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The significance of the inclusion of Reggae in UNESCO

The significance of the inclusion of Reggae in UNESCO heritage, for the Pan-African movement. The Reggae musical movement, born in Jamaica in the 1960s, has just been officially included as a world cultural heritage by UNESCO. Reggae is a popular music movement that exists around the world.
In fact, most of the musicians who play the other world-wide styles recognized by UNESCO, such as Flamenco, Jazz, or even Oriental music, know or play the Reggae themselves. Reggae has become in a few decades the most popular musical style in the world. The foundations of Reggae have influenced modern music, from Rock to Hip Hop, from Latin to electronic music, and to Asian music. No other popular music movement has achieved such global impact. Having stayed true to its humble birth, throughout the world, Reggae has naturally become the sound canvas for expressing questions about the conditions of existence. Reggae’s unique popularity is positive proof that the Pan-African message resonates with the whole world. Its message stands beyond local political divisions, while still addressing core issues. Reggae is present in every country in Africa, and is alive wherever there are African communities in the Diaspora. That is because Africa is at the heart of the messages conveyed by Reggae. Its worldwide success proves that the artistic wing of the Pan-African movement has demonstrated its effectiveness of reception on a global scale. The seminal message of Bob Marley’s song “War” is the translation of the words spoken by H.I.M. Haile Selassie I from Ethiopia at the tribune of the United Nations. It expresses the very essence of the Pan-African message. Through songs such as these, along with “Africa Unite”, and “Zimbabwe”, the Panafrican message went worldwide, as Reggae music’s fame and importance spread ever larger, touching many hearts and souls across the world. Being a messenger of Panafrican vision, Reggae Music allows people to understand each other, to express themselves, to honor all life, value the natural and cultural environment, to live positively and work to cultivate the sacredness of the dignity of all, without racial or social distinction. Where the political wing of Panafricanism has struggled, often because of fractures and divisions, the artistic wing has been able to keep moving forward. It would be therefore correct and recommended to learn from a successful model and listen to what the Rasta elders and bright youths have to say, because it seems that the people everywhere have already integrated and taken their message seriously. Bob Marley’s lyrics have become proverbial, and will survive long into the future, while many politicians speeches and promises will have vanished into the night. It is not by chance that Reggae music is the most widespread in the world. The spirit it expresses comes from Pan-Africanism. It is a movement that raises, among other topics, the issues of the survival of traditional and indigenous cultures, in a global world of technology, and economic development. The intuitive and nuanced language of Reggae calls for audience intelligence. However, this language remains clear and understandable because it expresses the will to be understood and heard by all strains of society. Reggae transcends traditional cultures, but also defends their right to exist. From Hawaii to the Amazon and all over the world, it is a platform representing all indigenous cultures, ‘roots’. At the same time, Reggae is in the spheres of contemporary culture, it is the music of Bob Marley which was the first music played on Planet Mars, Reggae is produced by the biggest labels, used by DJ’s of all the major radio stations in the world, and TV and the Internet have only confirmed its huge popularity. We have heard many times that music is the universal language. With respect to Reggae, there is no doubt that this is the case. We invite women and men in decision-making positions in all African countries, as well as those of African communities around the world, to reflect on this moment of formalization of Reggae, as world cultural heritage by many countries of the world. The Smithsonian Institute in Washington had already done the same thing. President Barack Obama visited the Bob Marley Museum in Jamaica, and said he, too, had listened to Bob Marley, like many young people of his generation. Many stars from Africa and around the world, such as Stevie Wonder have helped to confirm the importance of Reggae, and the human validity of its message. Reggae is a child that all of Africa immediately adopted, because it was loudly claiming that Africa was its mother. Touched by the sincerity of the members of the Jamaican Rasta community, Emperor Haile Selassie offered them the opportunity to relocate to Ethiopia, and reserved the Shashemani area for this purpose. This community, from which this global music arose, is very attached and committed to Africa. It is an attachment that dates back to the early years of the Pan-African movement, with the arrival of Haile Selassie on the international scene, since his coronation, and his statements before the League of Nations. Jamaican national hero Marcus Garvey extended the Pan-African message to all communities in the United States and the Caribbean in the first decades of the 20th Century. When Ethiopia entered the defense war against the Italian invasion, it had the support of the entire Jamaican community, and with it, the support of all those who had followed the developments of the Pan-African movement up close.
Reggae is the direct heir of the awareness of all these developments.
Its music and lyrics claims it without ambivalence. Its unique unmistakable style touches everyone, from children to adults. For it has both a joyous ecstatic side, and a deep and meditative aspect. Its philosophy, drawn from Pan-African reflections, asks us to take the place of the other, in order to understand ourselves. Its essence is a potential to Love contained in each of us. (“Could you be loved”) Reggae imagery is often biblical in its symbology, and makes many references to the ancient language of biblical times.
(“Forever loving Jah” etc) But this is done to mean the world of today. Implicit spirituality in the context of Reggae, addresses contemporary history, the world in which we live, and has nothing to do with the distant past, or antiquity. On the contrary, this spirituality challenges the arbitrary distinctions created by colonial narratives about races, ethnicities, and religions. Being African in many parts of the contemporary world is a social condition common to hundreds of millions on every continent. Many recognize themselves in the voice of the African, and have understood that the dignity of the African includes theirs. Reggae is for millions of these people, the only African music they know, having a universal impact. They recognize themselves in this music because the Pan-African message that it conveys affects all human beings.
“When righteous people from Africa shall rise, the whole world shall rise along. It is our Divine Destiny.” H.I.M. Emperor Haile Selassie I of Ethiopia.

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