BOB MARLEY IS BACK!!!

On February 26, 1978, Bob Marley returned to Jamaica for the first time since fleeing the country after the Smile Jamaica concert in December 1976. Around 2000 people are estimated to have pushed past police barricades to swarm the plane when it came to a halt on the runway-the largest public gathering at the airport since Selassie's visit in 1966. Several functons had been organized to concide with Marley's return, which also marked the 50th anniversary of Garvey's UNIA; the National Heroe's Circle had been given over to a Rastafarian rally, at which Bob Marley gave an informal performance in the evening, followed by several of the island's emerging dub poets, including Mutabaruka, Oku Onoura, and Mikey Smith; flanked by body guards, Marley went on to join Lee Perry and the rest of the inner city's most devout brethren for a night-long grounation held by the Niyabinghi Theocracy in Matthews Lane.
The grounaton was one of a series held by the Boboshanti after the peace treaty had been announced to motivate the people towards embracing its philosophy; they were historic events in that the government granted permissions for the grounations to be held, and the brethren were able to chant and drum without the ever-present fear of police harassment that blighted so many of the events, particularly when held in Kingston.
After repeater player Jah Ned had a vision that the city was decorated in red, green, and gold, the brethren made tricolour sashes to mark off the area of the Niyabinghi, draping what had been streets of bloodshed with the presence of His Majesty. When Bob Marley arrived at the grounation after his brief performance at Heroes Park, he was overcome with emotion at seeing so many formerly at war gathered in a spirit of oneness; then, mid-way through the proceedings, Kingston was shaken by a earthquake as though in acknowledgment of the magnamity of the event.
Although Marley was busy making preparations for The One Love Peace Concert and spent many days visiting ghetto areas to help bolster the place, he also found the time to lay the foundations of a couple of new scorchers with Scratch one Sunday at Dynamics. Recorded in front of an array of onlookers that included Claudie Massop and Bucky Marshall, 'BlackMan Redemption' and 'Rastaman Live Up' were optimistic proclamations of righteousness, harder than the bulk of Marley's recent Kaya album; the rhythm of the historical 'Buffalo Soldier' was also laid at the same session.