BOB MARLEY WILL BE IN THE SPOTLIGHT AT FLORIDA INTERNATIONAL UNIVERSITY (FIU) FRIDAY, MARCH 6!

Born in Jamaica, Marley was one of the world’s most successful recording artists who introduced millions of music lovers to reggae. Marley’s songs that are filled with social messages and his childhood experiences rocked the billboard charts as they crossed over into mainstream America.

Marley would have turned 70 on Feb. 6. To celebrate his birthday, scholars will examine his colorful life during a free symposium at 7 p.m. Friday, March 6 at Florida International University, Biscayne Bay Campus, 3000 NE 151st St., North Miami.

The event is sponsored by FIU’s African and African Diaspora Studies Program.

Enititled, ‘The Bob Marley Symposium: A Critical Look at The Man, The Music and the Message’, organizers said the event will be a celebration of Marley’s life, music and message to the world. The discussion will include a panel of Caribbean and Reggae scholars who will share their insights on one of the world’s most famous and complicated musicians.

The panel will include Dr. Michael Barnett, an FIU sociology professor who specializes in Caribbean Culture and the African Diaspora. Another panelist, Roger Steffens is an author whose renowned archives on Marley is believed to be the largest collection in the world. A third panelist, Jabulani Tafari is the founder and editor of Rootz Reggae, who is also a freelance journalist with Caribbean Today, a South Florida newspaper.

The panelists will explore Marley’s impact on music and his crossover appeal to other ethnic groups including whites. Organizers said the symposium will also discuss the social commentary in Marley’s songs about Africa, neo-colonialism, human rights and political oppression.