Nike Akiti

You are WRONG on both fronts, Harry is still a Prince, and Bob Marley didn’t refuse to shake King Charles’s hand, he simply refused to be summoned over. Bob Marley's refusal to be summoned by the then Prince Charles at Jomo Kenyatta carries symbolic significance. It reflects Marley's commitment to principles of equality and resistance against colonial history. By inviting Charles to instead come to him, Marley symbolically rejected the traditional power dynamics that existed between colonisers and the colonised. This act can be seen as an assertion of independence and a refusal to conform to established hierarchies. It aligned with Marley's larger message of empowerment, self-determination, and resistance against oppression, themes that are prevalent in his music and activism.

Yesterday many celebrities, political elites and guess what, British royalty went out to the premier of Bob Marley’s ‘One Love’ film in Jamaica. What caught my eye was the presence of a British Prince, Harry Windsor and his wife Meghan. When Zimbabwe became independent in 1980, Bob Marley was invited to be the main musical act at the celebrations and handover from Rhodesia to Zimbabwe. Zimbabwe was named Rhodesia after Cecil John Rhodes, the capitalist and imperialist who had authored its colonial journey, he is buried at Matopos outside Bulawayo. So Bob Marley had released and dedicated to the liberation of Zimbabwe a massive hit song, also called Zimbabwe from his Survival album. He paid his way to Harare chartering a Boeing 707 from Gatwick airport to carry his musical equipment from London to Harare, whilst making his way on commercial flights from Kingston Jamaica, all paid for from his own pocket. As he waited for his connection flight in Nairobi, Harry’s father who was then Prince Charles (and now King Charles) saw Marley and called him over to the Diplomatic zone of the airport. King Charles was flying to Harare to represent his mother, the now late Queen Elizabeth. He was going there to receive the British Union Jack flag, and hand over Zimbabwe to the new administration as an independent State. Rhodesia (Zimbabwe) had been a self governing colony which had also rebelled from its British links in 1965 after declaring unilateral independence in 1965, but it reverted to being a British colony in 1979 as part of the handover agreement from being a colony to an independent state. It had been a self-governing colony since 1923 after a referendum that was held in 1922. The referendum was on whether modern day Zimbabwe would become part of South Africa. The colonials in Rhodesia voted against being part of South Africa, a very important historical point to this very day. Now when Charles saw Bob Marley and his entourage of Rastafarian musicians and called him to come over to the Diplomatic area at Jomo Kenyatta International airport, Marley refused, instead Marley asked Charles to come over to them. Charles didn’t break Diplomatic etiquette, so he simply waved at Marley and his entourage, and the two men never shook hands. 43 years later, Charles’ son, Prince Harry attended a movie premiere of a film on the life of Bob Marley, a revolutionary icon who used music to change the world’s consciousness about Black people, racism and life in general. It is fascinating how these historical connections can emerge. Bob Marley's refusal and Prince Harry's attendance at the film premiere in Jamaica create interesting reflections on history, time and change. As Bob Marley sang, it is indeed One Love. From being a revolutionary icon who sang against all the terrible Isms, to now also being a global ambassador of unity across different nations and class structures, that is the Bob Marley story. Bob Marley's lasting impact on music and social movements globally is enduring and getting stronger everyday. His music serves as a powerful medium for addressing issues such as social justice, inequality and the quest for freedom. His influence in popularising reggae on the international stage and his role in promoting a message of unity and love through his music is unparalleled. This is why Marley's significance is not only in historical events, but also in shaping cultural and social narratives on a broader scale reflecting the changing world that we live in today. Would a British Prince have attended a Bob Marley movie premiere in 1980? Times have changed indeed, and it is not surprising that the change is reflected and magnified through the life story of this global music icon! Go and watch the movie One Love when it comes to a movie house near you, it is a story worth watching.