Ethiopia gets up, stands up for Marley

‘‘In Japan, there is the big influence of American and European culture and the pressures of capitalism,’’ he said. ‘‘This is a kind of slavery that Marley sings about when he sings, emancipate yourself from mental slavery. None but ourselves can free our minds.’’

Nearly a quarter century after Marley’s death from cancer at the age of 36, his words still resonate deeply for millions. His enduring popularity has spawned an annual tribute that for the first time this year is being held outside Marley’s Jamaican birthplace.

Holding the festival in Addis Ababa commemorates not only the musician but Marley’s affinity for Africa — and for Ethiopia in particular. The country’s last emperor, Haile Selassie, became a kind of god for the Rastafarian movement. The term Rastafarian comes from Selassie’s name before being crowned, Ras Tafari Makonnen.

The peak of Marley’s 60th birthday tribute, a free concert on Sunday in Addis Ababa’s Meskel Square, featured top African performers, including Marley’s wife, Rita, and their son, Ziggy, also a renowned reggae artist.

Event organizers said later, that with more than 200,000 people attending, it was the largest-ever concert in Ethiopia.

An aspect of Rastafarians that makes many uneasy is their fondness for marijuana, which is illegal in Ethiopia. To head off potentially awkward diplomatic barbs, the US embassy issued warnings to Americans traveling in Ethiopia that drug laws in this nation are strictly enforced.

Rita Marley sparked controversy when she vowed to exhume Marley’s body from his Jamaican homeland and rebury it in Ethiopia, which she said was one of his last wishes. Jamaicans expressed outrage and Rita backed down, for now.

At the ‘‘Africa Unite’’ symposium earlier this week, pan-African activist Dudley Thompson spoke to hundreds of people in an auditorium of the UN compound in Addis Ababa. ‘‘Fifty years ago our grandparents would not have thought that we would be returning to Africa with a message in our hearts that Africa is our home,’’ he said.

‘‘Bob Marley inspired us to light the flame of freedom,’’ he said. ‘‘The soul of the music of Bob Marley is the soul and the heart of every true African, every true Rastafarian, and every true lover of freedom and justice in the world today.’’ —NYT