Ky-Mani Marley channeled the spirit of his father, Bob, onstage at Dubai's Reggae Beachfest, Photo by Sanna Kontinen
Ky-Mani Marley channeled the spirit of his father, Bob, onstage at Dubai's Reggae Beachfest, Photo by Sanna Kontinen
Ky-Mani Marley channeled the spirit of his father, Bob, onstage at Dubai's Reggae Beachfest, Photo by Sanna Kontinen
Ky-Mani Marley channeled the spirit of his father, Bob, onstage at Dubai's Reggae Beachfest, Photo by Sanna Kontinen

“Daddy, me lose the slingshot”: Ky-Mani Marley remembers his only meeting with dad Bob Marley


  • English
  • Arabic

Ky-Mani Marley offers fascinating evidence in the argument for nature over nurture. At the reggae singer’s recent Dubai debut – a birthday tribute to his father, Bob, no less – the 40-year-old soulfully tore through several of Marley’s best-loved classics.

Closing with a spirited Redemption Song, Ky-Mani's warm, rasped vocals and ego-less, embrace-all charisma brought only positive comparisons with the patriarch who spawned him (although notably, Ky-Mani didn't touch a guitar).

It must be in the blood. The older Marley passed away when Ky-Mani was just five, and the son – one of 10 recognised biological children born to seven mothers – can recall only one meeting with his father, as recounted in his tune Dear Dad.

When I had the chance to talk to Ky-Mani before Friday’s (February 10) concert, for promoters Reggae Beachfest, I couldn’t help but ask about this character-shaping encounter. And the story he told – of playing with brother Stephen, four years his senior – was so touching it felt only right to share it uncut, below.

If you haven't already, check the full interview with Ky-Mani here.

“I was very young when he passed away,” begins Ky-Mani. “I have one memory of my father, and that was him picking me up from the little town I was from, and he came down in a Land Rover – open back, with a cover – he was with my older brother Stephen and a friend of his.

“I remember he was just coming back from the States. We went out to the country he was from originally. He’d brought back from the States a slingshot which was originally made of metal. For me it was something that I’d never seen before. Growing up we’re used to climbing a tree, finding a branch and making your own slingshot.

“Me and Stephen went out into the bush that very afternoon – I guess we said we were shooting birds, we didn’t shoot any bird [sic], and somehow the slingshot got lost. Stephen said ‘Daddy’s going to beat you for losing the slingshot’. I remember saying ‘I didn’t lose it’ – because I pretty much didn’t get a chance to play with it.

“Walking back to the house, this little wooden house, I remember [Marley] standing in the doorway. I remember walking up and saying “Daddy, me lose the slingshot”. He looked down at me and laughed, and when he laughed I realised I wasn’t in trouble, I wasn’t going to get a beating, and I walked back to play with my brother.

“It was just that. After he passed away, I still didn’t realise, really realise the magnitude of how many people he touched around the world, and how deep he touched them. His music and legacy continue to touch generation after generation after generation – I tell people all the time, the sweetest vibe for me is to go outside and see a five-year-old in a Bob Marley T-shirt. A six-year-old reciting songs word-for-word. A car going by playing one of his songs.

“That is just a wonderful thing to see.”

The Voice of Hind Rajab

Starring: Saja Kilani, Clara Khoury, Motaz Malhees

Director: Kaouther Ben Hania

Rating: 4/5

Mobile phone packages comparison
If you go

The flights

There are direct flights from Dubai to Sofia with FlyDubai (www.flydubai.com) and Wizz Air (www.wizzair.com), from Dh1,164 and Dh822 return including taxes, respectively.

The trip

Plovdiv is 150km from Sofia, with an hourly bus service taking around 2 hours and costing $16 (Dh58). The Rhodopes can be reached from Sofia in between 2-4hours.

The trip was organised by Bulguides (www.bulguides.com), which organises guided trips throughout Bulgaria. Guiding, accommodation, food and transfers from Plovdiv to the mountains and back costs around 170 USD for a four-day, three-night trip.

 

ESSENTIALS

The flights

Emirates flies direct from Dubai to Rio de Janeiro from Dh7,000 return including taxes. Avianca fliles from Rio to Cusco via Lima from $399 (Dhxx) return including taxes. 

The trip

From US$1,830 per deluxe cabin, twin share, for the one-night Spirit of the Water itinerary and US$4,630 per deluxe cabin for the Peruvian Highlands itinerary, inclusive of meals, and beverages. Surcharges apply for some excursions.

PROFILE

Name: Enhance Fitness 

Year started: 2018 

Based: UAE 

Employees: 200 

Amount raised: $3m 

Investors: Global Ventures and angel investors 

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About Krews

Founder: Ahmed Al Qubaisi

Based: Abu Dhabi

Founded: January 2019

Number of employees: 10

Sector: Technology/Social media 

Funding to date: Estimated $300,000 from Hub71 in-kind support

 

EMERGENCY PHONE NUMBERS

Estijaba – 8001717 –  number to call to request coronavirus testing

Ministry of Health and Prevention – 80011111

Dubai Health Authority – 800342 – The number to book a free video or voice consultation with a doctor or connect to a local health centre

Emirates airline – 600555555

Etihad Airways – 600555666

Ambulance – 998

Knowledge and Human Development Authority – 8005432 ext. 4 for Covid-19 queries

SPEC%20SHEET%3A%20NOTHING%20PHONE%20(2A)
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If you go

The flights

Etihad flies direct from Abu Dhabi to San Francisco from Dh5,760 return including taxes. 

The car

Etihad Guest members get a 10 per cent worldwide discount when booking with Hertz, as well as earning miles on their rentals. A week's car hire costs from Dh1,500 including taxes.

The hotels

Along the route, Motel 6 (www.motel6.com) offers good value and comfort, with rooms from $55 (Dh202) per night including taxes. In Portland, the Jupiter Hotel (https://jupiterhotel.com/) has rooms from $165 (Dh606) per night including taxes. The Society Hotel https://thesocietyhotel.com/ has rooms from $130 (Dh478) per night including taxes. 

More info

To keep up with constant developments in Portland, visit www.travelportland.com. Good guidebooks include the Lonely Planet guides to Northern California and Washington, Oregon & the Pacific Northwest. 

 

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2018 ICC World Twenty20 Asian Western Regional Qualifier

The top three teams progress to the Asia Qualifier

Final: UAE beat Qatar by nine wickets

Third-place play-off: Kuwait beat Saudi Arabia by five runs

Table

1 UAE 5 5 0 10

2 Qatar 5 4 1 8

3 Saudi 5 3 2 6

4 Kuwait 5 2 3 4

5 Bahrain 5 1 4 2

6 Maldives 5 0 5 0

Aldar Properties Abu Dhabi T10

*November 15 to November 24

*Venue: Zayed Cricket Stadium, Abu Dhabi

*Tickets: Start at Dh10, from ttensports.com

*TV: Ten Sports

*Streaming: Jio Live

*2017 winners: Kerala Kings

*2018 winners: Northern Warriors

SHALASH%20THE%20IRAQI
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10 tips for entry-level job seekers
  • Have an up-to-date, professional LinkedIn profile. If you don’t have a LinkedIn account, set one up today. Avoid poor-quality profile pictures with distracting backgrounds. Include a professional summary and begin to grow your network.
  • Keep track of the job trends in your sector through the news. Apply for job alerts at your dream organisations and the types of jobs you want – LinkedIn uses AI to share similar relevant jobs based on your selections.
  • Double check that you’ve highlighted relevant skills on your resume and LinkedIn profile.
  • For most entry-level jobs, your resume will first be filtered by an applicant tracking system for keywords. Look closely at the description of the job you are applying for and mirror the language as much as possible (while being honest and accurate about your skills and experience).
  • Keep your CV professional and in a simple format – make sure you tailor your cover letter and application to the company and role.
  • Go online and look for details on job specifications for your target position. Make a list of skills required and set yourself some learning goals to tick off all the necessary skills one by one.
  • Don’t be afraid to reach outside your immediate friends and family to other acquaintances and let them know you are looking for new opportunities.
  • Make sure you’ve set your LinkedIn profile to signal that you are “open to opportunities”. Also be sure to use LinkedIn to search for people who are still actively hiring by searching for those that have the headline “I’m hiring” or “We’re hiring” in their profile.
  • Prepare for online interviews using mock interview tools. Even before landing interviews, it can be useful to start practising.
  • Be professional and patient. Always be professional with whoever you are interacting with throughout your search process, this will be remembered. You need to be patient, dedicated and not give up on your search. Candidates need to make sure they are following up appropriately for roles they have applied.

Arda Atalay, head of Mena private sector at LinkedIn Talent Solutions, Rudy Bier, managing partner of Kinetic Business Solutions and Ben Kinerman Daltrey, co-founder of KinFitz

Global state-owned investor ranking by size

1.

United States

2.

China

3.

UAE

4.

Japan

5

Norway

6.

Canada

7.

Singapore

8.

Australia

9.

Saudi Arabia

10.

South Korea

The specs: 2018 Nissan Patrol Nismo

Price: base / as tested: Dh382,000

Engine: 5.6-litre V8

Gearbox: Seven-speed automatic

Power: 428hp @ 5,800rpm

Torque: 560Nm @ 3,600rpm

Fuel economy, combined: 12.7L / 100km

How has net migration to UK changed?

The figure was broadly flat immediately before the Covid-19 pandemic, standing at 216,000 in the year to June 2018 and 224,000 in the year to June 2019.

It then dropped to an estimated 111,000 in the year to June 2020 when restrictions introduced during the pandemic limited travel and movement.

The total rose to 254,000 in the year to June 2021, followed by steep jumps to 634,000 in the year to June 2022 and 906,000 in the year to June 2023.

The latest available figure of 728,000 for the 12 months to June 2024 suggests levels are starting to decrease.

It's Monty Python's Crashing Rocket Circus

To the theme tune of the famous zany British comedy TV show, SpaceX has shown exactly what can go wrong when you try to land a rocket.

The two minute video posted on YouTube is a compilation of crashes and explosion as the company, created by billionaire Elon Musk, refined the technique of reusable space flight.

SpaceX is able to land its rockets on land  once they have completed the first stage of their mission, and is able to resuse them multiple times - a first for space flight.

But as the video, How Not to Land an Orbital Rocket Booster, demonstrates, it was a case if you fail, try and try again.

VEZEETA PROFILE

Date started: 2012

Founder: Amir Barsoum

Based: Dubai, UAE

Sector: HealthTech / MedTech

Size: 300 employees

Funding: $22.6 million (as of September 2018)

Investors: Technology Development Fund, Silicon Badia, Beco Capital, Vostok New Ventures, Endeavour Catalyst, Crescent Enterprises’ CE-Ventures, Saudi Technology Ventures and IFC