Bad vibes as tug-of-love hits Marley anniversay

http://www.guardian.co.uk/arts/news/story/0,11711,1406559,00.html

(a most political singer/songwriters)

Gary Younge in Kingston
Saturday February 5, 2005
The Guardian

Marley's family has announced plans to move his remains to Ethiopia,
sparking a pan-African tug-of-love not just between his family and his fans
but between the country in which he was born and the continent he revered
in his religion and music.

At the heart of the row stands his widow, Rita Marley, mother to four of his
11 known children and the central figure of the I-Threes - the backing
vocalists for Marley's group, The Wailers. Last month she said she intended
to exhume her husband's body and transport it to Ethiopia, the spiritual
home of Rastafarians.
...
"Bob's whole life is about Africa, it is not about Jamaica. How can you give
up a continent for an island? He has a right for his remains to be where he
would love them to be. This was his mission. With the 60th anniversary this
year, the impact is there and the time is right."

When the news broke in Jamaica, some were outraged. Jeanett Robb wrote to
Jamaica's Daily Observer this week arguing that Mrs Marley "should be
stoned out of this country and not allowed to return".

That's the only way I've ever left Jamaica.

This is a tough one. Difficult to decide who's right.

If you've ever been up to his tomb, right next to the tiny house he grew up in, you know it would be hard to leave such a beautiful spot. The view across the Jamaican mountains is one of the most wonderful I've ever seen.

, no matter where his body is.

I tend to trust those talkin bout his spiritual well-being. Tho, I've heard some contrarian vibes from Rita...

dunno - it's a personal thing.

<edit:> Sounds like you had a pretty fabulous trip.

It's Third World, but if you know what you are getting into and have some intelligence about the culture, it is paradise.

than it is about tourist dollars.

Just like Jim Morrisons tomb in France, Marley's grave brings tourists from all over the world to pay tribute to him.

The average person in Jamaica may care about his remains but it's the Jamaican gov't that's worried the most.

My opinion: respect the man's wishes. Bury him in Ethiopia

Therefore, the personal decision is the personal decision- not about "who has the body".

Respect.

It is not a tourist friendly trip up into the hills.