On Bob Marley's last visit to Detroit in November 1979, as a staff writer for the Michigan Chronicle newspaper, I covered the concert at Cobo Arena, and the press conference afterward at the hotel (Book Cadillac). It was my first Reggae concert. Below are excerpts from the press conference which included a number of media representatives.
Press: How will civilization react when the world is united?
Marley: When black people unite, then others will unite in a sense of righteousness...When the world is united, everything a cool...There will be no competition in the world. There will be no more country against country. People will deal with one good.
Akanke: In terms of revolutions, are Rastas waiting for Jah to come and change things?
Marley: Jah live in a man. We want people to understand that they are someone. Man make laws in America and everywhere, but some are not for the benefit of all mankind. We need truth in this time...When you talk about revolution, it's not a man thing. It's bigger than that. The revolution means one unity, one heart, one thing... We have to sing one song, as one choir. The only thing that can unite the people right now is themselves, which is Jah...
Akanke: What is the role of women in the Rastafarian Movement:
Marley: Women fight the revolution. Women is culture. You can't keep a woman from Rasta. She likes to put on prettiness, but if she is Rasta, she is ital. If you like how God make you, you live longer and you think better. You can't try to be the way society and the system try and make you. She is a mother, a nurse, she is everything.
