Ghana’s reggae superstar Blakk Rasta will be one of the headline acts at the forthcoming reggae festival in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. The festival, which comes off on the 6th of February, commemorates the birth of the reggae legend, Bob Marley. Blakk Rasta is scheduled to present two speeches on pan africanism and two musical performances at the event, which he describes as a “pilgrimage” for the Rastafarian fraternity. In attendance will be Rita Marley, wife of the late Bob Marley, and organisers say this year’s event - themed “Towards One Africa” - will be the biggest since its inceptions decades ago. The Ghanaian-born reggae sensation of Barack Obama fame, told Myjoyonline.com, his selection to deliver a speech is rather humbling. Organisers say Blakk Rasta’s song, which he released in the lead-up to the United States elections in 2008, has received wide acceptance in Ethiopia. Indeed, his song received airplay and reviews many international media outlets, including the CNN, BBC and the New York Times. Blakk Rasta, who holds a Bachelor’s in Land Economics from the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST), has been on the reggae music scene for years but had been a virtual unknown until his pro-Obama anthem threw him into the limelight. He told Myjoyonline.com the Ghana Embassy in Addis Ababa will host him after a ceremony that will welcome him as the participant from Ghana. The Ethiopian invitation comes weeks after a recent show in Amsterdam, which drew a massive crowd, and a scheduled tour of the Caribbean, which he cancelled. The HITZ FM Taxi Driver presenter has raised the standard of reggae music in the country, making him a ‘connoisseur of reggae music in GH,’ one fan said. Story by Fiifi Koomson/Myjoyonline.com/Ghana