Marley
DESPITE THE hundreds of accolades and awards which have already been bestowed on him, Robert Nesta Marley continues to consistently earn more each year as if he were still alive.
The legendary singer would have turned 60 in 2005, yet another award will come his way by that time.
The honour comes from a country which Marley and several other Rastafarians have had a spiritual connection with and which they have done songs mentioning by name Ethiopia.
GLOBAL IMPACT
Organisers of the Ethiopian Music Awards have chosen Marley to honour as their 'Entertainer of the Millennium', based on the impact his music has had globally.
The awards, although the first of what is hoped to be an annual event, has adopted the vision of seeing the show eventually rival most international music shows, as it seeks to promote Ethiopian music and culture to the world and at the same time boost tourism in the East African country.
Since Marley's death in 1980, awards of this nature have not stopped pouring in.
The National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences (NARAS) in the United States has given him a posthumous lifetime achievement award. He was given a place in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1994, as well as a star on Hollywood Boulevard's walk of fame and a lifetime achievement Grammy award.
His Exodus album was named by Time magazine as 'Album of the 20th Century' and the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) named One Love the song of the same century.
Along with these more prominent awards, Marley has received hundreds more which stack up to make an impressive posthumous résumé.
Andy Abulime, president and CEO of the Ethiopian Life Foundation and the Ethiopian Music Awards, told The Sunday Gleaner he saw it only fitting to add one more award to the list.
He tipped this first Ethiopian Music Awards to be a prestigious and flamboyant affair which will make it the biggest of its kind on the continent.
"This is the first time that we will have a platform for Ethiopian music to be showcased worldwide," he stated. "We recognise the contribution of Bob Marley to music, so we wanted to honour him as well. We also recognise the historical and traditional link between Jamaica and Ethiopia, so it is an honour and a privilege to honour Marley."
"It is the answer to the American Music Awards and/or the Grammy Awards. We just want to do the same for African music. We have plans to invite 'Miss Jamaica' and several dignitaries to take part. It is one of those things we want to be a huge annual event."
In a statement prepared for the media, the organisation explained the show's aim and concept, and withheld no praise for Marley.
ENTERTAINERS OF THE MILLENNIUM
"...The Ethiopian Life Foundation, exclusive owners and organisers of the 'Ethiopian Music Awards' show slated for Addis Ababa, have confirmed that reggae legend Bob Marley is to be
awarded the Reggae Entertainer of the Millennium," it reads.
"This is in recognition for his contributions to reggae music in the world. The traditional links between Ethiopia and Jamaica go back very far... and even though he has long left us, his music lives on and the organisers are proud and honored to be making this award to such a great singer. His lyrics have promoted serious soul-searching, are thought provoking and champion many good causes. A special video montage of the legend will be shown during the awards show. This marks the first of several special awards to be awarded at the show, which is designed to give Ethiopian singers a global platform to be promoted and honored for their musical talents, and it will include foreign acts as well."
Among other categories, the selection committee is still looking at nominees for Male and Female African Entertainers of the Millennium and Male and Female Ethiopian Entertainers of the Millennium.
Marley may not be the only reggae awardee for next April's show. Abulime added that his agency has plans of including hip hop and modern reggae categories which may see even a few dancehall acts get nods.
For these sections he explained, "they were nominated based on radio airplay and overall popularity etc. To calculate the winners we will use, among other things, a web poll and mail in polls from certain magazines."
Sponsorship, he noted, has been slow as the corporate world is tentative about a new show of this nature. He feels, however, that if the foundation can pull this one off, the companies will jump on board next year.
Bob Marley's widow, Rita Marley, was unavailable for comment up to press time.
