The roots of reggae music

NARRATOR: Preparations for a reggae festival - it is the Nine Miles Festival, which is held annually on Bob Marley's birthday. Nine Miles is a small hamlet in northern Jamaica, the place where Bob Marley, the king of reggae, was born. The festival will be a big event again this year, nonstop reggae, for 24 hours. But at the moment the festival crew is still in the midst of preparations.

The reggae music genre originated in Jamaica at the end of the 1960s. It is characterized by offbeat phrasing, that is, the normally unaccented second and fourth beats are accented. The basic rhythm is minimalist and normally slow. From its humble beginnings on the island of Jamaica, reggae has gone on to conquer the world. The song texts were often socially critical. Reggae arose in the slums, so the lyrics seize upon the social ills of the poor, but they also make reference to the African roots of the locals. Love, peace and unity is of course a secondary theme. This was, perhaps, due to the fact that many reggae musicians were Rastafarians. Rastafarianism is a religion derived from Christianity. People did not have a high opinion of the dreadlock-wearing adherents to the religion back then.

DANNY SIMS: "He was a Rasta and Rastas were the lowest of any creature in Jamaica at that time."

NARRATOR: This is why Rastafarians and their reggae music hardly ever made it onto the radio. They averted this problem with sound systems consisting of record players, imaginatively painted amplifiers and huge speakers. These makeshift mobile discos succeeded in making reggae beats heard all over the island.

JEREMY COLLINGWOOD: "A little party was going on and that was a way in which you could actually get music out to the people, and what became the dominant form of entertainment for the mass of people in Jamaica - not the tourists we're talking about the mass of people. So the sound system culture was incredibly important because it was the only way you could get your music heard because it would not be played on the radio."

NARRATOR: At the Nine Miles Festival the party is getting underway. The first acts are reserved for the next generation of reggae artists. This young man calls himself Genius. From his name he appears to have big plans. And the odds that he will make it big are not that bad. Reggae continues to enjoy great popularity all over the world. Above all, Africa, England, France and Germany have thriving reggae scenes. This isn't surprising considering reggae is synonymous with protest, but also with good vibes and partying. Bob Marley said it poignantly himself, it is all about good vibrations. That's reggae.