My daughter came up with this great 'Rasta la Vista' slogan today so I had to write it down. The kids and my wife lived on a Caribbean island for seven months when they were five years old and knew many rastafari there. Sometimes, these men and women would bring small gifts to the children and they were always evident in the town, in parades and on the media. Bob Marley is like a god in many parts of the Caribbean so followers of the Rastafarian faith identify powerfully with his music and legacy. My daughters even had Caribbean accents by the time they came home after living there and going to the local school with the island children.Stepping off the plane on one of my visits, I would be absolutely enchanted by my nut brown little girls scampering towards me with their little sandals and platinum blond hair hugging me tightly and squealing, "Daddee! We miss yoooo!" Those days are thankfully over and we have been all together again for several years back home.
If Bob Marley were alive today he would probably have smiled and nodded in appreciation at how his music and culture still impact visitors and island experiences. Rastafari are a small group and are marginalized in many Caribbean cultures but to my little family for those months these men and women were always kind and thoughtful towards us during our long, hot, sleepy visit to a beautiful leeward island.
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