Olivia Grange, Minister of Culture, Gender, Entertainment and Sports has offered her condolences to the family of the late Harry Belafonte who passed away on Tuesday (April 25) at age 96.

Grange who was speaking in Parliament on Tuesday said that “Harry Belafonte lent his voice, face, and organising ability to the fight against racism, discrimination, political oppression, violence and poverty —
not only in the United States.”

Harry Belafonte was an American singer, actor and activist, who popularized calypso music with international audiences in the 1950s.

“He ignited a craze for Caribbean music in the United States where his album Calypso which featured Day-O and Jamaica Farewell topped the Billboard chart in 1956 and remained at the top for 31 weeks. Calypso was said to be the first album by a single artist to sell more than a million copies,” Grange said.

He was born in Harlem New York to Jamaican parents, Harold Bellanfanti and his mother, Melvine.

Grange added that Harry “lived a long and impactful life, and it’s difficult, to sum up his importance in a sentence or two. But for me, Harry Belafonte was a voice, face and inspiration for black people everywhere. He was an important promoter of our folk music—bringing Day-O, ‘Jamaica Farewell’ and other songs to America and elsewhere.”

Belafonte was awarded the Order of Merit in 2018, for his contribution to the field of music. Belafonte has won three Grammy Awards including a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award, an Emmy Award and a Tony Award.