Ask the casual (or even not so casual) music fan about reggae music, and you'll likely hear two words in response: "Bob Marley." Perhaps more than any other artist in 20th century popular music—including Elvis Presley, the Beatles, or Bob Dylan—Marley defines his genre. More remarkably, the content of his message, with its emphasis on resistance to oppression and the necessity for people to work together to enact change, is at least as important as the music itself (Dylan's '60s protest songs earned him the label "voice of his generation," but it was a title he neither sought nor appreciated). Indeed, that message is what drew thousands of Africans and others (including Marley's mother, widow, and several sons) to Addis Ababa, Ethiopia in 2005 for “Africa Unite,” a week-long series of conferences, symposiums, and other events, including an epic concert in which the Marley clan performed many of Bob's classics ("Get Up, Stand Up," "Natty Dread," "Burnin' and Lootin'," "I Shot the Sheriff," etc.). Excerpts of the proceedings are expertly woven together in director Stephanie Black's film, which also features numerous archival newsreel clips depicting Africa's colonial past, as well as some fascinating footage of the late Ethiopian Emperor Haile Selassie, the Lion of Judah, revered by Marley and all Rastafarians as God incarnate. Presented in Dolby Digital 5.1 and stereo, DVD extras include an additional 50 minutes of concert material, which helps make up for the lack of complete performances in the documentary itself, plus a poor technical quality but interesting solo performance of "Redemption Song" by Marley himself. Recommended. Aud: C, P. (S. Graham)
Africa Unite
(2007) 89 min. DVD: $24.98. Palm Pictures (avail. from most distributors). Volume 23, Issue 3
Africa Unite
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