Cultural Diplomacy and Channelling Bob Marley

Diplomatically Speaking - The Podcast

In a world where the international market for cultural goods is larger than the markets for steel, automobiles, or textiles, the Caribbean is developing market driven frameworks to exploit the region’s cultural and creative industries in recognition of the vital role they play in economic growth, providing a competitive advantage, and supporting diplomacy. Reggae, a musical genre birthed in the 60s in Jamaica, is credited for putting the country, if not the region, on the map by the genre’s iconoclast, Bob Marley. We sit down with Cindy Breakspeare, Bob Marley’s ex and mother of his youngest son, Damian Marley, himself a prominent artist, to discuss her life as an artist, what Reggae music has and continues to mean to the Caribbean, and its influence on the world. Cindy shares intimate remembrances of Bob and how he continues to impact her life almost 40 years after his death.