THE EDITOR, Sir:

I HAVE been reading about how the great Bob Marley should not have national hero status. Jamaicans really do not know the extent and the gate Bob Marley opened for Jamaicans to travel the worldwide without fear. Bob Marley has helped millions of people more abroad than at home to put the land of wood and water on the world map. Reggae music inspires millions all across the world.

I have some friends from Mongolia (Ulan Bator). They told me about a restaurant there called Jamaica and which plays only reggae music. When I was a child growing up in the '70s and '80s in Shortwood and Grants Pen, where you would hear reggae music playing daily, my parents did not like it one bit; likewise the kids, including myself.

Honour bob

I grew up to see the power of the music that has opened gates for all Jamaican passport holders. Bob Marley is the most famous black man to set foot on Earth. This credit belongs to Jamaica. Marcus Mosiah Garvey is the only hero that can stand near Bob Marley for humanity, cultural integration and world peace for mankind. The man is not a national hero. He is the world international hero and the first to the seat. If we do not honour him, someone somewhere will.

I am, etc.,

ROBERT DIXON

dixon_robert@yahoo.com

Tomsk, Siberia

Via Go-Jamaica