Three generation Marleys re-imagine ‘One Love’ to aid COVID-19
Rita Marley, the wife of musician Bob Marley, arrives at a
reception for Britain’s Prince Harry at a youth community
center in Kingston, Jamaica March 6, 2012. REUTERS / Suzanne
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Caribbean Life, JULY 24-30, 2020 11
Bob Marley would be proud to
know his 40-year-old “One Love”
composition is now the UNICEF
anthem to benefit children, distressed
by COVID-19.
His widow Rita, eldest daughter
Cedella, son Stephen and
grandson Skip collaborated to
reimagine the iconic reggae song
the British Broadcasting Corporation
named the millennium
song of the century in 1999.
On invitation from UNICEF
to contribute to a philanthropic
cause to help the most disadvantaged
children, Marley family
members invited a global chorus
to collaborate on a project that
from beginning to end took a
mere four weeks.
Singing the lyrics the patriarch
popularized voices representing
Brazil, New Zealand, India,
Mali, Nigeria, Jamaica, Syria,
Sudan, Democratic Republic of
the Congo amplified the unifying
message for a reimagined version
that debuted on July 18.
“’One Love’ was written as a
call for global solidarity at a time
when the world was very divided,
much as it is now,” Cedella said.
The singer, author, playwright,
dancer, actress, fashion designer,
and eldest of the Rita and Bob
Marley off-springs, explained
that “Daddy would be happy to
know his message of unity is
being heard.”
“Only by uniting with one love
and one heart can we defeat this
virus, protect our children, and
make the world a more just and
equal place.”
Established in her own right
as a three-time Grammy award
winning singer who toured with
her brothers Ziggy and Stephen
as a member of the Melody Makers
added that: “All over the
world, children and families are
suffering.”
“Whether they are living in
refugee camps, slums or favelas,
or they lack access to healthcare
or school, or are being treated
unfairly because of their race,
religion, ethnicity or gender, our
dream with this song is to reimagine
a world where all children
are treated equally – just as my
father intended.”
Perhaps her proudest achievement
of all is being a wife to
David Minto, and raising two talented
sons.
For lack of space let’s focus on
one of the next generation grandsons
of Bob and Rita Marley.
Nicknamed Skip, he blazed a
trail of his own with a recording
titled “Lions.”
He joined Katy Perry in 2017
for a memorable performance
at the Grammy Awards. And he
repeated his groundbreaking
streak at the Brit award ceremony
in England. Since then
he has been refining his skills to
the approval of fans touting the
choices he has made — most
recently the “Slow Down” duet
with HER.
And before space dissipates
know that the collaborative “One
Love” track is the brainchild
of Skip and his multi-talented,
eight-time Grammy award winning
uncle, Stephen.
“My uncle is a genius.”
“And being on this record with
so many incredible musicians
from around the world is a true
blessing,” Skip said.
True to the message of global
unity in the song, the video is a
compilation of footage from all
around the world including children
from Ghetto Youths Foundation,
a non-profit organization
founded by Stephen, Damian
and Julian Marley; The Dharavi
Dream Project in India; artists
from Manifesto Ja in Jamaica and
Road To Freedom and featuring
appearances by the artists, as
well as Indian actor and UNICEF
celebrity advocate, Kareena
Kapoor Khan and British actress
Lena Headey.
Plunkett, File
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