Marley's legacy lives on, but...

The Bob Marley Museum, located at 56 Hope Road

By Balford Henry, Observer writer

If Bob Marley were alive today, he would probably be celebrating his 59th birthday on the lawns of his former uptown home, 56 Hope Road in Kingston. But, since his death in May, 1981 his presence still prevails over the austere ambience of the premises which have been transformed into a museum in his memory.

His old statue, which graced the yard of the museum since the 1980s, created by a little known artist called "Bobby," is soon to be replaced by a more detailed, professional creation that, according to administrative assistant at the museum, Lisa Wright, "looks more like the man."

It is one of the continuous changes being effected at the museum, probably Bob's most important local, physical legacy. It has developed a fish pond and improvements have been done to the exhibition hall over the past couple of years. The Queen of Sheba restaurant still offers a variety of meals, including tasty Rastafarian ital foods and juices.

Tourists, especially from Europe, still travel there mainly around this time of year to look at the few items that have been saved from the master's past.

In the 1970s, when Marley would return home from his busy tour schedules, he would repair to the colonial-style mansion, probably play a game of table tennis with his legal adviser upstairs before joining his brethren downstairs to just chat or play some scrimmage.

From the steps of the old building, Bob's shadow spanned the yard like a colossus, in his lifetime. In death, it has expanded into mythic universal appeal.

Marley used his music to spread his message of social development and religion. He ended up being respected as a musical prophet and 23 years after his death he remains an icon of rebellion.

Marley has been named in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, has earned a star on Hollywood Boulevard's Walk of Fame and been awarded posthumously a Grammy lifetime achievement award.

His album, Exodus was nominated by the prestigious Time Magazine as the album of the century and his song, One Love, named Song of the Century by the BBC.

The Bob Marley Foundation, which is also based at Hope Road, administers the rights to his hugely profitable name, image, likeness and persona in the Caribbean, as well as administering the Bob Marley Group of Companies, which includes the music recording and distribution company Tuff Gong, the museum and Tuff Gong Clothing, the fashion wear arm.

"We do get a lot of requests primarily for documentaries and photos, and people even approach us about scripts," Wright said. But, she admits that the main moneymaker is still the use of his image on merchandise. Bob Marley Music, Inc in New York administers the music and publishing rights.

"Not everyone who makes an application (to use Marley's image) gets approved," Wright explained. "We approve products primarily linked to his lifestyle. Things we don't think he would appreciate are not approved."

The Foundation recently established an office in New York, which will take care of requests from outside of Jamaica, along with an office in Ghana where the matriarch of the family, Rita Marley, now resides.

But, despite winning so much global appreciation, Marley is still considered by many to be without honour in his homeland.

The award of Order of Merit (OM) in 1981, then the country's second highest national honour, is considered by many to be disproportionate to his achievements. Like for example, the fact that during the Polish revolution, which overthrew Soviet rule in the 1980s, his music was the inspiration for the young revolutionaries, as was the case in Southern Africa during the 1970s.

Olivia "Babsy' Grange, Opposition spokesperson on culture, says she will be resurrecting her proposals, made in Parliament in the year 2000, for a national award to be named in honour of Marley to inspire more Jamaicans to follow his lead.

Grange said that she is concerned that after so many years, despite a commitment from the government in Parliament to pursue the proposal, she has heard nothing since. That same year, then government MP Ronnie Thwaites also proposed in Parliament greater national honour for Marley, which was also approved after a long debate.

In fact, the word in 2000 was that Marley was on the verge of being made Jamaica's eighth National Hero, after the national committee, which advises the Governor General on such decisions was re-energised and discussions started. But, to date, nothing has happened.

Despite the failure, however, to accord Marley greater national honour at home, his fans continue to look to the week February 6-13 as a period to celebrate his music and achievements.

A number of symposiums have been arranged around the island.

The Trench Town Bob Marley Festival started Wednesday celebrating his connection with that community after leaving his hometown of Nine Mile, St. Ann. This weekend MXIII in Negril will also be staging its annual tribute concert. But, the highlight will certainly be tonight at the Museum where the function features drumming, chanting and dub poetry in his memory.

A number of proposed events fell through in the interim, including the Reggae Music Expo in his honour, which had been scheduled for the Hilton Hotel, New Kingston, this Saturday and Sunday.

According to co-ordinator Ras Astor Black, he was forced to postpone it to June, after American record company executives said Kingston was "too hostile" at the moment.