It’s International Reggae Day! (IRD) Amid celebrating “Thirty years of Riddims and Resistance”, IRD founders have noted the power and impact of Jamaican music.

The organizers have credited Reggae for providing powerful anthems for freedom fighters around the globe.

In a post on social media platform X, International Reggae Day founders wrote that Bob Marley’s song, War, based on a speech by Ethiopian Emperor, Haile Selassie, has become an anthem against oppression and inequality. The IRD organizers wrote that at the time War was released in 1976, South Africa was entrenched in apartheid and the song resonated with those fighting for freedom.

International Reggae Day this year pays homage to “Thirty years of “Riddims and Resistance” in recognition of the thirtieth anniversary of Reggae Day as well as the thirtieth anniversary since the end of apartheid in South Africa.

Among the activities still to come in observance of the day are a drone show in Florida, and the presentation of the inaugural IRD Winnie Mandela Humanitarian Award to be presented to Rita Marley at the Reggae Day celebrations in Florida.  

Launched in 1994 in Kingston, International Reggae Day seeks to connect Reggae lovers across the globe in its annual celebration of the best of Jamaica’s creative industries.