Reggae music has just been recognized by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) as a cultural treasure that must be treated with utmost respect and guarded jealously.
Reggae is one of the major genres of music that has been associated with mostly Jamaicans especially the legend, Bob Marley. Other artists that have flown the reggae flag high are Lucky Dube, Peter Tosh and Toots and Maytals. This genre of music is listened to all over the world and has been around for several decades.
The BBC reported last Thursday that reggae was acknowledged by UNESCO for its “contribution to international discourse on issues of injustice, love, resistance and humanity underscores the dynamics of the element as being at once sensual, cerebral, socio-political, and spiritual.” The body went on to state that “the basic functions of the music socially, as a vehicle for social commentary, a purifying practice, and a means of worshiping God, have remained consistent, and the music still acts as a voice for all.”
Asides Jamaica, other countries, especially of African origin have taken to reggae music and have produced great acts that carried on the legacy of reggae music laid down by the greats like Bob Marley. Some of the biggest reggae acts on the continent over the last two decades include Ras Kimono, Patoranking, and Majek Fashek.
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