KINGSTON, Jamaica — The Institute of Caribbean Studies (ICS) at The University of the West Indies (UWI) in collaboration with the Faculty of Humanities and Education will host the 28th Annual Bob Marley Lecture on Thursday, February 13.

The lecture will begin at 6:00 pm in the N1 Neville Hall Lecture Theatre on the UWI Mona campus. This year’s lecture, titled “Revolutionary Music and Cultural Resistance: The Power of Bob Marley’s Songs of Freedom on Robben Island Maximum Security Prison in South Africa during the Apartheid Era, 1960–1991,” will be delivered by Professor Neo Lekgotla Laga Ramoupi of the University of the Free State, South Africa.

It will explore the impact of Marley’s music on political prisoners during apartheid, highlighting how his messages of freedom and resistance inspired resilience and change.

“The Bob Marley Lecture, in addition to our programmes, has long been a platform for exploring the intersections of music, history and social change,” said Dr Dave Gosse, director of the ICS. “This year’s theme highlights the global reach of Marley’s message and its role in dismantling oppressive systems.”

A flagship event of the ICS, the Bob Marley Lecture series has, for nearly three decades, examined reggae’s influence on cultural resistance and global unity.

The ICS continues to celebrate Jamaica’s rich musical heritage through its Bachelor of Arts programmes in Music and Performance Studies and Entertainment and Cultural Enterprise Management (ECEM). These programmes equip students with the skills to preserve Jamaica’s traditions while embracing contemporary global trends.

Additionally, the ICS hosts tri-annual reggae conferences, bringing together scholars from over 50 countries to explore the evolution of reggae, dancehall and sound system culture. These conferences serve as a hub for global dialogue and contribute to the documentation of Jamaica’s cultural impact.