One of the most enduring images of modern Jamaica, captured in many photographs and on video, is of the moment in 1978 when the reggae musician Bob Marley persuaded the country’s two warring political heavyweights, Edward Seaga and Michael Manley, to hold hands on stage during his One Love concert at the national stadium in Kingston.
Seaga, who has died aged 89, looked as uneasy as Manley at having to take part in such a gesture of rapprochement. But, like his opponent, he tried hard to force a smile and to go with the moment. Marley was, after all, a hugely influential figure in Jamaica and was at least attempting to put a stop to the terrible gun violence that had lately been fuelled by the two men’s bitter struggle for political supremacy. For a time the Marley-inspired hand-holding had its intended effect, and the political killings slowed down. But only when Seaga won power from Manley two years later did the country manage a return to anything like its normal balance.
Continue reading...from World news | The Guardian http://bit.ly/2QwyE4i
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