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 International
artiste Nasio Fontaine launched his ‘Living In The Positive’
album in the Rema suburbs of Trench Town on Tuesday, January 3 at the
Boys’ Town Centre on Collie Smith Drive.
In attendance were members of the media, residents of the community and
persons from the entertainment fraternity.
The Rastafarian singer, who rules under the sign of Leo and hails from
the Republic of Dominica, was at home with the people of the inner-city
community when he performed tracks from the album.
Nasio, who sounds and moves on stage very much like Bob Marley, encouraged
the people of Trench Town “to rise up from oppression.”
The youngest of seven children, Nasio, whose parents are of Carib Indian
and African descent, compared his Dominican roots to that of the people
of Trench Town. Unlike the residents of Trench Town who had running water
and electricity, his family lived in a one-room wooden structure where
there was no light or water. He and other siblings had to walk miles to
fetch fresh water for household purposes.
Nasio’s musical talent started to show from the tender age of 8
when he began singing at church and school. His first musical instrument,
made of board with fishing lines, was made for him by his father Atto.
With a musical inspiration which comes from Rastafarian and reggae greats
Bob Marley, Joseph ‘Culture’ Hill, Burning Spear and Jacob
Miller, Nasio’s dreams were realized in the mid 1980’s when
he moved from Dominica to St. Maarten where he recorded his first single
titled ‘Born To Be Free’ followed by ‘Babylon Is Falling’
in 1990.
 At
the launch, Nasio performed tracks from the ‘Living In The Positive’
album, among them the title song ‘Living In The Positive’,
‘African Spirit’, ‘Herb And Loving’, ‘Dangerous’,
‘Black And Comely’, ‘New Song’, ‘Where We
Belong’, ‘No Love’, ‘Ethiopia’, ‘Riding
On’ and ‘Rise Up’.
After his performance, Nasio told reporters backstage that, “being
in Trench Town feels like being back home. It’s the same sufferation
and struggles like Jamaica that takes place in Dominica.”
Earlier in the evening before the launch of the album, Nasio toured sections
of Trench Town (home of Bob Marley and several other internationally acclaimed
artistes and musicians), met and greeted children and old folks of the
community.
For him, visiting Trench Town was an honour and dream come true, as he
had always wanted to visit the homeland of the world’s greatest
reggae artiste, Bob Marley.
Nasio Fontaine performed at Rebel Salute at Port Kaiser on Saturday, January
17. He will be performing at the Bob Marley Festival in Miami on February
7 and at the Bob Marley Tribute in Washington D.C. where he will be the
headline act.
His manager, Steve Weltman, told Jahworks.org that, “Nasio will
definitely be coming back to Jamaica. We will be in Europe for summer
performing on most of the musical festivals that are to be held.”
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