Photo courtesy of Bob Marley Foundation © 2005

Article by Diane "Livonn" Adam © 2005

Bob Marley's No Woman No Cry has been added to the Recording Academy's Grammy Hall of Fame.

Cedella Marley Booker, the 80 year old mother of Bob Marley, arrived in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia on January 27, 2005 to participate in the final arrangements for the February 6, 2005 celebration of what would have been her son’s 60^th birthday. Bob Marley’s widow, Rita Marley has been in Ethiopia since early January. Throughout the month of February there will be conferences and exhibitions highlighting the life and legacy of Bob Marley held in both Ethiopia and Shashemene and will culminate with a free concert in Addis Ababa’s Meskel Square on February 6, 2005. Scheduled to perform are the I-Threes, Angelique Kidjo and many others including the Marley youths, Ziggy, Kymani, Damien ‘Jr Gong", Stephen and Julian who will perform in honor of their father who died of cancer in 1981 at the age of 36. It is expected that more than 200,000 people will attend the Africa Unite celebration in Ethiopia with 50% of all ticket proceeds going to aid and assist the survivors of the Tsunami in Somalia.

A free concert is also scheduled to take place in Emancipation Park in Kingston, Jamaica on February 6, and will include performances by Ras Michael, Culture, Abijah, Warrior King and many others. The Kingston event will also include speakers, Prime Minister PJ Patterson, opposition leader Dr. Barry Chevannes and Governor General Sir Howard Cook. Chevannes has also organized an effort to make the celebration of Bob Marley’s 60^th birthday a "Violence Free Day" in Jamaica. In December 2004 it was suggested that Marley be given the status of a national hero of Jamaica which would grant a legal holiday to commemorate his musical achievements. It was also recently announced that Marley’s song "No Woman No Cry" (dedicated to his wife Rita) has been inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame.

Here in California, we are all preparing for the many shows scheduled in February in honor of the champion of Reggae music beginning in San Francisco at Slims with Groundation’s Bob Marley Tribute on Friday, February 4. The celebration continues with the massive RaggaMuffin Festival / Moss Jacobs Presents held at the Long Beach Sports Arena in Long Beach, California on February 19 & 20 and in San Francisco on Saturday, February 26 at Bill Graham Civic Auditorium. The Worldbeat Center will hold Bob Marley Day on President’s Day, Monday, February 21 at the Sports Arena in San Diego. All three shows will feature performances by Jimmy Cliff, Steel Pulse, Alpha Blondy, Israel Vibration, Don Carlos, Barrington Levy, Tanya Stephens and Easy Star Allstars and many, many more. Kevin Lyttle and Gentleman (Germany) will also highlight the Long Beach and San Diego shows along with the first U.S. performances ever by Misty In Roots. Tickets for the Long Beach, San Diego and San Francisco show are available through all Ticketmaster locations and can be purchased online at http://www.ticketmaster.com. To purchase tickets for the Long Beach show by phone call (800) 583-8700, (213) 480-3232, (714) 740-2000, (805) 583-8700 and (619) 220-TIXS. Seats for the Long Beach show are $36 in advance per day and $42 on the day of show; for recorded information please call (310) 515-3322. Lineup information can be found at
http://www.bobmarleydayfestival.com/index.htm

As the Marley family prepares for the worldwide celebration of Bob Marley, they are also (under the guidance of Rita Marley) discussing arrangements to move the remains of the ‘King of Reggae’ to Ethiopia. Though these plans are garnering much controversy from the people of Jamaica, Rita Marley strongly insists that this was a request made by Bob Marley who visited Ethiopia in 1979. Bob Marley held a firm belief that Ethiopia is his "spiritual home" and in the sanctity and eminence of His Imperial Majesty Emperor Haile Selassie I, the spiritual father of the Rastafarian movement. It still remains unclear if Rita Marley will indeed move Bob Marley’s remains from its current resting place on the northeast coast of Jamaica, West Indies in the township of Nine Miles in St. Ann where he was born in 1945.

Blessed Love