Magazine
Bob Marley stirs it up
The reggae icon’s mother, the late Cedellah Marley and members of the family. The family will work with Martin Scorcese on a film slated for 2010. Photo/FILE
REGGAE LEGEND BOB MARley’s musical influence, like his sales, continues to grow more than 25 years after his death. He is now revered both as a reggae icon and as a major force for raising influence in black consciousness among new fans all over the world.
This week, Marley’s music and beliefs go public with the theatre release of the documentary Africa Unite shot during the 2005 visit to Ethiopia by the Marley family to mark the legend’s 60th anniversary.
The one-hour film is produced by the Marley family and seeks to articulate the legendary singer’s ideas on Pan Africanism. It also carries a collection of interviews and features on the life of the reggae star; more important, for music fans, is the collection of rare footage of concerts by Marley, including the 1980 concert on the occasion of Zimbabwe’s Independence, which featured a star-studded lineup including Stevie Wonder.
That Zimbabwe concert is said to have been the inspiration for Marley to campaign for building unity among black people.
Following his death, his family set up the Africa Unite Foundation as a vehicle to continue his work.
The foundation also sponsored students from Kenya and Ghana for the 2005 celebrations in Ethiopia. Though the production is based on the Ethiopian concert at Mesker Square, there are parallel narratives that help to create a fuller picture of Marley’s dreams for the continent and black people in general.
To spice it up, there is a clip of the 2005 reggae concert in Addis which featured all members of the Marley clan together with guest appearances by Benin star Angelique Kidjo and American Lauryn Hill and others.
THE DOCUMENTARY’S TITLE is adapted from one of the late Marley’s most influential songs, inspired by the pan-Africanist movement, and is also the theme of the annual festival held to mark the star’s birthday.
Early this year, Oscar award winning Hollywood film director Martin Scorcese announced plans to make a biographical film on the reggae icon slated for release in February 2010 as part of the celebrations of Marley’s 65th birthday anniversary. The Marley family will be collaborating.
The director’s influence in Hollywood will help attract attention and possibly broader distribution and screening in the mainstream cinemas.
