He was an icon of the fight for human rights, a prophet of the disinherited of colonialism and, of course, a universal musician who, with his committed songs, opted for another way of understanding the world. There is nothing more linked to the essence of Jamaica than the image of Bob Marley, the king of Rastafarianism who turned reggae into a powerful cry that transcends its catchy rhythm.
Now his story comes, for the first time, to the big screen. Bob Marley: One Love, the film directed by Reinaldo Marcus Green, premieres this Wednesday in our country with Kingsley Ben Adir as the protagonist and Lashana Lynch as his wife Rita. An emotional journey through the life and work of someone who contributed to creating, from African roots, the identity of this island cradled by the Caribbean.
And there is no corner in Jamaica where his music is not heard as an eternal soundtrack. Its echoes resonate even in the most remote corners of this territory the size of Asturias associated with skeins of dreadlocks and tricolor wool caps. Such is the devotion to his figure that February 6, the day of his birth, is considered a national holiday. We embark on a route through the places where his mark has had the most impact.
“I grew up in the mountains, in the same place that brought my mother and grandfather into the world. A small town that the locals still call by the same immemorial name…” This is how Bob Marley evoked his village, Nine Mile, where he was born in 1945 under the leafy peaks of Santa Ana. There, at the end of a winding road that winds its way between coffee plantations and tropical fruit trees, his house is hidden, in where his mortal remains also rest since May 11, 1981 when death took him.
This precarious home, now declared a national monument, was the only place the musician called home, even after achieving glory and living in other parts of the planet. A home that maintains its original appearance intact, just as it was when that child ran around the land without suspecting that he would become a legend.
Many curious people come to discover how Marley’s roots inspired some of his most famous songs. The tin roof that appears in I wanna love you: we’ll be together with a roof over our heads. The narrow bed in his room: We’ll share the shelter of my single bed. The stone niche where her mother cooked and that inspired No woman no cry. And the famous rock painted with rasta colors (red, yellow and green), where in Talkin’ Blues he says he lay down on the warm nights of his youth: Cold ground was my bed last night / and rock was my pillow, too (the cold earth was my bed last night / and the rock was also my pillow).
Bob Marley’s route through Jamaica must stop in Kingston, the capital, and more specifically in Trenchtown, the humble and run-down neighborhood that awakened his passion for music. This is where reggae was born, a genre that, due to its ability to transmit messages of love, resistance and hope, was declared by UNESCO, in 2018, intangible heritage of humanity.
Today, in addition to visiting the Tuff Gong recording studios (where hits like I Shot the Sheriff and Get Up, Stand Up were recorded), Kingston is the city where you can discover the history of many other Jamaican rhythms: mento, ska, rocksteady, dancehall … For this there are the fabulous murals that decorate the Art District, an open-air gallery that shows how music runs through the veins on this island.
Also in the capital we find the most visited place in Jamaica, essential on this itinerary: the Bob Marley Museum, where his life and work are meticulously described: from photos, posters and album covers, to his extensive collection of awards, including videos and three-dimensional holograms that relive memorable concerts. That and, of course, all the marketing that surrounds his figure.
As much as in music, Marley found his salvation in the Rastafarian doctrine, inseparable from his country. That’s why it’s a good idea to follow his trail in Villa Indígena, a real community lost in a fold of the jungle, half an hour from Montego Bay. In addition to sharing day-to-day tasks with its members (taking care of the orchard and herb garden, making soaps with coconut oil, preparing Creole recipes…), it is an opportunity to immerse yourself in this culture to discover their myths, symbols and ceremonies.
Following in the footsteps of the author of Redemption Song means, finally, frequenting any of the beaches, where his songs set the multiple beach bars in a loop. Especially in the kilometer Seven Mile, perhaps the most famous, located in the town of Negril. Also at Rick’s Café, the legendary bar that, despite the name, has nothing to do with Casablanca. An Ibizan-style venue where concerts are held every afternoon, in which his eternal songs are never lacking.
