Ziggy Marley: The imitation Rasta Man.
Ziggy Marley
When Ziggy Marley ignored the call to boycott Israel and instead voice his support for the Jewish State, many in the reggae community frowned upon his decision. How can a Rasta support an apartheid state? How can one of the top entertainers in the most anti-oppression genre of music, reggae, support Israel’s oppressive regime? Those were the questions asked repeatedly both in the Rasta and The Reggae Communities. Some even went as far as to call the son of Bob Marley an imitation Rasta.
It is not fair to criticize Ziggy Marley without understanding his stance on the Israeli-Palestinian issue. Maybe in Ziggy’s mind, Israel is not oppressive to the Palestinian people. Maybe Israel is not an apartheid state and it is the Palestinian people who are the real aggressors. Maybe this section of Palestine that became Israel after World War II truly belonged to the Europeans now living there. It all depends on what you were taught, what you believe and how you interpret the happenings in this world we live in.
Every man is entitled to his opinion and Ziggy Marley is no different. Does the fact that you are a Rasta or a Reggae artist mean that your opinions must be in agreement with other Rastas and other Reggae artists? No it does not. A Rasta’s goal is to have clean hands and pure heart. So if in Ziggy’s heart, the Europeans living in Israel are not occupiers and they are not running an oppressive regime, then Ziggy has all right to take the stance he has taken.
Surely an artist like Peter Tosh would not have agreed with Ziggy’s stance as evidenced in Peter’s song “Equal Rights and Justice” where he sung: “Palestinians want equal rights and justice.” But like Ziggy, Peter Tosh is also entitled to his opinions and his opinions should be respected. Both men are Rastas, neither is an imitation. Peter Tosh saw Israel the way he saw South Africa, as an oppressive Babylonian system. Ziggy sees Israel as the Israel spoken of in the bible, where her inhabitants are God’s chosen people.
The majority of Americans are in agreement with Ziggy Marley; Republicans, Democrats and Independents alike. Even our beloved president Barack Obama is in agreement with Ziggy. When Palestinians are fighting for equal right and justice and get blown to pieces, it is not oppression; it is just “the Jewish people exercising their rights to defend themselves”.
When a man’s opinion is formed from the right place, we cannot fault him for said opinion, even if we are in disagreement with said opinion.
“We are entitled to our own opinions and are not obligated to or bound by the opinions of others.” – Marcus Garvey
Jah Rastafarai!!! If the soul want to be pure, then it is pure soul, no mather what!!! (Estoman)
Whoever wrote this article is a complete idiot. Do some research on Palestine before you write something so completely incorrect and stupid.
Guess they just hire anyone who will blog for free on this website.
Do your research,before you criticise, his beliefs.Rastafarianism,originated in Ethiopia and they are Jewish people.The only black Jews in Israel are Ethiopian Jews.Study the link between King Solomon and the Queen of Sheba.
Rastafarianism??? If you know Anything about RastaFarI you would know it is not am “ism.”
either way none of them Ziggy or any rastar will go to the middle East and fight for Palestinian freedom or Israeli defensive
awww….this article has substantiated my claims as to why he has won so much grammy awards…… interesting!
To the person talking about Jews relation to Ethiopians… Go research some more and see what the Jews have been doing to the Ethiopian women….. Sterilization . They Admitted it too. Open your eyes people, its genocide,they will never accept the rest of us as equal and just use whom they can to profit which. Israel murdering innocent, political officials, whoever and claims self defense.
that’s outstanding
No! Ziggy Marley is not an imitation rasta! Rasta want peace. no war! no winner! no dominant race or country. stop killing others men because of the past! let’s all try to be as great as Ziggy Marley! “Untill the philosophy… every where is war!” fight “YOURSELVES”! bad men!
Ziggy Marley not really a Rasta him just have the locks…and him treasonously married some bloodklaat Israeli woman…dat’s why him have dem non-Rasta sympathetic opinions on Israel….fire pon dat! Firebun!….Rastas are of one solid opinion on mostly everything….I and I stand fi truths and rights of the highest order….and Rastas are vey aware of the Israels being impostors…”Woe beyond to them that call themslelves Jews when they are not for they are the synagogue of satan” – Holy Bible!
First of all, Israel is NOT an apartheid state. There is no state policy of segregation on the basis of “race” or religion or even political affiliation. It is a Jewish state, but about twenty percent of the people there are non-Jews. They have the same rights as their Jewish fellow citizens. Please, get your facts straight before joining the anti-Israel bandwagon.
I leave it to others to judge who is a real Rasta. I love and respect Ziggy Marley and I will still do so. Nevertheless concerning Israel for me he is wrong. I don’t think he is the only Rasta with such an “opinion”- think of Iba and his release Matsahyel. When it comes to oppression there can’t be different opinions like there couldn’t be different opinion on apartheid regime in South Africa. This is a genozide on the Palastine people going on. So this is not a question of opinions but to take a stand against the oppressors!
Finally I must say pauschality is always wrong, also in Israel there are Jewish people fighting against this regime.’We should not forget that!
every man as their own gold to full one and ones need to peek in the light at all times ziggy marley just doing is path jah Rastafarai live’s forever more!!!!!!
Bob Marley said “Every man has a right to decide his own destiny and Ziggy is no different.
There is no were else in the world with more racist than the USA, and all or most people RASTA man , bald head and all are going there, in my opinion Israel is no different. Man should be free to live wherever he chooses.
‘Citizen of the world’
There is no “us” and “them”. This is a concept created to forge alliances, creates disputes, and elevates ones self to positions of power.
Think about this if you will…if you use a giant straw and evacuate all the waters from the face of the earth…holding it in your mouth for a moment to reflect on what remains, you will perceive a piece of “rock” without boundaries, peopled buy individuals caught in a web of mass migration which started millions of years ago with the “exodus” out of the region we now call Africa, adapting to the place where we decide to settle…and that has not ceased. We now know that we are one, unhappy, quarrelsome family arguing about who is better than who…who is the most powerful…whose complexion or hair is better than whose…who has amassed the greatest wealth…and so on. We fight, we kill, we steal and we enslave and create other unthinkable atrocities to each other always thinking that we are doing it to “them” and not to members of the same family…one big unhappy family. Israeli/Palistanian…white/black…whatever. Let’s not perpetuate divisions. The earth is but one country, occupied by one people. Just solve the family disputes and get on with it.
You can let the water back on now and build “bridges” to connect with each other.
He married a jew. end of discussion. and yes, i still love Ziggy
Greetings
Yet again another post on what Rastafari The Movement founded in New York, 1930 and grounded in Jamaica January 1933 by Leonard Percival Howell is.
Is any of Leonard Percival Howell”s children or grandchildren performing in the apartheid state of Israel?
No they will never comit such a treasonous act and blame it on ignorance of what was taught to them. It is 2015 let the wicked stand in the judgement the create through their own ignorance and greed.
Not of Rastafari. To haul up Reggaefarians!
Solar Lava is Time and Nature inna now.
Respect for posting your thoughts on this issue. However I have to disagree strongly with your statement that it is not fair to criticize Z without understanding his “mind” or opinion on the matter. You criticize a person for his/her actions, not the reasons they give to justify them. One extreme example to illustrate: Hitler thought he was doing great things for Germany. White slave traders thought they were good people doing no wrong. And on and on. I will write a longer post on this topic on the Stir It Up page for my novel of the same name. http://www.facebook.com/StirItUpCIAJamaica
Thanks. Ziggy can support Israel it is up to him. But if he does it it is in his own name not as Rasta. Rastafarians are for justice and thuth. Any true Rasta knows what Israél is doing to the Palestinians. And this is the reasons Peter Tosh boycotted and cancelled one of his show in Israel in the past. Nasio Fontaine also cricticized Israel for the same reason. (See the video on Nasio Fontaine Palestine on YouTube) Things must be claer once for all. Rasta don’t support enslaving countries or oppressors.
I truly cannot believe what I am reading here. Who writes for this site? Ziggy’s support for the Jewish state in the face of perpetual terrorist attacks being waged against its citizens may have something to do with the fact that he has a Jewish wife who he profoundly respects. This means that he has Jewish children whom I’m sure he loves unconditionally. He has close friends who are Jewish. He also employs several Jewish people. By no means do I speak for Ziggy but I’m sure that if you asked him I’m confident that he condemns the killing of innocent Palestinians by the Jewish state. However, the responsibility for those deaths lies squarely on the shoulders of Hamas.
It is possible to support Israel’s right to defend itself as well as the rights of the Palestinean people to live peaceful lives. However, the actions of Hamas makes it impossible for those two situations to co-exist.
Furthermore, your Israel/apartheid analogy is flawed to the point of being outright ridiculous. Israel is a wholly democratic government. Gaza and the West Bank are Palestinean territories. So it is physically, socially, and geo-politically impossible for Israel to be an apartheid state.
Respect…
Ziggy Marley has married a jewish woman, for which purpose he has converted to her religion, according to their tradition. It should therefore not come as a surprise if he is loyal to zionism. He knows how to make reggae music but he has been making crossover and other kinds of music for a long time, which of course he has the freedom to do. From time to time he sings something, like “Fly Rasta” that appears to hint he still identifies as Rasta, at least for the sake of his (mostly white) fans, if not anything else. At other times he sings things like “Love is my religion” which tangentially resonates with the common sound of the faith, “Rastafari is Love”. I would not look at such things as anything more than crossover sales essentially. He is not naturally inclined to a radical direction of mind, neither do I demand that of him simply on account of his bloodline. If ones wish to call him “weak” or “fake” or some such I have no inclination to spring to his defense.
“our beloved president barak obama” lol!!! anyway I love Ziggy Marley. lets also not forget that reggae was around long before rasta tried to claim it.
There is a Rastafari doctrine, a set of beliefs. Ziggy is why I do not believe in interracial progeny, especially with Black people. U may get the white perspective, the very thing we do not want to hear. Here he is, claiming go be a black man while sleeping with the white jew everyday., of course he is going along with her. I think his father would not like this. The media tries to depict bob as all inclusive but he was very angry with the status quo.