Rita Marley
12 Jan 2005 - ADDIS ABABA, Ethiopia (AP) - The wife of reggae legend Bob Marley said
Wednesday she plans to exhume his remains in Jamaica and rebury them in his
``spiritual resting place'' - Ethiopia.
No date has been set for the reburial, but it will be after February when
monthlong celebrations of the 60th anniversary of Marley's birth are
planned in Ethiopia. Both the Ethiopian church and government officials
support the project, Rita Marley told The Associated Press.
``We are working on bringing his remains to Ethiopia,'' said Rita Marley, a
former backup singer for her husband's band, The Wailers. ``It is part of
Bob's own mission.''
Born in 1945 in rural St. Ann parish in Jamaica, Bob Marley rose from the
gritty shantytowns of Kingston to global stardom with hits such as ``No
Woman, No Cry'' and ``I Shot the Sheriff.'' His lyrics promoting ``one
love'' and social revolution made him an icon in developing countries
worldwide. Bob Marley died of cancer in Miami in 1981 at age 36.
Rita Marley said her husband would be reburied in Shashemene, 155 miles
south of Addis Ababa where several hundred Rastafarians have lived since
they were given land by Ethiopia's last emperor, Haile Selassie.
Hundreds of thousands of Jamaicans embraced Haile as their living god and
head of the Rastafarian religious movement.
Bob Marley was a devout Rastafarian, a faith whose followers preach a
oneness with nature, grow their hair uncombed into dreadlocks and smoke
marijuana as a sacrament. About 700,000 people practice it worldwide.
``Bob's whole life is about Africa. It is not about Jamaica,'' said Rita
Marley, a Jamaican singer who was born in Cuba and married the reggae star
in 1966.
``How can you give up a continent for an island? He has a right for his
remains to be where he would love them to be. This was his mission.
``Ethiopia is his spiritual resting place. With the 60th anniversary this
year, the impact is there and the time is right.''
Together with the African Union and the U.N. children's agency, Rita Marley
has organized celebrations in Ethiopia, including a concert on Bob Marley's
birthday, Feb. 6, to be held in Addis Ababa.
The monthlong celebration, dubbed ``Africa Unite'' after one of Bob
Marley's songs, aims to raise funds to help poor families in Ethiopia.
African and reggae artists - including the Marley Family, Senegal's Baaba
Maal and Youssou N'Dour, and Benin's Angelique Kidjo - will perform as part
of the $1 million program. The event is expected to be broadcast in Africa
and beyond.
Nov. 26 1997 - 'Rita Marley arrives for Bob Marley's induction into the Cannabis Hall of Fame'
at the High Times Cannabis Cup Award Show
Rita Marley (left), the wife of Bob Marley, arrived in Amsterdam today to participate in the induction of her charismatic husband into the Cannabis Hall of Fame. A surprise guest, she took the stage in front of a very high, very packed Melkweg crowd.
The day's tribute to Bob Marley included a multimedia presentation by Roger Steffens that included some very early footage of the Wailers and a great segement which included some of Bob's most famous tunes.
Ras Menilik, (center, holding the bud) singer and percussionist who played with Bob Marley, provided a moving induction speech, after which he presented Rita Marley with a large medallion and a two foot long cannabis bud. Rita then asked the audience what she could contribute "maybe I could sing something"... This brought a rousing response from the crowd, as she cut into the upbeat song One Draw. Backed up by the very tight Cannabis Cup band, she displayed her own sizable talent and charisma.
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