Bob Marley's Birthday: 11 May, 2001 Back to Bob Marley Page |
|
Friday May 11 10:09 AM ET Little Fanfare on Marley's 20th By MATTHEW J. ROSENBERG, Associated Press Writer KINGSTON, Jamaica (AP) - While some remember Bob Marley with solemn music-filled ceremonies, the 20th anniversary of his death is passing with little fanfare in this Caribbean nation because of a decision Marley's widow made years ago. ``We've chosen to celebrate on his birthday,'' said Stephanie Marley, the late singer's daughter. ``We just take this time to console each other and look within ourselves.'' Marley died of cancer on May 11, 1981, at age 36. He was born Feb. 6, 1945. The singer's Rastafarian faith is another reason for the low-key observances. Rastafarians, who consider the late Ethiopian emperor Haile Selassie the messiah of the black man, view death simply as a step that brings believers closer to God, or ``Jah.'' Stephanie Marley said her mother did not base her decision on religion, though. ``Rastas do not commemorate the death of anyone,'' reggae historian Roger Stefans said in a telephone interview from Hartford, Conn., where he gave a lecture on Marley's life and music Thursday night. ``They refuse to acknowledge death.'' Marley's popularity remains strong, though. The Havasupai Indians of Arizona regard him as a tribe member. Some Hindus in Nepal even worship him as a reincarnation of the deity Vishnu. And then there's his music, which continues to sell steadily, and his fans, who make pilgrimages to his mountain birthplace. ``Marley, he took our message to the world,'' said 35-year-old Ras George, a Rastafarian who sells brooms on a Kingston street corner. ``He still does ... he's not dead, he's just not here with me or you.'' |