BOB MARLEY CENTRE & MAUSOLEUM

What we're going to visit today is totally a tourist attraction. Not the remote countryside where the Malcolm family lived in the last century; this place has nothing to do with the shack it once was. Be warned, especially as admission is very expensive (and has risen again). What's more, the road is now very rough, and on arrival there's an aggressive racket in front of the site if you don't park your car within the mausoleum grounds.

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

This was the musical heritage Bob Marley inherited from his grandparents. A courtyard, then, with the family home where the Malcolms and their eight children lived, including the young teenager Cedella Malcolm, soon to become Cedella Marley, and nicknamed Mama Booka or Mother B today. In this village, she met Norval Marley, an English settler who, despite being in his fifties, took advantage of young Cedella's favors. The identity of Norval, the star's biological father, remains one of the most obscure parts of Bob's life. The star often had harsh words to say about him in interviews, declaring himself simply an orphan, or calling him "a creep who had bought his mother ".

However, in Steven Davis's biography of Bob Marley, Cedella describes him as a good man, who defied the prejudices of his time by marrying her as soon as he learned she was pregnant, even if it meant being disinherited by her 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 gain her family's acceptance, but to no avail. When Norval Marley realized that he couldn't change the segregationist prejudices of conservative English society, he abandoned his son. Bob says he still has no memory of him.

A tall Rasta with a friendly face introduces himself as one of Nine Miles' official guides. He seems proud to announce that the tour has eleven stages. Bob lived through his music, he was a strong spirit. His philosophy of life is still with us today, influencing people all over the world. The best proof is that you've come all this way. Bob grew up here. He was basically a country boy. He liked to take the time to make his morning tea, get on his donkey to go 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 (since paved) on which he used to take his grandfather's few goats barefoot. In the middle of the second courtyard, here's the stone (inevitably painted green, yellow and red) where he liked to sit and play his guitar. It's likely that he composed songs like Simmer Down here, although most of his musical creation took place in Trench Town in the ghetto.

The visit. Adjacent to Mama Booka's home, a two-storey building with a bar and large terrace. A few platinum discs shine on the walls, including one from the Legend box set. " More than 10 million copies around the world " reads the golden plaque.

A grass path leads up to the second courtyard, lined with the graves of Bob Marley's grandparents and his uncle. A few metres up, we find Bob's little room and his famous single bed, which he mentions in his song Is this Love? (our guide likes to end each of his explanations with a Bob song, while his group inspects the premises). It's a simple room, perched on a mound of earth behind the main house. There's bedding in bad shape, a chair, two cushions and a small window.

Next door, the guide 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 (photos prohibited), whose stained-glass windows resemble those in Christian churches. The space is taken up by a high marble tomb covered with broad cloths of African fabrics. " His brother, having been accidentally killed by the cops in Miami, is buried with him," explains the guide.

We take a tour of the room, looking at the walls: old photos of Bob, a drawing of Marcus Garvey, a large photo of Haile Selassie, the Australian golden disc ofExodus, a bible and a soccer ball. On the way out, we stop in front of a small altar on which visitors have placed offerings: a photo of Malcolm X, dollars and other objects... An American-style visit, ending with a mini-concert on the way out, not forgetting to visit the goodie stores... If you're looking for authenticity, you'll have to pass.