Bunna, all the way back in the early eighties you guys started as a sort of Bob Marley cover band. Musically speaking where did you guys come from before you started performing as Africa Unite?
Bunna:
"As you say we got to know reggae music by listening to Bob Marley's music. Back then the reggae scene in Italy was really small; if I remember correctly you had about three or four bands: Africa Unite in Turin, Pitura Freska from Veneto and Jah Children Family in Sicily. It wasn't easy finding gigs to play at in those days, so from the very beginning we decided not to be picky about that. Playing live was the only way we could promote our music, so we played everywhere we could, but thirty years later we're still here as living proof that our hard work paid off. To answer your question about our background: I have more of a rock background, while Madaski has a past in classical music."

At the twentieth anniversary of Bob Marley's death, you guys released the tribute album '20' (Universal, 2001, red.); any special plans for the 30th anniversary this year?
Bunna:
"We don't have anything planned to be honest. The anniversary of Bob's death is also when we started with Africa Unite, so for our own 30th anniversary we're preparing the release of the first biography of the band. Of course we still perform the odd Bob Marley song when we're on stage, because without him we probably wouldn't be here playing this music today; he was our teacher in more ways than one."

Is his music still as relevant today as it was back then?
Bunna:
"Absolutely! He was a great man, a great musician and to me his music has stood the test of time perfectly; it sounds as good today as it sounded thirty years ago. I've always admired how he used reggae music to deliver his message. The content of our songs is something that's also always been very important to us; we're not a band that just plays music to dance to, although I have to add that we never adhered to Rastafari like Bob did. We always felt that wasn't part of our culture and not something we could fully understand. Rastafarianism is a Jamaican thing and since we were born in Europe, we never really connected with that philosophy. Of course everybody could understand when Bob Marley was talking about "one love". It's a pity that that part of the music seems to be disappearing in Jamaica. These days most songs deal with trivialities like girls or bling and the influence of American hip-hop is substantial. It's not the reggae music I fell in love with all those years ago anyway."

In Amharic your stage name Bunna means "coffee". Can I assume you're a big coffee drinker?
Bunna:
"I'm afraid that's just a big coincidence. My stage name was derived from my surname which is Bonino and people have been calling me Bunna from when I was still a child."

Africa Unite used to play at the Rototom Sunsplash festival almost every year. Do you think the forced relocation of the festival to Spain meant a serious blow for the Italian reggae scene?
Bunna:
"Rototom was one of the main reasons why the Italian reggae scene had become so big in the last few years and for bands like us it was a very important venue to play at and promote our music. It's a pity Italy lost a beautiful festival like that. Fifteen years of hard work went down the drain and for what? Because a crazy politician equalled playing reggae to promoting ganja! Anyway, we're living in the era of Berlusconi, so apparently nothing is too crazy. It's time people stand up to this kind of craziness, but with the media being controlled by the same people who are in power, it's not even easy to get a clear picture of what is true or not anymore."

Your most recent album to date is called 'Rootz'. Is it as the title suggests a return to the early days of Africa Unite?
Bunna:
"Yes and no, we called the album 'Rootz' because in way it is a return to the days when we started to play reggae, but it's also an ode to the artists who inspired us; people like Bob Marley, but also Steel Pulse and Linton Kwesi Johnson. 'Controlli' (Venus Distribuzione, 2006, red.), our previous album, sounded much more electronic and dubby, so that's another reason why we chose this title. It's a return to pure roots reggae as it once was!"