National Day of Reggae

CHRONICLE: May 14, 2012

Back on May 14, 2012, former President Dilma Rousseff, signed into law a bill establishing the National Day of Reggae, celebrated annually on May 11, the date of Jamaican musician Bob Marley’s passing. Senator Rodrigo Rollemberg – then a congressman – authored the bill, according to the Culture Ministry.

Rollemberg justified the new law, in the text of the bill, saying “it is relevant to recognise the foreign musical rhythms, which without a doubt, ‘fell’ into Brazilian taste”.

In the text, Rollemberg also said: “The legacy that Bob Marley left the world goes far beyond reggae: it is through this music that many Brazilian artists use the medium of music to make legitimate social criticisms. This musical style greatly influenced some areas of Brazil, such as Salvador, which enacted a city ordinance establishing the day of reggae.”

Rollemberg also talks about how Bob Marley influenced Brazilian music, citing “Cidade Negra, Edson Gomes, Gilberto Gil among many other national artists devoted to continue to push through reggae, messages of peace, love and social criticism to encourage people to fight for their rights, just like Marley, considered the first star of the third world with international recognition.”