Orville W. TaylorIN THREE weeks in February, I have managed to squeeze in four black history columns. Well, OT is working OT (overtime) on the topic.
So 'Richa' Marley has indicated that Bob's wishes were for him to be buried in Ethiopia. I know that in her memoirs she 'dug up some old dirt' on Bob, but to do so literally is ridiculous. How come she only just revealed this almost a quarter of a century after Jamaica had given him so much honour? Why wasn't the Jamaican public spared this horror in 1981 after our official funeral here? Is it a case that given the distance of Ethiopia from the lucrative American market it would not have been possible to build a financial empire there? "Wait deh!" Ghana didn't work out?
But if that was his wish, then it confirms that Bob did not understand the significance of his own work. True, he did not 'originate' many of his songs. War was "Jah Jah's (Selassie I) speech, One Love can be traced back to Curtis Mayfield, Talking Blues has an American origin and Get Up, Stand Up is reputedly Peter Tosh's song. Furthermore, compared to Tosh he was a very ordinary guitar player. However, the impact of Marley's music placed the country on centre stage and for that we are eternally grateful.
SECOND HIGHEST HONOUR
With the second-highest honour available to ordinary citizens, Bob is national property and thus not
available even to his own whims. Like Arafat whose wish was to be buried in his 'homeland' Palestine, where he was not born, so should Marley not be re-buried in his "father's land".
If Rita and her clan feel so strongly about 'excavating' Bob, they should personally get their 'pickaxes,' 'shovels', 'fawk' and 'hoes'. By the way, when since have Bob's desires been important to Rita or even good for him? Was she happy to honour his wishes when he was chasing girls who were lighter skinned than her? Why were none of his paramours 'neon black' like Rita? By the way, will they send all of his body to Ethiopia or will part of it be sent to Britain, where his daddy is from? After all, he was at least 50 per cent European.
Isn't it ironic that the same class of persons against whom Marley 'draw Bad Card', and who considered him to be a 'dutty-head Rasta bwoy', is now honouring him? It is even more paradoxical that today there are some sects of Rastafarians who don't rate him at all and refer to him by the derisive moniker 'Bob Mowly?' and 'heathen'.
As I declared regarding Jamaicans of Asian extract a few weeks ago, my loyalty is to Jamaica not to any African country. This is my country and my reward for having been forcibly removed from Africa. Whatever the motto may say, this is a black country although with powerful racial and ethnic minorities. If one can say that America with a population of 13 per cent black, and England with six per cent black are white countries then there is no arguing that this, with two per cent white is a black nation. If you have any doubt ask the U.S. State Department.
We have excellent race/ethnic relations here. Compared to countries such as Nigeria, South Africa and Burundi where there are ethnic tensions among black groups, this is paradise. Don't be fooled! Many Africans, including Ethiopians in Shashamane, do not consider us more than "photocopies".
'AFRICOPHILE'
'Africophile' repatriationists need to appreciate what
we have here in the West Indies. Of all the regions in the 'developing' (Third World), we are the most well-off black population. Life expectancies, better than African-Americans, are on the average more than 20 years longer than continental Africans. Our literacy rates are good, and we have relatively low rates of poverty. We also have nationhood and democracies where we are committed to governance via elections. OK sometimes we 'pirate' ballot boxes but then again we live close to Florida. Except for the two incidents in Grenada, the debacle of the Jamaat al Musilmeen in Trinidad and the alleged overthrow plot for which the now jurist was exonerated in the 1970s, the only 'coo' we hear is when doves sing. All right! You can add the 1983 'Snap Elections' in Jamaica and Councillor Benny White's pappy show in Portland to the list.
Except for a few incidents, facilitated by unscrupulous industrial relations consultants, we have freedom of association and can legally and freely join trade unions. By the way unions, this nonsense between you and the Labour Ministry must end. You may think it makes you look good but you are "cutting off the nose to spite the face."
FREEDOM OF EXPRESSION
Anyway, in paradise Jamaica
there is freedom of expression and movement. Where else in the black developing world, the Middle East or South-East Asia could I write a
column like this? Where else do Jews and Arabs intermingle so well that the average citizen does not know them apart? Remember! This is the only place where Louis Farrakhan could enter a synagogue.
Of all West Indian countries, Jamaica is perhaps the most hospitable environment. We don't live on volcanoes like our Lesser Antilles neighbours. The only poisonous snakes here are connected to our bodies. Our scorpions are relatively harmless and the lizards are ugly but only crocodiles will attack. The dangerous wild dogs are owned by the rich people and security companies and the wild (feral) cats will only attack your carelessly-placed meats.
The repatriationists may say that they will not swap a continent for an island. Well, sorry to tell you this, this island is 'I Land'.
Dr. Orville Taylor is lecturer in the Department of Sociology, Psychology and Social Work at the University of the West Indies, Mona.
