Thousands of Rastafarians and music fans are gathering in Ethiopia where a month of events to mark what would have been Bob Marley's
60th birthday began yesterday. It is the first time Marley birthday celebrations have taken place outside of Jamaica - Ethiopia was chosen because Rastafarians like Marley regarded the late
Ethiopian emperor Haile Selassie as their spiritual leader.
The celebrations, being staged under the banner Africa Unite, began last night with a concert by the late singer's 80 year old mother Cedella Marley Booker. Over the next month events will include concerts, a film festival, seminars and a gala fundraiser. A concert in Addis Ababa on 6 Feb, what would have been Marley's actual birthday, will feature three of
Marley's children as well as Quincy Jones, Baaba Maal, Youssou
N'Dour and Angelique Kidjo.
At the opening of the celebrations Netsanet Asfaw, Ethiopia's minister of state for information, said her country were pleased to be hosting the events, telling reporters: "Bob Marley put
Ethiopia on a pedestal and it is in his honour that this festival is going to take place here".
As previously reported, there were reports last month that Marley's family intended for the legendary singer to be reburied in Ethiopia
- he is currently buried in Jamaica. Although his widow
Rita Marley distanced herself from those reports at the time, especially after certain Jamaican groups objected to the proposal, she admitted this week: "It was a dream of Bob Marley and it is a dream of the family to bury him in Ethiopia. As we believe in what is to be, must be, it will happen in due course".