MY TIME WITH A MARLEY

In my lifetime, the only Marley I have ever met is Rita Marley many years ago at a lunch. Yesterday I had another special honor of hanging out with Bob Marley’s granddaughter - Donisha Prendergast. Donisha is the daughter of Sharon Marley who is married to well-known Jamaican football referee Peter Prendergast. Donisha is such a chilled out sistren, just being in her presence leaves you with a warm feeling. We spoke about a lot of things happening in her life, music, Africa and of course Damian Marley. 

As you may know most of the Marley’s and extended family members are into music and other businesses, Donisha is the only one who is into film. As a film maker in Jamaica, she is concerned that her country only produces one film a year. She is fascinated with how countries in Africa such as Nigeria are producing over 50 films. So she has embarked on an explorative documentary film in Africa to find out how Jamaica can learn from the African film industry. The documentary is called 50 Days in Africa, the journey started in Kenya and will take her to Ghana, Nigeria, Ethiopia, South Africa and Tanzania. She will be interviewing African film makers and meeting different industry folks to get ideas and voices on how Jamaica can learn from.

One of the crucial things I discussed a lot with Donisha; is bringing Damian Marley to perform in Kenya which he is very eager to. We discussed her other movement she started with her grandmother Rita Marley called Africa Unite. With Africa Unite they mobilized the whole Marley family to come together and celebrate Bob Marley’s life while giving back to community. It happened in Ethiopia in 2005, to Ghana in 2006, South Africa in 2007 and Jamaica ever after that. The discussion has begun to bring the whole Marley family to Kenya in February 2013 to coincide with the 50 years of Kenya’s independence Kenya's Independence. Keep it here for more info.

Being a Rastafarian, on Friday 17th at 1pm she together with the One Love Movement will mark the Marcus Garvey Earthday in the Waithaka Community which is a village past Kawangware slums in Nairobi. Marcus Garvey is the legendary Jamaican visionary one of the early blacks to start the first Black Nationalist and pan-Africanist movement in the 1800s. He is known as the forefather of the Rastafarian movement a well-respected historian and community elder. On this day we are all encouraged to be nice to every other human being, give someone a hug, buy someone lunch

 

At 9pm on the same Friday she will premier her film RasTa; a Soul’s Journey. This is a film about the journey of the Rastafarian movement how it left Jamaica and has gone throughout the world. The premier will be held at StarFlix Cinema Prestige Plaza. The launch will feature a discussion with Bob Marley’s grand daughter come one come all. Entry: Ksh.400/-

In September 2012 the same Cinema Star Flix Cinema   will be premiering the internationally critically film on Bob Marley called – Marley. Keep it here for more info.