BOB MARLEY MUSEUM

This beautiful two-story wooden house with its 19th century British colonial style is located in the beautiful neighborhoods of Kingston. It all began in 1970 when Bob Marley set up his own studio Tuff Gong with his group The Wailers, and then enjoyed international success on the European and American airwaves with the broadcasting of his reggae hits by Island Records, the label of the British Chris Blackwell. Blackwell eventually left him the house where Bob set up his recording studio and where he lived from 1975 - the year No woman no cry was his first big hit - until his death in 1981. The old house also housed his record store.

Opened in May 1986, the museum can only be visited with a guide and photos and films are unfortunately forbidden inside. This is a good opportunity to disconnect a little from social networks! It is more about discovering the history of Bob Marley through his house than seeing an exhibition.
For the record, this is where Barack Obama started his visit to Jamaica during his official visit in 2015. This house is also the headquarters of the Bob Marley Foundation, which carries out social projects through education, culture, the environment, the development of sustainable communities based on the values of Rastafarianism and Bob himself.

Visit. At the entrance, a statue representing the musician (made by a French sculptor, Pierre Rouzier), guitar in hand and fist raised, welcomes the visitor. We tell you, in a rather theatrical way (and all in song!), the life of the reggae star, whose highlights are traced by large photographs exposed on the wall of the property. You'll get a glimpse of Wail'n Soul's reproduction, his Trench Town record and tape store, his teenage bike, his bedroom and the site of the near fatal bombing in 1976. We even show you the hole in the wall left by one of the bullets fired at the singer and his family. A bullet grazes his chest and hits him in the left arm. Another bullet injured Rita in the head (but she will escape), and his American manager Don Taylor will be seriously injured by five bullets. A tragedy that did not prevent Bob to return home to live until his death in 1981.

The main part of the exhibition consists of a collection of reproductions, press clippings, photos (including one of his wedding in 1966), concert tickets and gold records. The visit ends in the Bob Marley Theater, with the projection of a 20-minute video montage (in English) based on interviews that trace the essence of the singer's career and philosophy. You can also see a 3-D hologram of Bob during the One Love One Peace concert in 1978. A souvenir store allows you to buy all of Bob's albums. Legend released in 1984 has sold millions of copies; a sure bet if you're not sure!

The adjoining restaurant, the One Love Café, serves up vegetarian and vegan Jamaican - I-Tal Rasta - and Ethiopian cuisine to the sound of old reggae hits, so you can eat on the go and drink in the healthy products that Bob Marley loved. And if you're in Kingston on February 6, don't miss the festivities and concerts celebrating the anniversary of Bob's birth.