BOB MARLEY AND “BLACK†CIVILISATION: THE QUESTION OF CRITERIA

Abstract

This article explores Bob Marley’s music and (Black) civilisation, not necessarily to denounce it but, rather, reflect on what really its objectives were, its assumptions, history, and horizons of possibility. This approach, thus, begs the question of criteria. And so, we are concerned to know what Black civilisation was and, within the context of Bob Marley’s music and persona, the perceived expectations of our own limits, horizons, and opportunities. In other words, the goal here is to interrogate our understanding of Black civilisation, as well as what that civilisation has made of Black people and their musical art. To do so, I will explore and synthesise the overriding constituted and perceived themes of Black consciousness in Bob Marley’s music alongside a review of the extant literature on (Black) civilisation.