cannabisnews.com: Prince Charles Pays Tribute to Bob Marley's Memory





Prince Charles Pays Tribute to Bob Marley's Memory
Posted by FoM on February 29, 2000 at 16:46:41 PT
Bob Marleys widow Rita Marley meets Prince Charles
Source: Excite Australia
Thousands of residents in the poor neighbourhoods of the Jamaican capital Kingston put on a festive atmosphere today to welcome Prince Charles who paid tribute to local musical hero Bob Marley.Later, Charles headed to historic sites at Port Royal, a former British naval base that once was the lair of notorious pirates like Henry Morgan. 
Today was the last day of an eight-day Caribbean tour that also took Charles to Guyana and Trinidad and Tobago.Charles visited Trench Town, the domain of late reggae legend Bob Marley, and was greeted by Marley's widow, Rita, and former band-mate Neville Livingston, better known as Bunny Wailer. More than 2,000 gathered to catch a glimpse of the prince.They were rewarded when Mrs Marley gave the Charles a red, yellow and green Rastafarian knit hat with false dreadlocks, and the prince put it on."I'll tell you who would really love that - my children," Charles said.Bob Marley died in 1981 from cancer, but his legend looms large in Trench Town, where some residents are trying to convert his old house into a museum."In Trench Town, Bob Marley is king, so the prince is coming to visit the king," said Mikey Smith, one of the museum organisers."This is a royal place and it deserves a royal visit."Mrs Marley said the prince told her that he loves her late husband's music. She said Bob would have been amazed by the royal visit to the neighborhood."Boy, he'd burn a splift to this - a big, big splift," Marley said, referring to the slang for a marijuana cigarette. Followers of the Rastafari religion, which has its roots in Jamaica, consider marijuana a holy herb.Inside the Trench Town community centre, Charles met with Finance Minister Omar Davies and Governor General Sir Howard Cooke, who showed the prince plans to improve the neighbourhood.Surrounded by tight security, Charles also visited an area of shacks in nearby Jones Town, one of the hottest zones of last year's Kingston gang wars. Police had set up command centers and enforced curfews to stem fighting that killed more than 70 people in a three-week period in June and July.Resident Tanya Vassel said she hoped that Charles' visit would attract needed attention to the neighbourhood's problems."The community is in bad condition," Vassel said."We don't have running water, we don't have toilets. It's good the prince is coming, 'cause he can help us out."Not everyone was happy. Eric Jones complained that police, accused of wantonly killing civilians, had been tough in security sweeps through the neighborhood to ensure it was secure."They've been hassling us, telling us to get our guns out of the way," Jones said."The prince is just a man, just a man like me and you." - AP Published: March 1, 2000Copyright © 1998-2000 Excite Asia Pacific Pty Ltd. Related Articles:Jamaica Mulls Legalizing Marijuanahttp://www.cannabisnews.com/news/thread2612.shtmlBritish Drug Firm Names Best Medicinal Marijuana http://www.cannabisnews.com/news/thread3757.shtml
Home Comment Email Register Recent Comments Help




Post Comment


Name: Optional Password: 
E-Mail: 
Subject: 
Comment: [Please refrain from using profanity in your message]
Link URL: 
Link Title: