Mumia interviews Bob Marley
http://home.earthlink.net/~danieln/mumia_bob.html
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"This
is an article/interview done by Mumia Abu-Jamal with Bob Marley. At the time of
this interview in 1979, Mumia was a well-known but outspoken journalist, and
Marley was on a world tour in support of his Survival album. Currently, Mumia is
on death row in Pennsylvania, and awaits execution. After reading this
interview, and the text that he also wrote to accompany the interview, we urge
you to read and follow the link and find out more about Mumia and his struggle
to be set free. Free Mumia! And now onto the article/interview..." - The Wailers
News
[Black Ras
Banner]
"Reggae music, the
Jamaican-born sound of the Rastafarian faith, is fast gaining adherents and
admirers here in America. It's roots stem from the filth, degradation and
struggle of the Afrikan underclass of Jamaica, and carries with it a powerful
ingredient of hope. While it's roots were sprouted in the soil of Jamaica, it's
seed comes from Afrika the birthplace of the human
race.
Few afficionados of reggae
will forget the flawless form of Robert Nesta Marley, as he chanted down
Babylon, his very life the raw reflection of resistance to the continuous
domination of the Afrikan peoples, whether in 'a yard', or abroad, here in the
bowels of Babylon America. Marley, more than a shaman, and a Master Musician,
was a man moved by his love of all Afrikan
people.
During his last public
appearance here, Marley would sit for hours, answering questions and sharing his
most precious possession - time. His mood was not distant, or difficult. He was
utterly unstar-like, warm, honest, and down-to-earth. For him, an opportunity to
preach was a blessing, and he often spoke/preached about Ras Tafari, the
movement to redeem the spirits of Black
people.
The season was the fall of
1979, the air outside was beginning to chill, but in the Wailers' suite at the
Warwick, the air was dark, moist, warm, and fragrant with the aroma of
sensimilla, a powerful blend of ganja. Marley would take a lungful of a toke,
exhale a cloud of grey, and pass it on. His eyes would sparkle joyfully as he
spoke, as he clearly enjoyed the role of Rasta mentor to Black America, a role
that Destiny would enlarge upon, and escalate, until this time, when his name,
his memory carries with it, the powerful potency of other martyrs of yore...
Malcolm X, Marcus Garvey, Paul Bogle, Fred Hampton, and so on..." - Mumia
Abu-Jamal
Mumia
Abu-Jamal:
The significance of the
herb, aka, the flower?
Bob
Marley:
Herb? herb is the healing of
the nation, seen? Once you
smoke herb, you
all must think alike. Now if you thinking
alike, dat mean we 'pon the same track. If we 'pon the
same
track, that mean we gonna unite. Some
say 'don't smoke
herb.' Dey don't want us
to unite, right, so they say,
'don't smoke
herb.' (laughter)...It's true! So you know,
herb is the healing of the nation and people must get
herb
for dem use. Dem wanna smoke it, let
'em smoke it. Dem wanna
boil it in tea,
let 'em boil it in tea. If dem waan steam
it, steam it, if dem gwanna eat a little, eat a little,
but
dem must det it! True true. Yea, mon,
that is why I say, um,
you have a lotta
liquor store, and because dem know man must
smoke, you have plenty cigarette, but dem no waan ya
smoke
herb, y'know? Because, as ya know,
the alcohol kill ya, and
herb build ya!
Yea, herb make ya live. People I know smoke
herb live the longest! Jah know! True, true! Herb
smoker
live the longest pon earth, mon --
true true! I know a man
when I a likkle
youth who smoke herb and I grown and see,
him kyaan change, him is the same mon from ever
since!
(laughter)...Him a deal with Rasta,
ya know? One named
Robert. Never change.
See him years, never change...It's
Rasta
ya know?
Mumia
Abu-Jamal:
Brother, what's the
significance of the song, Exodus?
Bob
Marley:
Exodus means coming
together...the movement of Afrika, of
Black people. Exodus from Babylon, we're in Babylon,
and
then a physical exodus to Home. But
what we really a say is
dat, we waan Black
people to unite, with one another, Seen?
Now, the only way we can unite is to deal wit
truth...the
truth is that King Solomon and
King David is the root and if
we gonna
deal with roots, we hafta deal from King
Solomon
and King David time, Lion of Tribe
of Judah, ya know? So,
this is what I and
I say: time for unity! Cause we's a
people, we have something...and we have to deal with
it,
seen?
Mumia
Abu-Jamal:
What kind of feeling do
you get when you come through a city
like
Philadelphia, with almost a million Black
people?
Bob
Marley:
When I come into this city
here, in Philadelphia...sometime,
I wonder
if I am on time, ya understand? 'Cause the think
is
to be on time. When I come here I want,
I really desire, fe
really get thru to the
people I don't wanna come here for
joke!
When I leave I wanna see people dreadlock, or say
I'm
Rasta, and get the thing rebellious,
dat, we can't live, you
know, we can't
continue going thru this same thing, over,
over and over again, when the problem is, our people must
be
united. And then all problem solve, and
then every problem
solve. 'Cause if the
Black man check it him have the
knowledge,
wisdom and understanding enuff to do it. Seen?
While the next one get the gift of technology, and the
next
one get the gift of dis and dat,
Black man get the rootical
gift him
maintain the God business, dat purpose why
earth
was created. I and I have to
maintain dat...
Mumia
Abu-Jamal:
One of the songs that you
do, brother...that touches me, and
I'm
sure it touches most Afrikans globally, is the song
that
comes from the words of His Imperial
Majesty, speaking to
the United Nations
War, right? Touches me, man, touches us.
Bob Marley:
That the truth, you
know? You see, what His Majesty say is
the
truth...now when we listen, when His Majesty say
that,
we look out 'pon the earth, and we
know dat, when alla these
people who say
dem is leaders, for people 'pon the earth,
agree to what His Majesty say, then 'til today, you have
no
more war, and no more problem. Because,
what HIM say is
true. Until the philosophy
that hold one people higher than
the other
one is no more, then if it continue, ya gwanna
have war! When it done, problem over,
seen?
Mumia
Abu-Jamal:
Until Rhodesia is free,
South Afrika is free, Philadelphia
is
free, you know what I mean...Kingston is
free...Wherever
we are, that's the
message...
Bob
Marley:
That's it! Because Christ
government shall rule the earth,
ya know?
And Christ is Rastafari! Over a period of
time,
people think, and hafta get over
thinking that Christ was
White. But Christ
a Black mon! Just like the Bible tell ya,
say Christ Black, Solomon, say him Black, Moses, tell
ya,
say him Black, Jerimiah, say him
Black, Haile Selassie
Black. So Christ no
white. Christ Black, you know? So that's
how our people get tricked, dem show us a White
Christ,
people say, what we wanna deal
with the Bible for, me know
Christ no
White. But the Bible say, Christ Black. If the
Afrikan think Christ White, that's dangerous. It's a
waste
of time. Everytime you know we say
"Rastafari Our God," you
move one
cornerstone outa Rome, and Rome must cripple.
Really! Because Rome is the enemy, you know? Rome is
the
enemy of the people. Dem is the
Anti-Christ, and dem walk
around and tell
people dem a deal with Christ. But
naturally, dem is Anti-Christ, for Christ is Haile
Selassie
-- and just like how I know, the
Pope coulda know too! Cause
plenty people
know. What, I'm a gonna hide it? The Pope
know, everyone know, all dem people know, say Haile
Selassie
I God, you know? But dem hide it
cause, dem die, and next
guy come take dem
space, and the people suffer the same, you
know, so it's the people really have to make the
decision
and don't care for who dem say is
the leader to make it God.
Leader nobody.
No leader not there, you know?
Mumia
Abu-Jamal:
This city, Philadelphia,
has the highest Black unemployment
rate
than anywhere in America...Now this is the same
city
that the Pope came to a couple of
days ago. You were talking
about the
anti-Christ, right? Doing his work,
right?
Bob
Marley:
Yeah. You see, I don't like
the Pope, I don't like none of
them? Seen?
That is the truth. Because, him gwan come tru
here, really, and tell ya: "Yes, live in peace. Live
in
this, live in that." Live in that under
him society! You
know? You must agree to
live in peace as long as Pope there.
No.
No Pope. No Pope, and we live in peace! You see,
if
there were no Pope, we'd a live in
peace. Because him come
wit the
anti-Christ ting, and tell the people dem all
kinds
of foolishness, seen? But me really
deal wit' them. Pope
Paul bless Mussolini
for attack Ethiopia. Ethiopia carries
the
oldest history of Christianity. So wha' Rome jus'
come
the odder day, Rome is nothin'. You
know? Rome is nothin!
That's why we a say,
you know, when the Pope dead...the best
ting that ever happen to we is two Pople dead the other
day.
(laughter) True, true. That's one of
the sweetest ting ever
happen, you know.
Rastaman in Jamaica pray every for more
Pope dead, you know. Yeah! Dem is a people who PRAY for
the
Pope them dead. So you see one time
one pope get a heart
attack, you can just
imagine the joy in Jamaica. So we get a
likke joy down here. We happy! But this one, you know, is
a
dangerous one. You know? Because him a
fool a lot of people.
Dangerous.
Mumia
Abu-Jamal:
What's your hope,
brother, for the future of Black people in
America, and Black people in the world.
Bob Marley:
Way I see, you seen, it
looks simple but it's true. RASTA
FOR THE
PEOPLE! Rastafari! For the people, seen?
Capitalism
and communism are finished. It
Rasta now! The Blackman way
of life.
That's what we a say now dread. We a say: give
the
Black man fe him way of life now. Mek
him show you how
government run and how
people care for people. Who you think
have
the Love. Who sing the tune inna the church.
Black
people a sing them, you know. Whose
the spiritual people pon
earth. The Black
people. Dem a deal wit God. And God no let
dem down. God always dere. And God say dem fe unite!
Because
when you unite, that is the power
of God, you know. God love
Love, which is
unity. So when you unite, you get the whole
power of God. That's what him want. Until Black
people
unite...if the Black people don't
unite, the world, no one,
no one can live
good.
Cause the white man not living
good, you know. The China man
naa live
good, either. Why? Because the Blackman is not
united. Because the Blackman, him are the cornerstone
pon
earth! When time him shaky, the whole
earth shaky. You see?
When him solid,
everything solid. And it a long while since
we have been solid. You know. It's been a long long time.
So
you find out how much war, fight and
dem tings, go on. You
know where dem
fight? In Africa! Our motherland. So anybody
can see that war will start over here in America, man.
REAL
war. European pass over here and boom
dis raas claat. True
true. You mus'
remember, dem have all of dem atomic
business. So, you know. We not afraid for it, but Africa
is
the best. Africa for Africans, at home
and abroad. African
can be developed man.
Africa have sea, river, everything.
And
clean. You have more land, more everything. You
have
good good everything. The best
climate. The best land. You
have the best
everything! That's why today, His Majesty God
more than yesterday, you know. Because we see that
His
Majesty never sell out to Russia, nor
sell out to America.
HIM uphold Black
dignity, seen? So tell dem you can proudly
say RASTAFARI, and naaw deal wit no traitor. That the
sweet
part 'bout
it.
Excerpts from one of the last
inner-views of Ras Bob Nesta
Marley, an Afrikan
herbsman, and herdsman of ancient spirits,
stronger
in death than he was in life. A
martyr, whose memory burns bright in
the minds
of Black people all over the world. Long may his spirit
live
among
us."
(c) 1995 by Mumia
Abu-Jamal. All rights reserved
Source: Marpessa Kupendua
(nattyreb@ix.netcom.com)
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THE MURDER OF MUMIA ABU-JAMAL!
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Award Winning
Journalist, Political Prisoner, Prisoner of War,
on
Death Row since 1982. Mumia is a
signature away from a lethal
injection.
Join the
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Call (215)
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and
number.
Mumia's life will depend on your
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Warrant. We are asking that you contact us now, so we
can
coordinate the massive protests
necessary to SAVE MUMIA'S LIFE!
For more information contact:
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International Concerned Family & Friends of Mumia, P.O. Box
19709,
Philadelphia, PA 19143,
Phone # (215) 476-8812.
For
information on Mumia, including a copy of his post
conviction
appeal filed on June 5, 1995,
see the Mumia Web page at:
http://www.xs4all.nl/~tank/spg-l/mumia002.htm
or
http://huizen.dds.nl:80/~tank/mumia002.htm
It is urgent that freedom loving people everywhere rally around
Mumia
Abu-Jamal, because obviously they are
serious about killing this
innocent man.
Posted: Fri - February 7, 2003 at 12:00 AM