IT has been four months since the passing of reggae music icon and trailblazer Neville O’Riley Livingston, better known to the world as Bunny Wailer, and his only son Adijah Asadenaki is slowly coming to terms with the death of the man he called father.
He described the weeks and months which followed his father’s passing as a roller coaster ride as the family not only accepted the death, but also the private family matters which played out in public and tested his mettle as a man and the only son of the musical legend. But for the younger Livingston it was his father’s teachings that kept him grounded in those days and continues at this time.
“We just wanted to give him the honour he deserved for the life he lived; and when all of that was done there came the realisation that he was no longer with us in the flesh. I am just coming to terms with that. I guess I was so caught up in everything that was happing at the time that his passing is just sinking in.”
Livingston, like his 12 sisters, has been shielded from the public’s gaze and never grew up in the spotlight as Bunny Wailer’s children, unlike the children of Bob Marley and to a lesser extent the offspring of Peter Tosh, with whom Bunny Wailer made a name for themselves as The Wailers.
“My name Asadenaki means mystery… that has been a key part of who I am. It doesn’t mean that I am antisocial, but rather you can’t predict what I will do. That came to the test with the passing of my father, and many were surprised at how I stood my ground on certain matters. The truth is, I am a go-getter — a person who lives, talks, sings, breathes self-reliance. I am not into waiting for things to be done, but rather doing it myself.”
These are among the tenets and life lessons Livingston learned from his father, principles that he not only heard but saw him put into action. It is these teachings that he is ready to put into action as he prepares to continue the work of his father.
“I was born ready. One of my father’s many teachings is to be myself. He never ‘baby’ me growing up; I was always encouraged to chart my own course. That’s why even as an artiste I never used the last name Wailer. I remember when I put out my first EP, my father listened to it and said ‘It nuh ready’. For some people, that would crush them. I never saw it as being harsh. It was just fatherly advice and I knew I could trust him. He was just being honest and wanted the best for me so it just forced me to dig deeper. So in 2018 when I did a live performance and he was there and told me ‘Mi can put it up now’ I knew exactly what he meant. He was saying he could relax now because the work was of a certain standard… that was the biggest compliment he could every pay me,” said Livingston.
