(Jamaica Gleaner) As the actual birthday of the late reggae legend Bob Marley draws closer, events celebrating the landmark occasion during that week have been finalised.
According to a release sent to The Sunday Gleaner, this year’s celebrations will be held under the theme ‘The Legacy Continues’ and is expected to showcase the life and works of the late legend in an extra special way.
Activities to mark the 70th anniversary of Bob Marley’s birthday on February 6 will be held at both the Bob Marley Museum on Hope Road and Tuff Gong Studio on Marcus Garvey Drive. As part of the Bob Marley Foundation’s mandate, the celebrations at Tuff Gong International will cater to children. They will be engaged in readings from Cedella Marley’s books, Three Little Birds and The Boy from Nine Miles, with an excerpt presentation from the new theatre production, Nesta’s Rock, produced by the Jamaica Musical Theatre Company.
Over at the Bob Marley Museum, the day’s activities will begin with an intimate and private ceremonial tribute to Marley. The museum will be opened to the public at 10 a.m. for a full day of activities that will include symposiums on topics including Reggae and Fashion, Reggae Music and Film & Marijuana and the Economy, to be presented by several academics, including Dr Sonjah Stanley Niaah, Dr Dennis Howard and Carole Beckford.
The day’s other activities will include the unveiling of Marley’s restored 1976 Land Rover Series III, that will go on display at the museum permanently. Celebrations at the Bob Marley Museum will conclude with a Reggae Jam Session featuring the Bob Marley 70th Ambassadors: Chronixx, Kabaka Pyramid and Nomaddz. The Uprising Roots Band, Iba Mahr, DBurnz, Ishabel, among others, are also slated to perform. The Bob Marley One Love Celebrations are also set for February 6 in Negril.
On February 7, the music fraternity will converge on the Kingston waterfront for the annual Bob Marley Concert. Scheduled to be held in partnership with telecommunications giant, Digicel, the concert will feature a slew of entertainers, including three of Bob Marley’s sons – Stephen, Damian and Kymani – who are set to be the headline acts for this free event. Other performances are expected to come from Tarrus Riley, Marcia Griffiths, I-Octane, Chronixx, and Lauryn Hill.
On February 8, the Trench Town Festival Committee in association with the Jamaica Reggae Industry Association (JaRIA) will celebrate the legend at the Trench Town Rock concert, set to take place at the Boys’ Town Football Field in Trench Town.
Junior Lincoln, finance director of JaRIA, told The Sunday Gleaner that the festival is now in its 14th year, and he is particularly excited about the 70th celebrations. Although not keen on giving away too much details just yet, Lincoln says he is expecting this year to be bigger and better. “We still have a few days before the actual concert on the 8th and we are still finalising some of the details, but persons can expect a great show at this year’s international night.”
