Balkans musicians unveil Bob Marley 'peace' statue

"Bob Marley -- fighter for freedom armed with a guitar," reads the inscription at the base of the statue.

Musicians from the former Yugoslavia have unveiled a statue of late Jamaican reggae icon Bob Marley as a symbol of peace.

Several thousands gathered at a rock festival in the tiny Serbian hamlet of Banatski Sokolac for the uncovering of the statue, which features Marley in a tea cosy, clutching a guitar and fist raised towards the sky.

"Bob Marley — fighter for freedom armed with a guitar," reads the inscription at the base of the two-metre-high (6.5-foot) sculpture, the first of the late reggae star in Europe.

"This is fabulous. Serbia is now registered on the charts of modern culture with this statue of the 'apostle of tolerance.' I am very happy," declared Marko, a 26-year-old from the northern Serbian city of Novi Sad.

"With this statue, we are making a clear message of tolerance and love instead of news of hatred and conflicts, which people from our country have to read," added 21-year-old Dijana, from the town of Zrenjanin.

The unveiling ceremony marked the start of the fourth annual "Rock Village" music festival in Banatski Sokolac, a tranquil settlement in Serbia's far northeast, near the border with Romania.

It was uncovered by prominent Serbian and Croatian musicians, and opened the way for an evening dominated by the rhythms of the Caribbean, including Jamaican reggae act Ras Abraham & the Irie Vibes.

Last year, two other Serbian villages put up statues: one of Johnny Weissmuller, the late actor famed for his role as "Tarzan," the other of Sylvester Stallone's famous film character "Rocky Balboa."

(Caribbean Net News)