Ethiopia honours Marley's 60th birthday

Late reggae legend Bob Marley's 60th birthday was celebrated by thousands of fans yesterday in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia - the first time the event has been held outside of his Jamaican homeland.

The Africa Unite concert was held in the capital's Meskal Square to mark the historical day - 24 years after cancer took the singer's life in 1981.

The Marley family chose Ethiopia to host the official event in recognition of its standing as the birthplace of Rastafarianism - a religion followed by the reggae icon which venerates late Ethiopian Emperor Haile Selassie as an incarnation of God.

Marley's widow Rita explains: "It has always been the wish of Bob Marley to return to Ethiopia and become a Rastafarian... and with the African Union, Addis Ababa is the capital of Africa and therefore a very symbolic place."