[Opinion] Slave

˝Day~ Oh, Day~ Daylight Come and…. ˝ It was a rhyme from legendary black singer Harry Belafonte`s `The Banana Boat Song.` With the soft and sweet tune, Belafonte introduced to the world first time calypso, folk music that used to be sung by African slaves in the West India. The album `Calypso` featuring The Banana Boat Song became the first millionseller in the 1960s, and the singer earned the nickname `King of Calypso.`

▷Belafonte is known as a Jamaican born African American, but in fact, he was born in Harlem, New York in 1927. Both of his parents were from the West India. His poverty-stricken father deserted his wife and children and her mother sent young Belafonte back to Jamaica where his farther came when he was nine years old. Jamaica was a colony of Spain and later of Britain and a center of slave trading until the slavery was abolished in the 1830s. It is estimated that as many as 400,000 black slaves were traded there at that time. Spending his boyhood in the West India, he was inspired by local folk songs telling about African souls. Then in the 1960s, he began to work for civil rights and social justice as a prominent figure who even paralleled to Martin Ruther King.

▷The calypso singer, who also serves as U.N. Goodwill ambassador, recently likened Secretary of State Collin Powell, who like him is a Jamaican decent, to a plantation salve who sold out his principles to serve his master. He was apparently criticizing the Bush administration`s foreign policy. In an interview with San Diego-based radio talk show on Oct. 8, Belafonte leveled criticism at Powell, saying ˝in the days of slavery, some slaves got the privilege of living in the house if you served the master ... exactly the way the master intended to have you serve him.”

▷The State Department expressed regret and Powell himself rebuffed the attack. Powell said the singer`s slave reference was ˝unfortunate˝ and a ˝throwback to another time and another place that I wish Harry had thought twice about using. ˝ Yet, Belefonte stood by his remarks. In an interview with CNN`s Larry King Live on Oct. 15, the singer repeated his criticism, even saying the former general has not been opposing Bush`s policies such as a war plan against Iraq, which he says are far from honorable. The Bush administration, already under fire for its hard-line policy in and outside the country, seems to have to deal with yet another outspoken opponent.

Mun Myeong-ho, Editorial Writer, munmh97@donga.com