THE family of reggae king Bob Marley are upset that Zimbabwe Music Awards (Zima) organizers did not include them in discussions to honor the late patriarch.
According to Zimbabwe’s Nehanda Radio, the family learnt of the honor through an article in the Jamaica Observer.
“Damian Marley wanted to know about the award as the family doesn’t know about it. They only got to know about the award through a story in the Jamaica Observer,” said Bob Marley Music manager, Doreen Crujeiras.
Recently, Zima Chairman Joseph Nyadzayo announced that they had postponed this year’s awards ceremony to next year as they wanted to honor Marley with a Lifetime Achievement award. According to organizers, Marley’s family had said they would only be free to travel to Zimbabwe early next year to receive the award.
Bob Marley
Crujeiras said they feared Zima organizers could have been dealing with impersonators as no one had approached the Marley family with such a request.“Since we aren’t aware of the award, maybe the organizers have been dealing with the wrong people. We’re now frantically trying to establish who they’ve been dealing with,” Crujeiras was quoted as saying.
Nyadzayo said an official letter has subsequently been sent to the family.
“Marley’s management spoke to us and we’ve sent a letter officially asking them to honor Bob Marley. We’re now waiting for feedback from them on whether they’ll accept the award,” he said.
Nyadzayo said if, by any chance, the Marleys rejected the accolade, they would resort to an alternative plan.
Bob Marley & The I Three
“We’d asked members of I-Three, comprising of Marcia Griffiths and Judy Mowatt, to accept an award; and if push comes to shove, we’d award them instead,” he said.
Formed after the departure of original Wailers Bunny Wailer and Peter Tosh in 1974, the I-Three was Marley’s backing vocals. The outfit also included Marley’s wife, Rita.
Marley penned the single
Zimbabwe, taken from his 1979 album
Survival, in support of the country’s (then Rhodesia) independence.
He died in May 1981 of cancer at 36.
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