Bob Marley Interview mit Mumia Abu-Jamal, 1979

Mumia The significance of the herb, aka, the flower? Bob Herb? herb is the healing of the nation, seen? Once you smoke herb,  you all must think alike. Now if you thinking alike, dat mean we 'pon the same  track. If we 'pon the same track, that mean we gonna unite. Some say 'don't  smoke herb.' Dey don't want us to unite, right, so they say, 'don't smoke herb.' (laughter)..  It's true! So you know, herb is the healing of the nation and people must get  herb for dem use. Dem wanna smoke it, let 'em smoke it. Dem wanna boil it  in tea, let 'em boil it in tea. If dem waan steam it, steam it, if dem gwanna eat  a little, eat a little, but dem must det it!  True true. Yea, mon, that is why I say, um, you have a lotta liquor store, and  because dem know man must smoke, you have plenty cigarette, but dem no  waan ya smoke herb, y'know? Because, as ya know, the alcohol kill ya, and  herb build ya! Yea, herb make ya live. People I know smoke herb live the  longest! Jah know! True, true! Herb smoker live the longest pon earth, mon --  true true!  I know a man when I a likkle youth who smoke herb and I grown and  see, him kyaan change, him is the same mon from ever since! (laughter)...Him  a deal with Rasta, ya know? One named Robert. Never change. See him  years, never change...It's Rasta ya know? Mumia Brother, what's the significance of the song, Exodus? Bob Exodus means coming together...the movement of Afrika, of Black  people. Exodus from Babylon, we're in Babylon, and then a physical exodus  to Home.  But what we really a say is dat, we waan Black people to unite, with  one another, Seen? Now, the only way we can unite is to deal wit truth...the  truth is that King Solomon and King David is the root and if we gonna deal  with roots, we hafta deal from King Solomon and King David time, Lion of  Tribe of Judah, ya know? So, this is what I and I say: time for unity! Cause  we's a people, we have something...and we have to deal with it, seen? Mumia What kind of feeling do you get when you come through a city  like Philadelphia, with almost a million Black people? Bob When I come into this city here, in Philadelphia...sometime, I  wonder if I am on time, ya understand? 'Cause the think is to be on time.  When I come here I want, I really desire, fe really get thru to the people I  don't wanna come here for joke! When I leave I wanna see people  dreadlock, or say I'm Rasta, and get the thing rebellious, dat, we can't live,  you know, we can't continue going thru this same thing, over, over and over  again, when the problem is, our people must be united. And then all problem  solve, and then every problem solve. 'Cause if the Black man check it him have  the knowledge, wisdom and understanding enuff to do it. Seen? While the  next one get the gift of technology, and the next one get the gift of dis and dat,  Black man get the rootical gift him maintain the God business, dat purpose  why earth was created. I and I have to maintain dat... Mumia One of the songs that you do, brother...that touches me, and I'm sure  it touches most Afrikans globally, is the song that comes from the words of  His Imperial Majesty, speaking to the United Nations War, right? Touches me,  man, touches us. Bob That the truth, you know? You see, what His Majesty say is the truth...  now when we listen, when His Majesty say that, we look out 'pon the earth,  and we know dat, when alla these people who say dem is leaders, for  people 'pon the earth, agree to what His Majesty say, then 'til today, you  have no more war, and no more problem. Because, what HIM say is true.  Until the philosophy that hold one people higher than the other one is no  more, then if it continue, ya gonna have war! When it done, problem over,  seen? Mumia Until Rhodesia is free, South Afrika is free, Philadelphia is free,  you know what I mean...Kingston is free...Wherever we are, that's  the message... Bob That's it! Because Christ government shall rule the earth, ya know?  And Christ is Rastafari! Over a period of time, people think, and hafta  get over thinking that Christ was White. But Christ a Black mon! Just like  the Bible tell ya, say Christ Black, Solomon, say him Black, Moses, tell  ya, say him Black, Jerimiah, say him Black, Haile Selassie Black. So  Christ no white.  Christ Black, you know? So that's how our people get  tricked, dem show us a White Christ, people say, what we wanna deal with  the Bible for, me know Christ no White. But the Bible say, Christ Black. If the  Afrikan think Christ White, that's dangerous. It's a waste of time. Everytime  you know we say "Rastafari Our God," you move one cornerstone outa  Rome, and Rome must cripple. Really! Because  Rome is the enemy, you know? Rome is the enemy of the people.  Dem is the Anti-Christ, and dem walk around and tell people dem a  deal with Christ. But naturally, dem is Anti-Christ, for Christ is Haile  Selassie -- and just like how I know, the Pope coulda know too!  Cause plenty people know. What, I'm a gonna hide it? The Pope  know, everyone know, all dem people know, say Haile Selassie I  God, you know? But dem hide it cause, dem die, and next guy come  take dem space, and the people suffer the same, you know, so it's the  people really have to make the decision and don't care for who dem  say is the leader to make it God. Leader nobody. No leader not there,  you know? Mumia This city, Philadelphia, has the highest Black unemployment  rate than anywhere in America...Now this is the same city that the  Pope came to a couple of days ago. You were talking about the  anti-Christ, right? Doing his work, right? Bob Yeah. You see, I don't like the Pope, I don't like none of them?  Seen? That is the truth. Because, him gwan come tru here, really, and  tell ya: "Yes, live in peace. Live in this, live in that." Live in that under  him society! You know? You must agree to live in peace as long as  Pope there. No. No Pope. No Pope, and we live in peace! You see,  if there were no Pope, we'd a live in peace. Because him come wit  the anti-Christ ting, and tell the people dem all kinds of foolishness,  seen? But me really deal wit' them. Pope Paul bless Mussolini for attack  Ethiopia. Ethiopia carries the oldest history of Christianity. So wha' Rome  jus' come the odder day, Rome is nothin'. You know? Rome is nothin!  That's why we a say, you know, when the Pope dead...the best ting that  ever happen to we is two Pople dead the other day. (laughter) True, true.  That's one of the sweetest ting ever happen, you know. Rastaman in  Jamaica pray every for more Pope dead, you know. Yeah! Dem is a  people who PRAY for the Pope them dead. So you see one time one  pope get a heart attack, you can just imagine the joy in Jamaica. So we  get a likke joy down here. We happy! But this one, you know, is a  dangerous one. You know? Because him a fool a lot of people. Dangerous. Mumia What's your hope, brother, for the future of Black people in America,  and Black people in the world. Bob Way I see, you seen, it looks simple but it's true.  RASTA FOR THE PEOPLE! Rastafari! For the people, seen?  Capitalism and communism are finished. It Rasta now!  The Blackman way of life. That's what we a say now dread.  We a say: give the Black man fe him way of life now.  Mek him show you how government run and how people care  for people. Who you think have the Love. Who sing the tune inna  the church. Black people a sing them, you know. Whose the  spiritual people pon earth. The Black people. Dem a deal wit God.  And God no let dem down. God always dere. And God say dem fe unite!  Because when you unite, that is the power of God, you know. God love  Love, which is unity. So when you unite, you get the whole power of God.  That's what him want. Until Black people unite...if the Black people don't  unite, the world, no one, no one can live good. Cause the white man not living good, you know. The China man  naa live good, either. Why? Because the Blackman is not united.  Because the Blackman, him are the cornerstone pon earth!  When time him shaky, the whole earth shaky. You see? When him solid, everything solid. And it a long while since we have been solid.  You know. It's been a long long time. So you find out how much war, fight and  dem tings, go on. You know where dem fight? In Africa! Our motherland. So  anybody can see that war will start over here in America, man. REAL war.  European pass over here and boom dis raas claat. True true. You mus'  remember, dem have all of dem atomic business. So, you know. We not afraid  for it, but Africa is the best. Africa for Africans, at home and abroad.  African can be developed man. Africa have sea, river, everything. And clean.  You have more land, more everything. You have good good everything.  The best climate. The best land. You have the best everything! That's why  today, His Majesty God more than yesterday, you know. Because we see that  His Majesty never sell out to Russia, nor sell out to America. HIM uphold  Black dignity, seen? So tell dem you can proudly say RASTAFARI, and  naaw deal wit no traitor. That the sweet part 'bout it.