{"id":528908,"date":"2025-05-12T18:34:28","date_gmt":"2025-05-12T16:34:28","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/benews.fr\/en\/?p=528908"},"modified":"2025-05-12T18:34:28","modified_gmt":"2025-05-12T16:34:28","slug":"44-years-after-his-death-bob-marley-celebrated-under-tight-security-in-cote-divoire","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/benews.ci\/en\/44-years-after-his-death-bob-marley-celebrated-under-tight-security-in-cote-divoire\/","title":{"rendered":"44 years after his death, Bob Marley celebrated under tight security in C\u00f4te d\u2019Ivoire"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p>As the world prepares to honor Bob Marley on May 11, 2025\u201444 years after his passing\u2014the Ivorian national police have issued a stern reminder: <strong>drug use remains illegal<\/strong>, even in tribute to the reggae legend.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In a message posted on Facebook, authorities addressed the public, especially the youth, warning against festive cannabis consumption often associated with Marley\u2019s legacy. The statement, written in capital letters, reads: <em>\u201cEven on May 11, drug overconsumption is prohibited.\u201d<\/em> Offenders caught in the act risk up to <strong>11 years in prison<\/strong>, or more, under Ivorian law.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Since Bob Marley\u2019s death in 1981, fans around the globe have gathered each year to celebrate his music, message, and spiritual activism. In C\u00f4te d\u2019Ivoire, however, the commemorations have evolved into moments of heightened vigilance for law enforcement.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Anticipating gatherings where cannabis is often used symbolically or recreationally, Ivorian police are taking a hardline stance. The goal is clear: to prevent \u201crisky excesses\u201d and enforce the law, regardless of the cultural context.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">A legal reminder on symbolic ground<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>The warning comes as Rastafarian communities\u2014deeply influenced by Marley\u2014continue to advocate for <strong>the decriminalization of cannabis<\/strong>, which many view as a sacred element of their spiritual practice.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Bob Marley himself saw cannabis as a tool for freedom and communion, but Ivorian authorities are not budging. For them, the gatherings represent potential public safety challenges.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The police statement has sparked heated debate online. While some users denounced what they see as disproportionate repression, others praised the government&#8217;s firmness.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The controversy revives an old question: <strong>can reggae\u2019s cultural heritage be separated from its historical connection to cannabis?<\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>As the world prepares to honor Bob Marley on May 11, 2025\u201444 years after his passing\u2014the Ivorian national police have issued a stern reminder: drug use remains illegal, even in tribute to the reggae legend. In a message posted on Facebook, authorities addressed the public, especially the youth, warning against festive cannabis consumption often associated [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":6,"featured_media":528909,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_trash_the_other_posts":false,"editor_notices":[],"footnotes":""},"categories":[33],"tags":[],"pays":[133],"personnalite":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-528908","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-celebrity","8":"pays-ivory-coast"},"acf":{"type_de_publication":"opinion","nom_de_linstitution":"","description_de_linstitution":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/benews.ci\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/528908","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/benews.ci\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/benews.ci\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/benews.ci\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/6"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/benews.ci\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=528908"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/benews.ci\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/528908\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/benews.ci\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/528909"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/benews.ci\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=528908"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/benews.ci\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=528908"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/benews.ci\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=528908"},{"taxonomy":"pays","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/benews.ci\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pays?post=528908"},{"taxonomy":"personnalite","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/benews.ci\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/personnalite?post=528908"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}