Marley statue rise in London as others fall in US cities
A view of the front entrance to the Bob Marley Museum in
Kingston, Dec. 13, 2013. REUTERS/Gilbert Bellamy/File
Caribbean Life, SEPTEMBER 3-9, 2021 11
“Say you just can’t live that
negative way,
If you know what I mean;
Make way for the positive
day ‘Cause it’s a news day (new
day)
and if it’s a new feelin’ (new
feelin’) yeah
Said it’s a new sign (new
sign) Oh what a new day!”
“Positive Vibration” — Robert
Nesta Marley
When Rastafarians opine
the fate of Babylon, they often
claim the manifestation will be
evidenced by the toppling of
dynasties, kingdoms, powerful
nations and their monuments.
Avowed believers have even
predicted the dismantling of
symbols, relics and treasures
associated with military conquests,
slavery and acquisition
of wealth.
Last year following the disheartening
visual image surrounding
the brutal murder of
Floyd Lloyd, a national movement
to dishonor previously
revered white heroes resulted
with frequent removals of their
monuments and statues.
Incensed activists collaborated
on efforts to mobilize
movements devoted to rewriting
history; deface constructs
perceived by Black citizens
as constant provocation and
embarrassment in order to
challenge the status quo.
Trophies honoring confederate
generals and even a president
were hauled from their
bases.
From the steps of New
York’s Museum of Natural History
where Teddy Roosevelt sat
atop his horse flanked by a
Native American and a Black
man — to city squares and
circles throughout the south,
Civil War soldiers were dragged
from their poised positions.
However, in contrast to the
protests here, next week, a seven
foot, bronze, statue of Robert
Nesta Marley— Jamaica’s
most public Rastafarian — will
be hoisted in the Baltic Triangle
of Liverpool, England.
Probably the first erected in
tribute to a Rastafarian, nonresident
Black man, its unveiling
will be the second for a
Jamaican national.
In 2016, Mary Seacole,
another Jamaican was regaled
with a statue in London. The
unveiling marked the first
Black woman to receive the
extraordinary recognition in
England.
She was nurse who helped
beat the cholera scourge during
the Crimean War.
Her story has been well documented.
How Rastafarian Marley is
able to penetrate the confines
of royal dominance seems the
unlikeliest imaginable recognition.
His music has always
denounced the excesses of
colonial nations, considered
by Rastafarians and conscientious
activists as the epitome
of Babylonia.
Marley’s lyrics often condemned
inequities of the
oppressed.
And yet a faction of British
society sees fit to place the
image of a foreign-born, Rastafarian
among those of the
most respected in Britain. They
plan to celebrate with a festival
named in honor of one of Marley’s
best-selling compositions.
Organizers of the five-yearold
Positive Vibration Festival
commissioned the bronze
monument.
Their explanation is “After
a turbulent and difficult year
for everyone, divisiveness has
come to define a lot of public
discourse.”
“Marley is a cultural icon
who is recognized and adored
all around the world, and his
positive messages are needed
now more than ever.”
Catch You On The Inside!
Inside Life
By Vinette K. Pryce
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