SIGN UP FOR OUR 
Reggae legends The Wailers, Bob Marley’s original band, will headline the No Hunting World Music Fest in Costa Rica on Saturday, May 19th at Empire (the old Azotea in La Uruca). This is a special reggae festival supported by the Association for the Preservation of Flora and Fauna (APREFLOFLAS in Spanish), and it seeks to create awareness of a legislative proposal that has been floating in the National Assembly since 2008.
The legislative proposal in question aims to repeal the current Wildlife Law in Costa Rica, which many consider outdated and inadequate. APREFLOFLAS director Gustavo Alvarado made the following statement to daily newspaper La Prensa Libre:
“Among the provisions in this legislative proposal, for example, will be to outlaw sport hunting in Costa Rica. Currently you could take a rifle, head for the mountains and kill any animal and nothing will happen to you.”
Here Mr. Alvarado made allusion to the notorious poaching and dismembering of a black panther in Cartago, a case The Costa Rica Star has followed up on.
“This is currently not a crime, nor does it carry any jail time. With this legislative proposal, it would be prohibited, will carry fines based on median salaries, and will land you in prison.”
Other provisions of the law seek to regulate the possession of wildlife and promote environmental education in Costa Rica.
Along with the The Wailers, the following reggae musical acts will also play at the No Hunting World Music Fest in Costa Rica:
- Pablito Molina
- Bobo Niyah
- Michael Livingston
- Talawa
- Milixia
- Dogandul
The concert will start at 8:00 pm. The admission consists of a sticker, which can be purchased for 15,000 colones (about $30) from APREFLOFLAS, Converse Concept and Insomnio Stores in Mall San Pedro, Multiplaza del Este, Multiplaza Escazu, and Paseo de las Flores in Heredia.
The organizers will make 1,000 t-shirts to commemorate the event, and attendants will get to sign a petition in support of the proposed law. The signatories will walk out of the concert with a green thumb to symbolize their support for this noble cause.
