Yesterday was a good day! A friend of mine hooked me up with a pass to see the screening of “Marley”, the much anticipated docu-film which opens on 4/20/12 in theaters.

I grabbed a couple of close friends and off we went! I was wondering what the crowd would be like and hoping that there would be enough seats, secretly wishing that there would be so many people there that they would have to turn people away. Well, it turns out there were enough seats, after the theater brought additional chairs in! It was filled to capacity and more!!

From Neville Garrick to Bunny Livingston, Lee Scratch Perry to Marcia Griffiths,Judy Mowatt, Cindy Breakspeare and of course Rita Marley and many more, we were there with them as they walked with us through Bob’s journey.

The story begins at the “Door of No Return”, a museum and memorial to the Atlantic slave trade on tiny Goree Island, 3 km off the coast of the city of Dakar, Senegal, a compound which is said to have been the last stopping point for millions of Africans sold into slavery. We are lead out of this door and taken to the Island of Jamaica. Enter Robert Nesta Marley..

We walk through Bob’s early childhood in St. Ann, a place called 9 Mile, located in the mountains well outside of the inner cities of Kingston, Jamaica. We get to hear from cousins and close friends who grew up with “Robbie” as some affectionately called him.

At a young age, Bob and his mother Cedella make the move to Kingston to try and make a better life. It’ s not easy for Bob. He is teased about being “half caste” by the kids in Trenchtown.

The story then takes us into the music. From the early ska recordings to the birth of the first reggae riffs, we get to see the evolution of the dynamics which made up the original group”The Wailers”. Bunny Livingston takes us through that time period up to the point where he decided to stop touring with the band and why. It is nice to hear this from Bunny directly, as there has been a lot of assumptions and speculation through the years.

I appreciated the perspectives in particular of Neville Garrick, Bob’s Art Director . Neville literally makes us feel like we are there experiencing Bob live and direct. From playing football in the “yaad” at 56 Hope Road to road tours in London, we are there.

I have more respect than ever (if that’s possible) for Rita Marley after seeing this film. The love she had for Bob and the level of commitment to the message in the music is powerful. She gracefully shared Bob with us back then and even now, with a total understanding of what he means to the world.

We got to know “Captain Marley”, Bob’s biological father better. We meet a half sister , cousins and second cousins. We are “let in”.

One day, after a successful show in Madison Square Garden, Bob collapses while taking a run in the park. He is seizing and weak. His Rastafarian friends and entourage speak to him, and the next thing you know, Bob chants “Rastafari” and jumps up to his feet as though nothing had happened!

Only months later, Bob was gone. We are taken through his short stay in Germany with holistic doctors and staff, to the flight back to Miami just 3 days before his death. We hear from Ziggy and Cedella, two of Bob’s eldest children about what kind of father Bob was, and what is was like losing him to cancer.

When the movie ended, I noticed that many people did not want get up to leave the theater. The vibration in the room was so powerful, it felt as though Bob was there in the midst. That’s because, he was..

This is a well done film! I would encourage not only lovers of Bob Marley and Reggae music to see it, but everyone should see this inspiring film.

This is a story about a special soul, a determined soul, and one of the most important people and musicians of our time. Island Stage highly recommends this film.

“From Oscar winner Kevin Macdonald (THE LAST KING OF SCOTLAND) comes the story of a towering figure of musical history, whose music and message transcended different cultures, languages and creeds. The film follows the life of Bob Marley from his early days in Jamaican slums to the reggae king’s death from cancer at the age of 36, with rare interviews with Marley’s family and much of his music, including his last personal appearance at the 1978 One Love Concert. This informative, insightful documentary ranks as one of the greatest music documentaries ever”.

Written by Susan Underwood

Island Stage Founder & Creative Director

Under One Sun

Brina is an artiste steeped in the music and rhythms of her Jamaican culture and she is ready to take her Tribal Global Reggae Music to the world.

Brina comes alive on stage, when she steps in front of an audience and sings, people listen – her songs and music both refreshing and uplifting. Drawing on and fusing together elements of her rich musical and cultural heritage such as Reggae and Nyabinghi with other musical styles from around the globe and the African diaspora, Brina is conscious of bringing a positive healing message to the world. The lyrics in her songs speak of justice and equality, liberation, oneness and love.

Click here to purchase

From Magnolia Pictures: Bob Marley’s universal appeal, impact on music history and role as a social and political prophet is both unique and unparalleled. MARLEY is the definitive life story of the musician, revolutionary, and legend, from his early days to his rise to international superstardom. Made with the support of the Marley family, the film features rare footage, incredible performances and revelatory interviews with the people that knew him best.

From Academy Award-winning director Kevin Macdonald (One Day In September, The Last King of Scotland) comes the story of a towering figure of musical history, whose music and message has transcended different cultures, languages and creeds to resonate around the world today as powerfully as when he was alive.

MARLEY will make its world premiere at the Berlin Film festival this month followed by its North American premiere at SXSW. Magnolia Pictures will release theatrically and on VOD on Friday, April 20th.

Video courtesy of YouTube.

Today, I am going to make you uncomfortable. As a friend of Jamaica, and with a heavy heart I must. “Island Stage is intended to uplift and enhance the worldwide image of the Caribbean, by showcasing – the culture, music, and lifestyle.” I have been told that it would not be “good for business” to address what I am about to address. I say, “OH WELL!” and I ask, “At the end of the day, what is REALLY important?”

A friend recently tagged me on an article written on April 1st in the Jamaica Observer, and Dr Sandra A Knight’s Horrific accounts of several alleged sexual assault cases each year with the victims being anywhere from babies to 12 years old. After reading the article, I immediately became involved per several requests, and posted the articles on all of my social network sites. Asking for support from everyone, I only received 2 comments.

First, if you have not read this article, you need to.

Go to Article

“CHILDREN as young as four years old have been treated for gonorrhoea, syphilis, herpes and HIV at the Bustamante Hospital for Children after being raped by close family members including their fathers”.

Every day, I see people advocating for Trevon Martin’s murder. I see people posing for their “hoodie pics” and speaking their minds, and rightfully so. I see UNITY, and that is a good thing. There are young black men being killed in the USA every day. All of these murders do not make the national and global news.

There seems to be a “sweeping under the rug” going on with this issue of child rape and murder going on in Jamaica. I see Jamaicans living in Jamaica, the US and abroad speaking loudly about Trevon’s case. Where are your voices with this issue? Before you answer this question, here is what I know. Tourism dollars are EXTREMELY important for Jamaica’s economy. We do not want the rest of the world to think that this kind of thing is going on in the place where “Those who go, know.” and again “Out of many, we are ONE.” We need the people to come and dip their feet in the beauty of the Jamaican Caribbean sea in places like Montego Bay, Ocho Rios and Frenchman’s Cove just to name as few.

And the music. Yes, let’s chat bout. I work with many artists who call themselves “conscious”. Where are your voices with regard to this tragedy? It’s as though it’s “business as usual” Keep pushing the music! What a great platform for you to talk about what is important! I see your large fan bases. Don’t you realize that if you ask your fans to support this cause, they will? Let me say thank you to artists like Shaggy, who ARE speaking out!

Obviously, educational programs are needed for mothers who feel that it’s not a big deal for this to happen to a child. The Observer article quotes “One mother, Dr Knight said, admitted to her that she had a similar experience as a child and it did not affect her. “So the mentality is the child is going to be all right too,” said the doctor.

There also needs to be support for the distraught mothers who blame themselves for not having figured out what was happening to their child in time. Then there are the children….. My God, what about them? What type of future do they have, having something as horrific as this happen to them? They are our future!

The last sentence in the article states “As for Jamaica having a sex offenders registry to alert communities to the identity sex offenders, Knight does not believe this would work as smoothly in Jamaica as in the United States, because Jamaicans might not be mature enough to handle this because of the vigilante culture.” I don’t buy this. There HAS to be a registry! But there will have to be Fearless-ness involved. I will say this much, if anyone threatened my child, looked at them in the wrong way, touched them, raped them, beat them, and threatened me that I better not say anything to anyone…… they would just have to kill me!

Yes. It will take Fearless-ness to deal with this issue. These are our children. If we do not protect them, and speak out for them, who will?

Please join the cause! Join Now

Written by Susan Underwood,

Island Stage Founder