MARLEY ‘MOTIVATED’ ZIMBABWE FREEDOM FIGHTERS

Bob Marley’s music championed social justice, human rights, and the fight against oppression. His son, Ziggy, remembers the time they were in Zimbabwe to celebrate the end of colonial rule. While in their hotel room, resistance fighters who’d fought for their country’s freedom, came to thank him. They said his music had helped motivate them in their armed struggle.

Ziggy told the story during an interview with CNN while speaking about the newly released film Bob Marley: One Love. The music legend’s song ‘Zimbabwe’ became an anthem for the African country’s liberation movement. Marley and his band, The Wailers, were invited by the country’s new leader, Robert Mugabe, to perform during independence celebrations. They headlined at the Rufaro Stadium in Harare on April 18, 1980. An iconic moment that marked the birth of a new nation. Ziggy says that was when he realised how powerful music can be.

One has to wonder how his father would have viewed the politics of his eldest son Ziggy Marley today, who is a big supporter of Israel and even attends the Israel Defence Forces’ annual fundraiser gala dinner in New York. In 2018, Israeli security forces killed 290 Palestinians, including 55 minors, and in that same year, Ziggy Marley and other Hollywood celebrities helped to raise more than $60 million for the IDF. In October 2023, when Israel began its genocidal onslaught on Gaza, which has seen schools and hospitals targeted by the IDF, Ziggy signed an open letter affirming his support of Israel amid the war.

A far cry from the liberation music his father was famous for.

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