Singer and actor Harry Belafonte has been given a special award by Amnesty International. The 86-year-old entertainer was presented with the Ambassador of Conscience Award at the Mansion House in Dublin.
Belafonte may be best known for his singing and film career, but he has long prided himself on his human rights activism. The 2011 biographical film Sing Your Song, premièred at the Sundance Film Festival, saw its subject actively involved and depicted the story of his career as a march against despotism and racism.
Belafonte was politically involved as far back as the marches for Martin Luther King, when he supported King alongside fellow actors such as Charlton Heston, Marlon Brando and Jon Voigt. Nevertheless, some of his political statements have been highly controversial--especially reported remarks he made comparing the George Bush administration to terrorists, as well as supportive visits he made to the late Venezuelan leader Hugo Chavez.
"Since its birth," commented Belafonte, "I have been devoted to the principles for which Amnesty International stands. It is an honor to receive the recognition being bestowed. Amnesty International's stand on any universal abuse to human rights has been courageous and is our moral compass."
He was given the award alongside this year's other awardee, the Pakistani schoolgirl and education rights campaigner Malala Yousafzai, who was shot and wounded in 2012. Belafonte paid tribute to her in his acceptance speech: "I am especially honored to receive the Ambassador of Conscience Award because I am having the distinction of sharing this with Malalal Yousafzai, a true hero of our time...she has awakened many in the global family to a commitment in struggle against tyranny. For this I remain eternally grateful."
