Renzo Piano’s archive in Genoa houses the great architect’s projects. It brings young people closer to creative work, which he equates to “looking into darkness without fear”.
The queen of reggae Rita Marley: a living legend
Alpharita Costancia Anderson – or simply Rita Marley – widow of the reggae prophet Bob Marley, will be assigned the Living Legends Award and African Women of Excellence Awards (AWEA). During a ceremony that will take place in New York on 12 September, the reggae queen will receive this very important award from the United Nations’ Women
Alpharita Costancia Anderson – or simply Rita Marley – widow of the reggae prophet Bob Marley, will be assigned the Living Legends Award and African Women of Excellence Awards (AWEA). During a ceremony that will take place in New York on 12 September, the reggae queen will receive this very important award from the United Nations’ Women and the African Union Diaspora Africa Forum (AUDAF).
Rita married Bob Marley in 1966 and stayed close to him until his death. However, her career as a singer began much before she met Bob, rather it was its origin. After the death of her husband, happened in 1981, Rita continued to sing and her persevering efforts in the arts field led her to establish her own publishing company and a recording studio in Accra, capital of Ghana, where she currently lives.
Beside pursuing her artistic career, the reggae queen started to commit herself in solidarity projects in Africa, founding two organisations: the Bob Marley Foundation, to uplift her husband’s music and memories through a number of events including Bob Marley’s annual birthday party in Jamaica and the Rita Marley Foundation, that operates in Ghana and Jamaica to fight poverty, hunger and inequality in the developing countries.
Her efforts to support the poor in Africa started during a tour in Ghana: Rita decided to set up the foundation after seeing how the people of some countries in this continent survive in extreme poverty. In a small village in western Ghana, Rita also received the honorary title of Queen Mother: there, thanks to the help of some Jamaican physicians, she created a healthcare project for children and the prevention of the spread of HIV. There are plenty of projects completed by the foundation from 2006 up to now in the whole African territory.
According to Erieka Bennett, head of the African Union Diaspora Africa Forum, Marley was selected for her extraordinary contribution to music, enterprise, political and social activism: an ideal choice to recognise African women and women of African origin their contribution to stand up for political, social and economic independence.
Rita Marley affirmed that she was surprised to receive this award. She said to the Jamaica Observer:
I was not expecting this award. I know I’ve done hard work, to God be the glory (…) I am honored to be counted amongst so many distinguished women who have previously received this award. I pray that I can continue helping to ensure that the aged are protected and that infants are cared for… according to our creed.
The Living Legends award over the years was given to personalities such as Winnie Madikizela-Mandela, Liberian president Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, Malawi’s ex president Joyce Banda and Kenya’s ex first lady Ngina Kenyatta.
Siamo anche su WhatsApp. Segui il canale ufficiale LifeGate per restare aggiornata, aggiornato sulle ultime notizie e sulle nostre attività.
Quest'opera è distribuita con Licenza Creative Commons Attribuzione - Non commerciale - Non opere derivate 4.0 Internazionale.
The 50th anniversary of the Moon landing on 20 July has awakened the fantasy of many. Here’s the perfect playlist of musicians who have let themselves be inspired by the universe and its celestial bodies.
N’we Jinan is a Canadian record label that gives First Nations students their voice back by allowing them to create their own music in mobile recording studios.
The Australian songwriter, who became famous with Follow the Sun, is back with Walk Away, a new and powerful ode to freedom. He’s about to set off on a world tour. Our interview with Xavier Rudd.
Three teenagers from New Zealand sing in the Maori language about abuse at the hands of British colonisers. Thanks to their thrash metal music, young people are being attracted to native culture.
There’s no room for anger, resignation, or desire for revenge in this playlist. There’s just the moral obligation of retracing and telling the stories that can’t go lost and forgotten all over again. We do so through music.
Le canzoni più belle del 2017 secondo LifeGate Radio. Con questa playlist lanciamo la nostra collaborazione con Spotify Italia che vi farà ascoltare la musica migliore, selezionata.
An organisation that unites over 1,000 mainly Maya women in Guatemala has expressed alarm that indigenous handicrafts, textiles called “huipiles” in particular, are under threat because underpriced industrial fabrics appropriating indigenous patterns have flooded the Guatemalan market, depriving many native women of their main source of income. Read more: Down to Xjabelle, the fashion collection by a young designer with Down
Rwandan creatives share a common dream: they want to use their art to bring about positive change in society, as well as put their country on the map. They’re mostly young, ambitious, self-taught and have a strong desire and determination to challenge mentalities, move forward and grow. In her documentary RWANDArt: A new creative generation, which