The Marley Children

The Marley children continue to represent their father. Ziggy and Cedella Marley have been the most recent spokespersons on their father’s legacy. Last night Nightline interviewed Ziggy on Los Angeles declaring August 7^th as Bob Marley Day.  But the interview “Being Marley: Ziggy Opens Up on Father, Music” was really about the son expressing the joy he has in carrying the torch of his father’s music and spirit. “When I play his music I just feel like I’m playing my own music.  It’s a part of me it doesn’t feel strange,” said Ziggy.  

On August 9^th, Kevin McDonald’s documentary Marley was shown at the Puma Yard in London.  It was the same night the Jamaican men swept the 200m medals at the Olympics.  Puma launched a line of clothing by Cedella Marley in honor of Jamaican athletics.  It was one of the largest selling items from the store as many of the clothes were sold out in London before the Olympics ended.  In addition to the clothes designed by Cedella there was a line of Marley Coffees and Marley’s Mellow Mood drinks. 

Marley released in New York in May was one of the first in depth examinations of the musician’s biracial background. Macdonald interviewed relatives, white and black, from Marley’s paternal line. The film also showed Marley’s impact in Jamaican national politics during the 1970s and the global power of his music even though he died 31 years ago.  “His songs are not made for a certain time period or a certain style of dressing or dancing," said Ziggy. "His music is timeless.”

Watch the Nightline Segment

Independence Celebrations at Jamaica House

London -- Jamaicans celebrated their 50^th year of Independence and Olympic victories on Monday at Jamaica House.   

Jamaica House is inside The O2 arena and is the official location for Jamaican activities. The arena is also the location for the gymnastic competition. When the PNP won the election last December they started working on establishing a venue in London where Jamaican culture could be celebrated.  

“We couldn’t have planned it any better,” said Aloun Ndombet-Assamba, Jamaica’s High Commissioner to the United Kingdom.  “I’m overwhelmed by everything happening on the track but I really didn’t expect the response of people coming here too.”

Starting last month Jamaica House has been the backdrop for a string of cultural events. Some of the best Jamaican musicians and dub poets have played at The O2 in honor of Jamaica’s 50^th Independence: Lee Scratch Perry, Damian Marley, Sly and Robbie, Monty Alexander, Mutabaruka with The Lloyd Parks Band, Benjamin Zephaniah, Tarrus Riley, Morgan Heritage and one of the closing acts for Independence was Jimmy Cliff & Oneness, among others. Jamaican comedians also performed, including Ity & Fancy Cat. There’s a gallery showing on British music and “Messenger: The Bob Marley Exhibition.” There’s also a small store where visitors can purchase popular Jamaican products, and an indoor lounge and outdoor terrace where people can hang out while eating, drinking, and watching the large monitors featuring the Olympics.

On Independence night Justine Henzell’s, One People: Out of Many, One Documentary was shown.  It was streamed live and simultaneously to viewers at Jamaica House, the BAM Rose Cinemas in Brooklyn, New York and the National Stadium in Kingston.

Absolutely everyone in attendance wore one of the national colors.  All generations were represented as children played games while parents looked on and others danced to live music by the mostly female group Harambe Drummers.  But everyone remembered why they were gathered.  The same monitored that showed the One Love documentary also showed the track and field events.  When the Jamaicans came on the screen everyone cheered.  After Shelly-Ann Fraser Pryce and Veronica Campbell Brown ran Round 1 of their 200m heats the DJ immediately played Buju Banton’s Champion. The success of the women made the Independence celebrations better.

“We didn’t think we could find so many Jamaicans in one place,” said Donald Anderson, Chef de Mission to Team Jamaica.  “Every Jamaican is so proud to put on their colors and cheering.”

Given the expectations for more medals on the track there will probably be more nights of celebrations at the Jamaica House. 

Fraser-Pryce and Bolt Twice as Nice at London Olympics

London -- Confetti dropped from the ceiling, people erupted in roars and music blasted.  That was the reaction of the crowd at Puma Yard when Usain Bolt defended his Olympic 100m title last night at the Olympic Stadium in Stratford, London. 

If you weren’t in the stadium or Jamaica then the next best place to be was at the Puma Yard in Brick Lane, London.  Hundreds of people poured in the lounge bar and hang out spot for all things Jamaican.  The building was decorated in every combination of gold, green and black, and the colors draped everyone standing in front of the jumbo size monitors watching the races.  It didn’t matter where a person was born.  Once they were in Puma Yard their allegiance shifted.  Jamaican flags were worn as capes; women wore green pants and tight fighting yellow tops and everyone wore some form of Puma clothing, the official clothing sponsor for Team Jamaica.  Puma also featured a line of clothes for the Olympics that were designed by Cedella Marley.  People stood in place eating their jerk chicken or curry goat while others temporarily forgot about athletics or food and carried on bad on the dance floor. 

Whenever races with Jamaicans were about to start the selector would turn off the music to let the crowd hear the commentary from the BBC.  When the 100m final was about to begin the place became completely quiet.  Then the starter’s gun fired and the crowd started cheering.  When Bolt shifted gears and took control of the race and won, the crowd also shifted gears and screamed their heads off, glittery confetti fell from the ceiling and people started jumping up and down.  The selector waited a few seconds then started Barrington Levy’s Murderer.  The crowd instantly recognized the introductory seconds of the songs and everyone started dancing. 

It was a while before everyone calmed down. 

Bolt has been the most featured athlete for this Olympics.  The other athletes to come close were Jessica Ennis and Michael Phelps but the face of the Games has been Bolt.

When I landed in Heathrow Airport and walked towards the immigration area the first image I saw was a Visa advertisement with Bolt.  It was the only photo of anyone in that section.  That Visa promotion is splashed across countless billboards and buses throughout the city.  That image along with t-shirts showing Bolt’s face, his To Di World pose, or some assortment of him is everywhere. 

On Saturday, my cousin and I attended the morning session of track and field at the Olympic Stadium.  We saw round 1 of the men’s 100m.  We knew Bolt’s heat was about to run because people who could see into the tunnel where the athletes would walk out of were bending over to take pictures of him walking out.  Prior to the race the stadium announcer called the names of a few athletes about to run but before Bolt’s race he told the 80,000 people that the 100m would feature ‘you know who.’ As the runners stood at the starter line the announcer introduced Bolt by saying ‘the fastest man in the world’ and the stadium vibrated with the screams from the people.

As my cousin and I walked around Olympic Park we saw a lot of Jamaican flags and colors being worn by nationals and foreigners.  People were hustling into the stadium to watch the women’s 100m final that night.  They were either in line to go through security for the Stadium or in line to watch the night meet on land similar to Henman Hill in the Park, but very few were leaving the stadium.

 As Shelly-Ann Fraser Pryce stood at the line of the 100m I thought of the remarkable moment in history it would be for her to defend her title; that she would be only the third woman to do so; that her victories in Beijing and Berlin and wins since have not been flukes but that she really is a world champion and just like Bolt should be ranked in the legend category of sprinters; and that she and Bolt have completely transformed track and field in Jamaica. 

I held my breath when the women were about to run. They are all such incredible sprinters that I wouldn’t have been surprised with the outcome, but when Fraser-Pryce won I knew the party had started in Jamaica and for Jamaicans everywhere.  Her win started the celebrations the country wanted for their Olympians and would now have towards the 50^th anniversary of the island’s independence.