Local Rastas Plan Huge Bob Marley Fiesta

Mmegi/The Reporter (Gaborone)

NEWS
8 May 2007
Posted to the web 8 May 2007

By Maureen Odubeng

Reggae king Bob Marley may be dead but he will never be forgotten, his legend still lives on, and has continued to be celebrated by Rastafarian and non-Rastafarian communities across the globe.

Every year individuals who appreciate the greatest among the great in the music industry find a day to remember the departed hero, whose music not only touched many lives but also made a huge difference worldwide.

In this regard, a group of locals have come together to commemorate - through song and teachings on Rastafarism - the history of one of the world's greatest songwriters, Robert Nesta Marley, to many simply known as Bob Marley.

People around the globe who choose to celebrate the Rasta prophet, choose to celebrate his birthday or his death, and the local community has chosen to mark May 11, the day on which Marley died in 1981. The scheduled events however will take place on May 12 at the Gaborone Civic Centre in the main mall.

The local Rasta community, as they call themselves, hopes to organise a show guaranteed to give members of the public a good time to remember the short life of one of the greatest maestros that ever lived. Organised with the help of Bhingi Vibe Productions, and Erad Cashan Squad, the show is scheduled to start in the early afternoon and run until the next morning. The planned activities will feature musicians from different disciplines/genres. Groups and musicians billed to perform at the Civic Centre, according to the Rasta Community spokesperson Dithuso "DT" Selepeng, include Stepping Razor, Jah Revelation Sounds, Jah Man States, DT, Mapetla, Steez, Chris Manto Seven and other up-coming local artists. He explained that the show would kick off at 1500 hours "to allow people to be introduced to the history of Bob Marley" and his significant role in global politics and influences in the spiritual realm.

"There will also be an exhibition of reading materials, including books, pamphlets, and biographies. Patrons will also be treated to different teachings pertaining to spiritual aspects," he explained.

Since it is a Marley commeration event, the reggae groups will mostly sing Marley's songs, while DT will give patrons one of Marley's greatest hits of all-time - Redemption Song - from his acoustic guitar.

Eugene Jackson, the son of Clement Jackson, will perform another of Marley's hits, No Woman No Cry, a classic still enjoyed by many. At the end of the show all musicians will get-together and-feel-alright, by performing Marley's uniting song, One Love.

Robert Nesta Marley, the legend fondly remembered as Bob Marley, was born on February 6, 1945 in Nine Miles, (St. Ann) Jamaica. In the early years of his music career, Marley joined forces with Bunny Wailer and Peter Tosh, which gave birth to the group known as the "Wailers".

The group recorded its first album, Simmer Down, in 1963, immediately becoming one of Jamaica's foremost groups. In 1965, Marley established his own recording/retail company called Tuff Gong, the premises which now houses The Bob Marley Museum.

During the 70s, the group gained international recognition after signing a contract with Island Records in London, under which they released Catch A Fire that won wide acclaim. In 1973 Marley emerged as a solo artist with a newly formed Wailers Band, which included Rita Marley, Marcia Griffiths, and Judy Mowatt, now known as the I-Three. With the new band Marley took reggae to an international level having a succession of record breaking albums and tours.

In 1975 Bob Marley and the Wailers released the extraordinary Natty Dread, and toured Europe that summer. The shows were recorded and the subsequent live album, together with the single "No Woman No Cry" both made the United Kingdom (UK) charts. The release of Rastaman Vibration, the album that contains popular songs: Crazy Baldhead, Johnny Was, Who the Cap Fit and War, cracked the American charts. Marley continued to release hit albums and singles, including hit singles "Exodus", Waiting In Vain, and Jamming. Other albums that followed include Kaya, Survival, and Uprising.

On May 11, 1981 Marley died at the age of 36, and later that year the Jamaican government awarded him the Order of Merit, and in 1991 proclaimed that his birthday should be observed as "Bob Marley Day".