A slate of activities is being planned to observe the 76th birthday of artiste, philanthropist and the widow of reggae king Bob Marley, Rita Marley.

The Marley Group of Companies has announced a raft of events and activities to observe the milestone under the theme ‘One Rita, Royal and Rootsy’. And, according to Julia Vaz, director of marketing for the group of companies, the activities showcase her philanthropic side. They will run from this Saturday, July 9 to her birthday on July 25.

“Whenever you say Rita in Jamaica only one person comes to mind — you don’t even have to say her last name — and so we just wanted to come up with events and activities which showcase all her many traits and the things she holds dear. The theme we have chosen also reflects Mrs Marley — her grace under immense pressure, which is the royal side, and her humanity which can be seen in how she interacts with persons in a fun, rootsy way. So, we are celebrating every aspect of Rita Marley,” Vaz told the Jamaica Observer.

Among the events is the presentation of the Rita Marley Scholarships, worth $4 million; a beach clean-up in the Seven and Ten Miles areas of Bull Bay in St Thomas; a live birthday concert on Sirius XM; the Rita Marley Reggae Closet, a women’s wellness clinic; and a performance of a suite of songs from her catalogue during the 60th anniversary season of dance of the National Dance Theatre Company of Jamaica (NDTC).

“These are all things that are dear to her. The reggae closet, for example, is a free boutique where persons in inner-city communities can walk in and pick up a number of items for free… We will be calling on corporate Jamaica and other persons to donate new and slightly used clothing and toys. We will then announce a venue and persons will be invited to come in and select what they need. Here we just want to give persons the experience without [them having] to worry about how they are going to afford the clothes on their backs. It’s the same for the women’s wellness day —[we] just want these women to be able to take advantage of a range of health-care services,” Vaz explained.

Rita Marley, nee Anderson, was born in Santiago de Cuba to Leroy Anderson and Cynthia “Beda” Jarrett on July 25, 1946. She grew up in the upper section of Beechwood Avenue, located in Kingston, Jamaica. She met Bob Marley after meeting Peter Tosh. The two were married in 1966.