DStv Ghana, a pay TV company, has donated an HD PVR decoder and satellite to Rita Marley in support and solidarity with the widow of legendary reggae star, Bob Marley following a fire outbreak at her residence in Aburi, Ghana. Her Akwapim Mountain recording studio and residence was gutted by raging fire in the evening of Saturday May 22, destroying property and memorabilia valued at $20 million.

The Rita Marley Recording Studio was stocked with materials full of tourist potential. The studio, which housed most of Bob Marley’s original tapes, was due for commissioning late last year, but was postponed for some personal reasons. Rita Marley has been in and out of Ghana after her virtual relocation to the country and the commencement of the studio project, following the death of her husband.

She has blended in so well with the locals, that she was bestowed a chieftaincy title in the Aburi area. The 64-year-old married Bob in 1966 and has 6 children. Her eldest child, Sharon who came to Ghana following the incident, received the HD PVR decoder on behalf of Rita Marley at her other residence in Prampram.

Sharon was very grateful at the kind gesture from DStv and she used the opportunity to thank Ghanaians for their support for her mother following the tragedy. “I am glad to know that people have her in their thoughts. She loves Ghana tremendously, and we couldn’t get her away from Ghana even if we tried. After the fire, my sisters asked me to go get mum and I was like, ‘You think she is going to come?’”, she commented.

According to Sharon, Rita Marley took over ten years to put up the studio which was dear to her heart but she has fully come to terms with her loss and would gradually rebuild it. She also revealed that her mother is a big fan of sports, particularly boxing and that she would love to watch that on her new DStv HD/PVR decoder.

Edward Owusu, the Marketing Manager of DStv Ghana commented: “For us at DStv Ghana, we are proud that she is based in Ghana because it has a relationship with the content that we provide. We are proud of hosting her in Ghana and so when this incident happened, we were really touched. It is unfortunate what happened and she has our support.”

---