Bob Marley Survival
Bob Marley Survival
SURVIVAL is one of several great reggae albums which I originally bought on vinyl and had to replace with CDs. Bob Marley was not just one of the greatest singers, songwriters and musicians of the 20th century, but a poet and prophet who brought reggae music and the culture of Rastafari to the world, and all of his music is well worth listening to.Bob Marley Survival
SURVIVAL may not be Marley’s best album, but it is his most consistently militant album. Marley’s laments about the evils of “Babylon system” (the global system of white supremacy and neo-colonialism), his calls for action to overthrow the system, and his celebration of African survival, are perfectly underscored by his alternately plaintive and rousing musical arrangements.Bob Marley Survival
This album inspired the freedom fighters of Zimbabwe to overthrow the colonial Rhodesian regime, and was deemed so dangerous that it was banned by the white supremacist government of apartheid South Africa. During his 1979 world tour to promote SURVIVAL, Bob Marley was interviewed on WUHY (Uhuru Radio) by radical journalist and former Black Panther Party member Mumia Abu-Jamal, who focused on Marley’s messages of black unity and the roots of the Rastafarian movement in Marcus Garvey’s back-to-Africa movement and the culture of the Maroons, escaped slaves who set up a rebel society in the hills of Jamaica. “Survival,” said Abu-Jamal, “lurks at the heart of the Rasta message… survival with the power of love.” When Zimbabwe won its independence, Bob Marley flew there at his own expense and declined to accept payment for his performance, saying he wanted all the wealth of Zimbabwe to stay there.
Bob Marley Survival
Anyone who appreciates reggae music in general, and Bob Marley’s music in particular, should include SURVIVAL in their collection if they don’t already – especially if they think of Marley only as a countercultural apostle of peace and love. Bob Marley’s message cannot be limited to the lyrics of “One Love” any more than Martin Luther King’s message can be limited to King’s “I Have a Dream” speech. Like Martin Luther King, Bob Marley longed for a world free from racism, a world of human unity in which people would no longer be judged by the color of their skin – but like Malcolm X, Nelson Mandela and Mumia Abu-Jamal, Marley realized that such a world would not be achieved without struggle by any means necessary. SURVIVAL should inspire Bob Marley’s fans to honor his memory by supporting the continuing struggle to end racism, neo-colonialism and wrongful incarceration – including the struggle to free Mumia Abu-Jamal and the millions of other innocent and nonviolent people in U.S. prisons.
Bob Marley Survival
