Posted on 12/10/2004 11:24:00 PM PST by El Conservador
LONDON (Billboard) - Bob Marley's 60th birthday will be celebrated with a month-long program of events in Ethiopia in February 2005.
The program, titled "Africa Unite," will be spearheaded by a globally televised concert on Feb. 6, featuring the Marley children and his former backing singers the I-Threes.
Harry Belafonte (news), Quincy Jones (news) and top African acts including Angelique Kidjo (news), Baaba Maal and Youssou N'Dour will also perform.
The concert will be held in Addis Ababa's Mascoll Square, on what would have been Marley's 60th birthday. The singer died of cancer on May 11, 1981. Negotiations are under way for international rights to broadcast the concert.
Partners in "Africa Unite" include Unicef, the World Bank (news - web sites) and the Africa Union, an umbrella organization of 53 states. The program was unveiled earlier this week by the Bob Marley Foundation and the Rita Marley Foundation, the two charitable organizations dedicated to furthering the singer's legacy.
"Brother Bob sang 'music gonna teach them a lesson,"' commented Rita Marley, the singer's widow and president of "Africa Unite." "We plan to teach the world about the power of love, unity and hope through this proud celebration."
Ethiopia was chosen as the venue because of its role as the home of the late Emperor Haile Selassie, the spiritual leader of the Rastafarian faith, to which Marley subscribed.
Africa Unite will also utilize nine Marley song titles for related events throughout the month of February, including seminars, symposiums, exhibitions, a film festival and a gala fund-raiser under the banners "War," "So Much Trouble (In the World)," "Uprising," "Get Up Stand Up," "Redemption Song," "No Woman No Cry," "One Drop," "Exodus" and "One Love."
"UNICEF (news - web sites) will be flying in children from different countries on the continent to be part of a parade uniting areas of conflict," says project coordinator Marcia Stewart, who is based at the United Nation UNICEF office in Addis Ababa. "They will be holding hands with the flags of their respective countries in a message of peace."
Reuters/Billboard
In honor of Bob, are Ethiopians going to legalize weed???
I just ate ethiopian food tonight, damn those folks can cook...
prolly not but UNICEF very well might
Yemisir Wot with Injera Bread and Honey Wine!
(Pronounced eye roll.)
The funny thing is that the object of Rastafarian worship, Selassie himself, thought it was a moronic religious faith. He turned around and got back on his plane in Kingston, Jamaica, at the start of a state visit to the country when he saw a large group of dreadlocked Rastafarians on the tarmac.
The Rastas who actually made it back to Africa didn't do too well, finding out that Ethopian marxism did nothing but create famine and that westernized Jamaican culture was very different than their new home.
Ethnically Ethiopia is also further away from the areas of Western Africa that Jamaican slaves came from as Finland is from Greece....
get up stand up
Oh, and He rules all creation
On the other hand, for an invented religion, at least the Rastas aren't suicide bombers or decapitators.
Live and let live.
One Love.....let's get together and feel alright.....
"Religon of Potheads"
Myth or true?(maybe I should check snopes)
I heard that in the 1930's when Ethiopia was fighting Italy, the NYtimes had no "stock" photo of the Ethiopian leader and simply ran the only exotic looking black mans picture they could find. Unfortunately it was of a circus clown with funny hair, and Jamaican rastas to this day still fashion their own hair after this false photo.
Yes it is.
I was not making an endorsement, only an observation.
Actually, it's given me a late, late night giggle.
As I said, in the history of invented religions (and I include Islam and Scientology), Rastafarianism is the least threatening and/or objective.
Plus, they make happy music.
UN sponsered relief food?
Let us not forget that Bob Marley's father was British.
No one ever seems to know this, I think it as important as his african roots. I think the rythym came from africa and the words from england.
Plus it was in England he recorded Exodus and his record label was English.
Wish I could agree that Rastas are peace loving, but the murderous attack on Catholic parishoners during mass on St. Lucia a couple of years ago in the name of the sect scared the crap out of me.
I and I agree...
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.