Rita insists Bob will be
buried in Ethiopia
The
widow of
reggae
superstar
Bob
Marley
has
reiterated
that his
body,
now
interred
in his
Jamaican
birthplace,
would
eventually
be
reburied
in
Ethiopia
to
comply
with his
wishes.
"It was a dream of Bob Marley and it is a dream of the family to bury him in Ethiopia but there is no time set to this end," Rita Marley told reporters in the Ethiopian capital, Addis Ababa.
Similar comments attributed to Marley's widow in early January created a storm of controversy in Jamaica and prompted denials of any such plans by the Bob Marley Foundation.
Some Jamaicans said it would rob the island of its national heritage.
But speaking on Friday ahead of huge celebrations to mark the 60th anniversary of Bob Marley's birth, Rita Marley insisted that the body would be moved at some point.
"We have not set a time for the reburial of Bob Marley in Ethiopia, there is no rush for it," she said.
 |
 As
we believe in what is to be, must be, it will happen in due course.
Indeed, it was Bob's dream and the family shares that dream |
"As we believe in what is to be, must be, it will happen in due course," she said. "Indeed, it was Bob's dream and the family shares that dream."
Two years before his death from cancer at age 39 in 1981, Bob Marley visited Ethiopia, whose late emperor Haile Selassie (born Ras Tafari) is regarded as the spiritual leader of the Rastafarian movement that Marley espoused.
As such, Addis Ababa was seen as the natural venue for the 60th birthday "Africa Unite" celebrations that kick off on Tuesday and are expected to attract some 200,000 visitors, including Bob Marley's 80-year-old mother, who is already in the country.
Rita Marley, the African Union and the United Nations Children's Fund have organised the US$1 million celebrations, expected to be broadcast in Africa and beyond. This is the first time the event has been held outside Jamaica.
Rasta museum
Some of the proceeds from sales of CDs and DVDs from a gala concert on February 6 and other events are to go toward assisting Somali victims of last month's deadly tsunami.
Other proceeds will go to help construct a museum dedicated to Haile Selassie.
"As we are believers of life after death, we are planning to build a palace museum for the emperor, to display his works and activities, as he is our mentor and guide," Rita Marley said.
"His Majesty is a God elected King of Kings and we consider him the closest person to God," she said. "He is not a symbol only for the Rastas but for all blacks in the diaspora all over the world who seek where their roots are."
Meanwhile, the United States is warning American Rastafarians planning to attend the celebrations that marijuana possession in Ethiopia is illegal.
The State Department said Ethiopian authorities planned to boost security measures for the festivities.
"The security enhancements will include increased checks for illegal weapons and drugs at ports of entry and border crossings," the department said.
"Possession of marijuana is
punishable by up to six months in prison," it added.
The announcement did not elaborate but marijuana is considered a sacrament by
many Rastafarians.