried out his job as UNICEF advocate well. When he and his wife toured a large garden featuring huge Zimbabwean granite stone sculptures, they were so impressed that they bought several enormous pieces to be shipped to their California home. I suspect our Supply Officer helped out, even though the personal nature of the task might not have been part of UNICEF's job description.
More meaningful was accompanying UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador Belafonte to Goree Island, 2.5 km from Dakar, with WCARO and Senegal office staff. As the slave trade port which sent thousands of slaves to the Americas from the 15th to 19th centuries, Goree Island held special meaning for him as an African-American. Clearly, he was much affected (as were indeed all of us new to the scene) while going through the small and dark dungeons that held the captive slaves awaiting the next ship to the Americas. That emotion-laden experience surely influenced his continuing 20th and 21th century fight for the rights of African-American descendant generations.
Yet, during his walk from the pier, swarms of local children followed him, laughing and loudly chanting, "Day-o, Day-ay-ay-yo, daylight come an' I wanna go home." It was not a staged UNICEF event; the children had apparently seen the earlier TV coverage of his arrival in Senegal and knew his signature song. No sooner did he hear them singing behind him than he turned around to sing and prance with them till they got to the actual site. The children were thrilled and screamed with joy. It was a memorable scene illustrating his wonderful ability to react so naturally with enthusiastic children everywhere, including those on the tragic "Island of Memory" that day.
That is why Harry Belafonte will be especially fondly remembered in Africa.
Mary Racelis