San Francisco Chronicle - March 9, 2008
Shelah Moody, smoody@sfchronicle.com.

Recently, H&M asked Marley to design a T-shirt for its Fashion Against AIDS campaign (www.designersagainstaids.com), which includes Rhianna, Good Charlotte and Rufus Wainwright. Marley's shirt is emblazoned with the phrase "Love Is My Religion" in the Rastafarian-inspired colors of red, green and gold. According to Ninette Murk, founder and director of Designers Against AIDS, Marley's was one of the top three best-selling shirts.

Marley has lent his support to a number of grassroots causes and his voice to the Jamaican jellyfish character in the 2004 animated film "A Shark's Tale." In 2005, Marley's dreadlocked image was featured in a series of ads for the Aldo Shoes Fight Against AIDS campaign.

"I like to involve myself in positive things, so this is something that is important to me," Marley said by phone from Los Angeles.

Born David Nesta Marley in Trenchtown, Jamaica, in 1968 to Bob and Rita Marley, Ziggy released his first album, "Play the Game Right," with the Melody Makers - which includes his siblings Cedella, Sharon and Stephen Marley - in 1985. As one of the most popular touring acts on the reggae circuit, Ziggy Marley and the Melody Makers recorded 10 albums and received three Grammy Awards. In 2002, Marley released his first solo album, "Dragonfly," which introduced his eclectic style, combining roots reggae, jazz, African, alternative and R&B, which he calls Ziggymusic. Marley earned a 2006 Grammy for best reggae album for his second solo release, "Love Is My Religion."

In February 2005, Marley and his family traveled to Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, for a concert and celebration of Bob Marley's 60th birthday. (Bob Marley died of cancer in 1981.) The Marley family, in conjunction with director Stephanie Black and co-producer Danny Glover, turned their experience into a compelling documentary called "Africa Unite: A Celebration of Bob Marley's Vision."

On March 20, Percy Hintzen, a UC Berkeley African American studies professor, and Marcel Diablo, chief executive officer of Black Dot Artists Inc. in Oakland, will host an "Africa Unite" panel discussion after its Bay Area premiere on the UC Berkeley campus. The film features performances by Ziggy Marley and his siblings Damian "Junior Gong," Stephen, Ky-Mani and Julian and interviews with Lauryn Hill and others.

The father of five and soccer enthusiast prefers to leave the fashion decisions to the women in the family.

Ziggy's wife and manager, Orly Agai Marley, says, "We usually shop either vintage, Tuff Gong clothing, and sometimes my very fab sister-in-law, Cedella (owner of Catch A Fire clothing), makes him things. She is an amazing designer and really knows her brother. Ziggy is really easygoing, so his style is casual and cool. He cares more about being comfortable."

Q: "Love Is My Religion" is also the name of your 2006 Grammy-winning album. Why did you decide to use those words on the T-shirt that you created for H&M's Fashion Against AIDS campaign?

A: It's very simple. I came up with some ideas and got opinions on them. The words say enough and mean enough that I think it was appropriate to keep those words on the forefront, instead of doing something like a drawing. Those words are artistic words. To keep that message out there, I believe, is the most important thing to do. This is a concept; it's an evolution of thoughts, an evolution of consciousness. I put that evolution of my thoughts onto the record, and it became the title of my album, but I don't want "Love Is My Religion" to be identified just as the title of my Grammy-winning album, because it means more than that. It's like a rebirth. Born again has to mean more than going back into the same old way of thinking. Born again means a new way of thinking. Love is my religion is a new way of thinking about that whole spiritual realm and the whole concept of what religion is.

Q: In your opinion, what is the level of HIV/AIDS awareness in the Jamaican community?

A: Well, I don't think it's where it should be. I think it's still kind of taboo to deal with that issue in Jamaica. I think that it still identifies with homosexuality and therefore folks don't talk about it. I don't think the publicity or even (awareness) of the spread of the sickness has been widely happening in Jamaica.

Q: How do you maintain happiness, health and general well-being, especially working in the music business?

A: Let me tell you something, I laugh even when I'm not happy. Yeah, mon. I love to laugh. I could be very angry and I still laugh. It's my personality. I'm a positive person. I like smiling. That's just who I am.

Q: Do you practice yoga or meditation?

A: Sometimes. Meditation is an everyday thing, it's a mind thing. When I think about meditation, I don't think about it in the cliche-ic way. There are many ways to meditate - in the shower, lying in bed, on a flight. Any quiet time is a good time to meditate. You don't need to sit on the floor and cross your legs to meditate.

Q: Tell us about the significance of your new film "Africa Unite."

A: The significance of it is to reignite the consciousness, to reignite the message of African unity; to put it back on the table. It hasn't been on the table for a little while now. Through the celebration that we had for our father in Ethiopia, it was a great opportunity to be in Ethiopia, where the Organization of African Unity was founded by Haile Selassie I. It was a good opportunity to bring that message to the African continent once again and let them understand that we believe it is fundamental in solving the problems of Africa. In Africa, we have several egomaniacal leaders who want to hold on to power, we have AIDS, malaria and more. Until Africa unites, we are not going to solve the problems.

The (film) documents the discussions with different youths from Africa who were there regarding the problems of Africa, and African unity. And then it has musical segments - we did a concert there - the Marley brothers, Angelique Kidjo and different artists. It's a multifaceted film with different angles. 'Africa Unite' showings

The Africa Unite Film Festival kicks off with a VIP screening of "Africa Unite: A Celebration of Bob Marley's Vision" at 8 p.m. Thursday at Black New World, 836 Pine St., Oakland, with a discussion afterward. $10; call to reserve tickets. "Africa Unite" will also be shown at 7:30 p.m. March 20 at 155 Dwinelle Hall, UC Berkeley, with a discussion afterward, $5; and at 7:30 p.m. March 23 at Fat City, 314 11th St., San Francisco, with a party afterward, $15. (707) 647-7363, www.Going.com/AfricaUnite.

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