Tanya Stephens Gives Rita Marley Her Flowers: “Some Heroes Simply Survive, Thrive, Stand Tall”
Veteran Dancehall songstress Tanya Stephens has paid a glowing tribute to the matriarch of the Marley family, Rita Marley.
On International Women’s Day, last Monday, Stephens shared that she had been reflecting on Rita Marley’s legacy for the last few weeks and that she was amazed at how much the icon had been able to personally achieve and endure.
“For the last few weeks my mind has refused to stop returning to thoughts of Rita Marley. Not entertainer, not Bob’s wife, not Bob’s widow, not heir, not mother of “X”…just the human,” she wrote in an Instagram post with a series of photos of the matriarch.
Stephens, in her tribute, reflected by putting herself in Rita’s shoes, as according to her, Rita’s contributions have gone largely unrecognized in Jamaica.
“I have tried without success to feel what it must be like to stand in her skin, look with her eyes, hear with her ears. I have tried to imagine how I would feel sitting in Jamaica, the place where I spent most of my life, the place which proudly and even selfishly claims the ownership and credit for every single one of my achievements. The place which calls me queen but often treats me like a peasant,” the It’s A Pity singer said.
She pondered how Marley must feel having to watch her husband Bob’s story being told by those who probably did not understand what he was trying to achieve. She also questioned how Marley deals with knowing that her children are constantly watched and criticized.
“How would I feel watching my country celebrate and romanticize my betrayal? How would I feel hearing my husband’s story told through the lips of a stop along his philandering path? What would it do to me having to be strong for myself and my children knowing I’m under an unforgiving microscope which would spare no time sensationalizing any glimpse of my humanity? Could I have made it this far and long with the anger I know would often well up inside me? Would I even smile with anyone here? How would I heal from my trust issues and inevitable paranoia knowing I cannot trust my fellow countrymen with the safety of my emotions? Who would I become???” she wrote.
She also added that her paying of respect to Marley was just that. “We’ve met, but we’re not friends and I’m not submitting a bid for us to be associated. I just want to pay homage to one of the finest examples of courage under fire, the most visible face of endurance and triumph in our region and time,” Stephens said.
She ended by calling Marley a hero and an exemplary example of greatness.
“Some heroes simply survive, thrive, stand tall as evidence of what can be. Rita Marley big up your bloodcl–t self! You are a bigger human than most of us will ever grow to be!” she added.
Rita Marley (née Anderson) was born in Cuba and is an iconic Jamaican singer in her own right. As a member of the I Three, with Marcia Griffiths and Judy Mowatt, they were backup vocalists for Bob Marley and the Wailers. After Bob’s death in 1981, she released a few albums under her name, but her biggest hit is the 1982 single One Draw which sold more than two million copies globally and made history as the first reggae single to top the Billboard Disco Charts.
She was bestowed with the Order of Distinction (OD) by the Government of Jamaica in 1996 for her outstanding works and accomplishments and later received the Marcus Garvey Lifetime Award in 2010. The University of the West Indies (UWI) awarded her an honorary degree of Doctor of Letters in 2015 for her contribution to the global development of Reggae music, and for her philanthropic works in Ghana and Jamaica.
Rita, now 74 years old, was the subject of a hoax in January which suggested that she had died. Her daughter, Cedella, dispelled those rumors by sharing a video with her mom on Facebook.