ROBERT NESTA MARLEY

HIS CONTRIBUTION TO THE SHAPING OF CARIBBEAN HISTORY

Robert Nesta Marley (Bob Marley), a Jamaican musician and political activist, is to date,
the most popular figure in the Caribbean and his contribution to the region’s rich history and
heritage can indeed be ranked with the work of the heroes that preceded him, like Marcus
Garvey, Toussaint L’ouverture, and Fidel Castro. His music and message of love, empowerment
of the oppressed and mental emancipation from slavery are reverberated throughout the world
and have served as a catalyst, sparking self-confidence among the people of the Caribbean.

Marley was born into the family of Norval and Cedella Marley, in St. Ann, Jamaica on
February 6, 1945. His father Norval Sinclair Marley, a Caucasian-Jamaican of English descent, was
a captain in the Royal Marines and a plantation overseer. Norval, though he supported the family
financially, was never a constant fixture in his son’s life as he was often away on trips and
furthermore he died in 1955 when Bob was only 10 years of age. Yet his impact on Bob’s life was
significant, not for the things he taught him, but for the racial identity that his union with Cedella,
an Afro-Jamaican, had produced in their son Bob Marley (Moskowitz, 2007). Because of his
mixed racial origins Bob Marley was treated as a social outcast and was compelled to question
his identity and to find the strength to rise above the prejudice. As recorded by Birmingham Post
columnist, Bishop Webley (2009), Marley once reflected, “I don't have prejudice against meself.
My father was a white and my mother was black. Them call me half-caste or whatever. Me don't
dip on nobody's side. Me don't dip on the black man's side nor the white man's side. Me dip on
God's side, the one who create me and cause me to come from black and white.” It was this
personal enlightenment that allowed him to identify with and understand the situation of his
fellowmen who, despite the abolition of slavery, were still being oppressed because of racial
discrimination. Marley sought to encourage the importance of self-worth among the people,
using his music and religious persuasion of Rastafarianism as a vehicle for his message.

An ardent disciple of the teachings of Marcus Garvey, Haile Selassie I and the Rastafari
movement, Marley was convinced that Afrocentrism and black pride was the first step to the
Caribbean’s emancipation from slavery. "Emancipate yourself from mental slavery, none but
ourselves can free our mind" (Redemption Song, 1980). He, among other reggae artists, is
credited for the international growth and acceptance of the Rastafari Movement, a “messianic
religio-political movement” which was founded in Jamaica by Garvey in the 1920 (Oxford Concise
Dictionary of World Religions, 2009). The conduit for this international growth came in the form
of Reggae which was aligned as the spiritual of music of the movement. Reggae is defined by its
rhythmic drumming and lyrical content that offers praise to Jah (God), with a recurrent portrayal
of the themes poverty, resistance to government and racial oppression, and African pride.
Marley embraced this music and the Rastafarian lifestyle which included ritual use of marijuana,
abstinence from alcohol, dreadlocked hair, and vegetarianism with whole-heartedness. As a
result of his popularity and his strict accordance to the beliefs of the movement, in spite of the
criticism of the bourgeois social class, Marley became regarded as a prophet, spurring
discipleship among the people that the music/message targeted; the oppressed.

Mr. Marley was an advocate for equality and world peace, contending that “Until the
philosophy which hold one race superior and another inferior is finally discredited and
abandoned, until there is no longer first class and second class citizens of any nation, until the
colour of a man’s skin is of no more significance than the colour of his eyes, until the basic human
rights are equally guaranteed to all, without regard to race. Until that day the dream of lasting
peace, world citizenship, and rule of international morality will remain in but a fleeting illusion to
be pursued, but never attained” (War, 1963). His music, which has transcended status, colour,
creed and all other boundaries that hinder the promotion of world peace, is a continuous source
of strength to many people of the Caribbean, who as descendants of African slaves, are able to
appreciate their history and strive to achieve greatness. Wyclef Jean, a Haitian-born musician,
actor and producer, is quoted by saying “when I first heard Bob Marley I was 12 years old. I had
just come to the United States from Haiti, and was living in the Marlborough Houses in Brooklyn.
A lot of my music is very reggae-driven. Half of my life Bob Marley was all I listened to.” Indeed
he is but one of the numerous Caribbean citizens whose lives have been affected by this great
aesthetic activist.

Bob Marley is revered by chief members of the music fraternity as the most prolific
musical genius of this century and his induction in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1994 gives
credence to their claim. Since his rise to international acclaim in the seventies, his image and his
brain child, “Reggae”, has been synonymously linked with Jamaica; and the tourism sectors in the
region thrive off the selling point of proximity to the birthplace of the “greatest musician ever”.
This solidifies the moot that Robert Nesta Marley has, and continues to posthumously, shape the
history of the Caribbean as his cachet is a prime reason why tourists chose to venture to the
crime-ridden Jamaica. One question that arises from this observation is what would the
Caribbean would be without the marketing value of Bob Marley and the sustenance that it has
brought to the economy. As a matter of fact, what would music be like had Bob Marley not
graced the air waves? As Robert Palmer wrote in a tribute to Marley upon his induction into the
Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, “No one in rock and roll has left a musical legacy that matters more
or one that matters in such fundamental ways” (1994). Indeed Marley’s influence is felt far and
wide by people of various political, religious and philosophical orientations, and it is this
influence that continues to draw people to the islands. Yes they come for the beautiful tropical
climate and Caribbean Sea, but Bob Marley and Reggae sits high on the list.

“In this bright future you can't forget your past” (No Woman, No Cry, 1974). Thanks to
Bob Marley the Caribbean has been established as a force to recon with globally and the people
have found the strength to “get up, stand up” (1973) amidst the adversities of belonging to a
third-world region.

W ORKS C ITED
Marley, B. (1974). No Woman, No Cry. (Bob Marley & The Wailers, Performer)

Marley, B. (1980). Redemption Song. (Bob Marley & The Wailers, Performer)

Marley, B. (1963). War. (Bob Marley & The Wailers, Performer)

Marley, B., & Tosh, P. (1973). Get Up, Stand Up. (The Wailers, Performer)

Moskowitz, D. (2007). The Words and Music of Bob Marley. Westport, Connecticut, United
States: Greenwood Publishing Group.

Oxford Concise Dictionary of World Religions. (2009). Rastafarians. UK: Oxford Concise Dictionary
of World Religions.

Rock And Roll Hall of Fame & Museum. (1994). Bob Marley. Retrieved November 12, 2009, from
Rock And Roll Hall of Fame & Museum: http://www.rockhall.com/inductee/bob-marley

Webley, B. D. (2009, May 10). Bishop Webley: One world, one love, one Bob Marley. Retrieved
November 11, 2009, from Birmingham Post.net:
http://www.birminghampost.net/comment/birmingham-columnists/more-
columnists/2008/05/10/bishop-webley-one-world-one-love-one-bob-marley-65233-20891539/