Reggae royalty will echo through Ethiopia this week as Bunny Wailer is set to be honoured on April 10 in Shashamane during Rastafari Month celebrations, marking what would have been his 79th birthday. The tribute, staged at the Lily and Vernon Leach Lounge, will also commemorate Donald “Flippins” Leach, a pivotal figure in the Rastafari repatriation movement, reinforcing the deep cultural bridge between Jamaica and Africa.
Widely regarded as the spiritual home of Rastafarians, Shashamane — often dubbed “Jamaica in Africa” — will host a night of music, reflection, and legacy. Spearheaded by the Jamaican Rastafarian Development Community, the event will feature chairman Sydney Salmon alongside the Imperial Majestic Band, delivering classics such as Babylon Falling and Ethiopia Calling. A lineup including Orthodox Issachar, Teddy Dan, Iron Gad, Pat Joseph, and the Melody Sisters is also set to bring the celebration to life, highlighting the enduring global reach of reggae and Rastafari culture.
Salmon revealed that Bunny Wailer maintained a profound connection to Ethiopia and had made concrete efforts toward repatriation before his passing in 2021. The reggae legend had even initiated discussions with officials linked to Ethiopia Ministry of Tourism, expressing a desire to contribute to the country and ultimately settle there. However, those plans stalled following the death of Leach in 2012, leaving an unfinished chapter in Wailer’s lifelong advocacy for African repatriation.
Born Neville O’Riley Livingston, Bunny Wailer rose to global prominence as a founding member of The Wailers alongside Bob Marley and Peter Tosh. Today, his legacy continues to resonate not only through his music but through the Rastafari movement’s ongoing presence in Ethiopia, where an estimated 600 Jamaicans and their families now reside. As the tribute unfolds, it serves as both a celebration of a reggae icon and a powerful reminder of the cultural and spiritual journey that still connects Jamaica to Africa.
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