BOB MARLEY CENTRE & MAUSOLEUM

What we are going to visit today is more of a tourist attraction than the remote countryside where the Malcolm family lived in the last century. The place has nothing to do with the country house of the time. Be warned, especially since the entrance is very expensive. On the other hand, the road to get there in the mountains is magnificent and the villages crossed are picturesque.

History. Mother Malcolm was known for her touching voice, which was sometimes heard during exhausting days of work in the fields, when she praised the Lord to give herself courage. The father would gather a few neighbors in the evening and, in front of the house, they would play the Quadrille, an old style close to the mento.

This is the musical heritage that Bob Marley received from his grandparents. A courtyard, then, with the family home where the Malcolms and their eight children lived, including the young teenager Cedella Malcom, who was soon to become Cedella Marley, and who is known today as Mama Booka or Mother B. In this village, she met Norval Marley, an English settler who, despite being in his fifties, took advantage of young Cedella. The identity of Norval, the biological father of the star, remains without doubt one of the most obscure parts of the life of Bob. The star often had harsh words against him in interviews, simply declaring himself an orphan, or calling him "a creep who had paid his mother.

However, in the biography of Bob Marley signed by Steven Davis, Cedella describes him as a good man, having defied the prejudices of his time by marrying her as soon as he learned she was pregnant, even if it meant being disinherited by his bourgeois family. During the pregnancy, he rode from Kingston to spend time with her and support the large Malcolm family. He made several attempts to take the child into his care, trying to get the family to accept him, but to no avail. When Norval Marley realized that he would not change the segregationist prejudices of conservative English society, he abandoned his son. Bob says he still has no memory of him.

A tall rasta man with a friendly face introduces himself as one of the official guides of Nine Miles. He seems proud to announce that the visit includes eleven stages. However, he gives us a speech that is quite touching: " Bob lived through his music, he was a strong spirit. His philosophy of life is still present, as it influences many people around the world. The best proof is that you have come all the way here. Bob grew up there. He was a country boy, basically. He liked to take the time to make his morning tea, ride his donkey for a walk, say hello to people he met along the way, chat and share vibes with them. He was happier here than in Trenchtown, believe me. Maybe he was even happier here than anywhere else. "

When he looked out the window, Bob saw mostly green hills and the dirt road (which has since been paved) on which he would take his grandfather's few goats barefoot. In the middle of the second courtyard, here is the stone (inevitably painted green-yellow-red) where he liked to sit and play his guitar. He would have composed songs like Simmer Down there, which is likely, even though most of his musical creation took place in Trench Town in the ghetto.

The visit. Adjacent to Mama Booka's house, a two-story building with a bar and a large terrace. Some platinum records shine on the walls, including the Legend box set. " More than 10 million copies around the world " says the golden plaque.

A grass walkway leads up to the second courtyard lined with the graves of Bob Marley's grandparents and his uncle. A few meters up, we find Bob's little room and his famous single bed that he talks about in the song Is this Love? (our guide likes to end each of his explanations with a Bob song while his group inspects the place). It is a single room, perched on a mound of earth behind the main house. There is a messy bedding, a chair, two pillows and a small window.

Next door, the guidebook shows an open-air brazier that inspired the song Catch-a-fire, then a sycamore maple from the song Time will tell. Finally, the mausoleum: another building, whose stained glass windows resemble those of Christian churches. We take off our shoes before entering the door. The space is occupied by a high marble tomb covered with large fabrics of African cloth. " His brother, having been accidentally killed by the cops in Miami, is buried with him," the guide explains.

While our guide begins the first verse of Redemption Song, we make the tour of the room by observing the walls: old photos of Bob, a drawing representing Marcus Garvey, a big photo of Haile Selassie, the Australian golden disc ofExodus, a bible and a football. On the way out, we stop in front of a small altar on which visitors have put offerings: a photo of Malcolm X, a poem about love, dollars, a Greek banknote, and other objects of all kinds... A very touristy visit, which we only recommend to Bob's fans.