Bob Marley for National Hero ... The debate continues

Christopher Serju, Sunday Gleaner Writer

In life he was a champion for black people the world over; in death he continues to inspire millions to rise beyond the circumstances of their birth to claim their heritage, but in the country where he was born, it seems Robert Nesta Marley is still a victim of class prejudice. That's the considered view of Jacqueline Lynch Stewart, general manager of the Bob Marley Foundation.

"My personal view is that he has not become a national hero because he is Rastafarian. I think it's a part of our prejudices in Jamaica. I think we suffer from serious class prejudice. If Bob was a bald head, he would have been a national hero already. The powers, and I am talking from all sides, have a difficulty putting up a Rastaman as a national hero. However, I think it will happen eventually because the people are going to push it," she told The Sunday Gleaner.

Lynch Stewart made it clear that she was expressing her personal views and not speaking on behalf of the foundation or Marley family.

"I say to people, he is already the people's hero. To me, the most popular heroes in Jamaica are Marcus (Garvey) and Bob. Everywhere you go there is a picture of Marcus and Bob painted in some community or town. So my view is that it will happen eventually because Rasta has become more accepted over the years."

Marley, who would have been 66 on Sunday, February 6, and his band, the Wailers, are credited with taking reggae international, but 30 years since his death, the Rastafarian icon continues to command more respect from foreigners, who account for 90 per cent of visitors to the Bob Marley Museum, according to Lynch Stewart.

Most visited attraction

"I do not think the average Jamaican understands the level of love and appreciation that Bob gets worldwide. We are the most visited attraction in Kingston, and, in fact, research has shown it to be the most visited Jamaican attraction outside of Dunn's River, and most of those guests are coming from the north coast because Kingston is not really a tourist destination. So they have to really make an effort to take a tour bus, pay money to come to Kingston to the Bob Marley Museum," she explained.

"We really need to always treasure and respect our own. First of all, you have to start with yourself. You have to love yourself and then you start with your neighbour, but the critical thing as Jamaicans is that we really need to honour each other and love each other. Bob is just one of many Jamaicans who have really been successful. He chose music, but there are others who have been successful in other careers."

Lynch Stewart cited as ironic the fact that Jamaicans at home continue to show scant regard for Marley, who was always proud of his Jamaican heritage, never missing an opportunity to share this fact with the world. She admitted to being surprised by his growing popularity among non-Jamaicans.

"The foreigners, the Europeans, the Americans, too, but you see the Europeans, you see the Germans, the Italians, they come and they will cry. If you ever speak to our tour guides and get the stories of people who start to cry while doing the tour!

" What is another interesting thing about the museum is that we get people from all over the world yes, but sometimes you get guests coming from some little place that you have to go and look up on the planet. He really has impacted the world in a very positive way. Jamaicans don't understand how loved he is by people outside Jamaica."

According to the Bob Marley Foundation general manager, during her international travels, she is often detained by immigration, once they find out where she works, as they are hungry for information about the late King of Reggae. This fascination transcends nationalities and classes.

Dignitaries among visitors

"We have celebrities, not in the sense of artistes, but government dignitaries coming from abroad. They insist on coming to the museum, even when the Government doesn't put it in their schedule. You'll hear Foreign Affairs or Tourist Board call, 'Mr So and So is here and he insists on coming to the museum but only has a half an hour, how you going to help me?' And I say sure, no problem and we fine-tune the tour to ensure that he gets enough, though not the entire thing, which is about one hour 20 minutes."

For her part, Lynch Stewart's growing fascination with Marley is fed in part by other people's response to him.

"You see people's reaction and you say, 'Shoot, this guy is just so unreal, this is just so, so'. You can't wrap your head around it, and then the other thing, too, is once a month, we get an email saying that somebody is honouring him somewhere. So he is forever picking up an honour, or some village somewhere is putting up a statue of him."

On May 31, 2001, the Bob Marley Museum (which opened to the public on May 11, 1986) was declared a protected national heritage site, with Marley's former London home at 34 Ridgemount Gardens in Camden declared a heritage site in 2006.

Meanwhile, the international accolades for the superstar who was presented with the Order of Merit (OM) by the Jamaican Government shortly before he died on May 11, 1981, make for impressive reading.

1. Inauguration into the United Kingdom Hall of Fame - November 2004.
   
2. Star on Hollywood Walk of Fame - February 2001.
   
3. Lifetime Achievement Award NARAS (Grammy) - February 2001.
   
4. Induction into Rock and Roll Hall of Fame - 1994.
   
5. Certificate of Appreciation from Dade County, Florida - 1982.

Married to Cuban native Alvarita (Rita) Anderson in 1966, Marley, who moved to Trench Town, Kingston 10, years earlier, is said to have fathered 12 children - seven boys, five girls. He was born to Cedella Booker on February 6, 1945, in the rural St Ann district of Nine Miles. His father was Captain Norval St Claire Marley.

• Semaj against nat'l hero status for Marley - Says Gong would be exploited, sanitised

Mel Cooke, Gleaner Writer

In 2007, Dr Leahcim Semaj delivered the annual Bob Marley lecture at the University of the West Indies (UWI), Mona campus. Then, as now, he unequivocally states that Bob Marley should not be made a Jamaican national hero.

However, it is not that Semaj discounts Marley's impact or contribution. In fact, he argues that Marley is already an international icon and to make him a national hero would be a demotion. Plus, Semaj argues, Marley would suffer the same inglorious fate as Marcus Garvey, Jamaica's first national hero.

"The people chose Garvey as a hero before the Government declared him so," Semaj said, pointing to Garvey's impact on the Rastafarian movement. "Rasta chose Garvey and have continued to honour Marcus," Semaj said. "The Government named Marcus a national hero, but the paradox is after that, what?"

Sanitising Marley

So while there are numerous texts with Garvey's principles, including his magazine Black Man and the book Philosophy and Opinions of Marcus Garvey, Semaj says "not one word of Garvey's philosophy" is officially part of the Jamaican political or judicial system.

"Garvey is just used on National Heroes Day or his birthday," Semaj said.

And he demands rhetorically, "Why would Bob be treated any differently? It would give the Government licence to use and abuse his image and lyrics to suit its purpose ... . We see what happened (with Garvey). That is the perfect parallel to see what would happen (with Marley)."

Part of that treatment is sanitising Marley's message, as Semaj says "they are going to have serious problems with the issues that Marley spoke about. I think those supportive of it, outside of the politicians, would be extremely disappointed when they see the sanitisation." Already, he said, "There is a further move to sanitise Marley so he is consumable on all levels. He stands as a rebel, black man redemption in terms of the liberation of all people."

He says that making Bob Marley a national hero is "a nice tourism ploy. Anything with Marley's image on it is the most powerful. It would be a powerful marketing tool. It would in no way indicate a change of views." Semaj fears that if Marley's image is sanitised in that way "in a generation, people would forget what Marley stood for".

'Part of my personal evolution'

Semaj's interest in preserving Marley's message is intensely personal. He tells The Sunday Gleaner about his graduate school studies in the US when he would play each Marley LP consistently until the next one came out. There was also a memorable road trip to see the Gong perform.

"I take it very personally. He's a part of my personal evolution and consciousness. The vast majority of Jamaicans alive today did not see Bob Marley perform," Semaj said. And he recalls a time when it took the threat of violence to get Marley's music played on radio. "Lots of people who are behind him now hated his guts," Semaj said.

And Semaj goes biblical with the instruction "if you love me, keep my commandments" as he emphasises the difference between honouring someone in name and adhering to their principles.

"They have not kept the commandments of Garvey, they will certainly not keep Marley's," Semaj said.