That was the question before us at the Central Library in Brooklyn on Feb. 22. The discussion was part of the ongoing Caribbean Dialogue Series, hosted by Ian Forrest. As author of the Caribbean-themed novel "Kingston by Starlight" and the biography "Before the Legend: The Rise of Bob Marley," I was the featured guest of the session. I was brought in to offer my expertise on the subject of Jamaica. Instead, I often wound up listening, with interest, to the passion expressed by many of the audience members about the issue in question.
It had been a rainy night in New York City, with the temperature hovering at just above freezing. I had thought that few people, if any, would show up for the event. After all, it was a very un-Jamaican day. Instead, the room in the Brooklyn library where the talk was held with filled up with pretty much every seat taken-there were young folks and old ones; Joe Higgs's sister was said to be in attendance and there were children laughing and mouthing the words to the Bob Marley videos that were shown before the event formally kicked off.
Ian Forrest, the founder and host of the Caribbean Dialogue series, began by posing the question of the day: Should Bob Marley be a National Hero of Jamaica? So far, the government of Jamaica has failed to move on the issue.The island, he pointed out, has seven official national heroes. The first was Marcus Garvey, the Pan-African leader and visionary. The others are Paul Bogle and Sam Sharpe (rebel leaders), Alexander Bustamante and Norman Manley (prime ministers), George William Gordon (a politician and orator), and Nanny of the Maroons (a female revolutionary).
Bob Marley's life story is intimately connected with all of these National Heroes. He adopted some of the philosophy of Marcus Garvey, who is a revered figure to many of the Rastafari faith. He wrote a lyric about Paul Bogle in his song "So Much Things to Say." He famously brought together Bustamante and Manley during a unity concert. And, through his work, he carried on the spirit of justice found in Gordon's work and the spirit of revolution in Nanny's successful campaign against the British.
When it was my turn to speak, I talked about the need for heroes. For example, where are all the black superheroes? As a parent of a 1-year-old girl and a 4-year-old boy, I searched hard to find cartoons featuring heroes of color, like John Henry and Green Lantern (he's black in one animated TV series). I talked about how, when I was growing up (and it's still true today), my parents and my brothers were my heroes. I also admired, among others, Frantz Fanon, Malcolm X, Jimi Hendrix, Lao Tse, Homer, Eugene O'Neill, Phillis Wheatley, Claude McKay, Ursula K. Le Guin, Peter Tosh-and Bob Marley. The greatest heroes, I said, represent the best of who we are. They also represent some of the qualities that we aspire to develop in ourselves.
That's why Marley is such a perfect hero. He and his bandmates in the Wailers came from almost nothing and made it big. They made their own instruments, out of things like cans and string and wire. They created arguably the best debut recording ever with a budget that would barely pay for catering for other top musical acts of the time. They made it out of Nine Miles and Trench Town and Jamaica and became superstars in London and New York and Tokyo and Cape Town.
When we opened the topic up for questions and answers, there were many different opinions. It was, of course, a pro-Marley crowd - are there any other kinds? - but not everyone thought Marley should be a national hero. Some thought Marley was too much a man of the people to accept an accolade from the government. Others thought that Marley was already a hero among ordinary folks so what good would an official honor do? Still others argued that Marley was already a de facto National Hero since his music and image had been used to promote Jamaica around the world.
The night ended with few answers, plenty of interesting questions, lots of good Jamaican food (served during a break) and the music of Marley echoing in our ears as we headed out into a February night that had somehow become a little warmer. Marley had, perhaps, brought a little of the Caribbean to Brooklyn. The reggae star may not be a National Hero in Jamaica yet, but he was a hero to everyone at the session that evening.
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