Kumar Fyah Pushes for Marcus Garvey Day Recognition with New Single and Petition

Kumar Fyah is tying a new recording with Black Uhuru to a petition calling for August 17 to become a Jamaican national holiday in honour of Marcus Garvey. The campaign also asks for Garvey’s history to receive stronger attention in schools.

Kumar Fyah has put music behind a long-running question in Jamaica: why is Marcus Garvey’s birthday still not a national holiday? His new single, “Public Holiday,” featuring Black Uhuru, argues for official recognition of Garvey’s August 17 birthday and a fuller place for his history in the school curriculum. The accompanying petition asks the Jamaican government to act, giving the campaign a direct political demand rather than leaving the issue as a familiar talking point in roots reggae.

According to the original report, the song was released on August 17, the date associated with Garvey’s birth. Fyah uses the occasion to press the contradiction at the centre of the campaign: Garvey was named a Jamaican National Hero in 1969, yet the country has not set aside a public holiday for him. “Public Holiday” treats that omission as more than a ceremonial oversight, connecting national recognition to the lessons Jamaicans pass on to younger generations.

The song’s central refrain is deliberately plain: “We never get a public holiday for Marcus Garvey.” That repeated line gives the recording the feel of a street-level rallying cry, while the lyrics contrast Garvey’s contribution with the lighter celebrations that often dominate the holiday calendar. Fyah’s argument is not that Garvey needs a new legacy, but that Jamaica has yet to match the scale of its official praise with a day of public remembrance and education.

Garvey was born in St. Ann’s Bay on August 17, 1887, and built an international movement through the Universal Negro Improvement Association. The original report also points to his work with the Black Star Line and the Negro World newspaper, along with his influence on Black pride, self-reliance and Pan-African thought. Those details matter to Fyah’s campaign because the proposed holiday is framed as a way to keep that political history visible, not simply to add another date to the calendar.

Black Uhuru’s presence gives the track added roots-reggae weight, while the reported musicianship keeps the message moving. Dave Richards Jr. is credited with drums, with Randy Fletcher and other players contributing horn parts. The arrangement is described as a lively reggae groove rather than a solemn memorial piece, matching Fyah’s decision to make the demand accessible through a song that can circulate beyond formal political discussion.

Fyah is asking supporters in Jamaica and abroad to sign the petition through his website. The effort follows a tradition of reggae artists using recorded music to defend Garvey’s ideas, including the advocacy associated with Burning Spear. Whether the petition changes government policy remains open, but “Public Holiday” gives the question a sharper public life: recognition of Garvey should be measured not only by his title as a National Hero, but by what Jamaica teaches and commemorates each year.

Kumar FyahMarcus GarveyBlack Uhuru