Bob Marley Museum to host night tours
The historic Smile Jamaica Concert will celebrate its 41st anniversary on Saturday, December 2.
To commemorate the historic occasion, the Bob Marley Museum will be opening up its home at 56 Hope Road to offer tours of the house.
The tour will culminate in the room in which Marley was shot in December 1976 in an assassination attempt.
According to Lecia-Gaye Taylor, from the Bob Marley Museum, this is the first time they will be doing night tours.
“We will be doing about three because we will also be having a dub style party as well,” she said. “The tours will start at about 6:30 and will end at about 8 p.m. The tour will take you through the house and will end in the room in which Bob Marley was actually shot, and will bring the whole energy of what happened alive for the night.”
Normally, the tours are free but this special tour will attract a price of $1,000 as the Bob Marley Foundation will be looking to donate part proceeds to Haile Selassie High School’s construction of a music room.
Patrons are also being asked to donate non-perishable items which will be distributed to Reddies Children’s Home, which is supported by the foundation.
The dub style party also scheduled for that evening will pay tribute to the iconic reggae star in sound system style.
Taylor said that the event will not be a concert but will feature some performances by a few entertainers, including Runkus, Blvk H3ro, Leno Banton, Royal Blu, and several other special guest performers.
“The Smile Jamaica event is very iconic because that original concert was the event where Bob Marley delivered a passionate 90-minute set just two days after he was shot,” she said. “We think it’s important to continue to commemorate that event because it shows his resilience and his bravery and that’s the kind of attitude we want people to have.”
The Smile Jamaica Concert was first held on December 5, 1976, headlined by Marley. The concert was a collaborative effort by him and the Wailers and the then cultural section of the Office of the Prime Minister.
The concert was held in a politically charged Jamaica at the National Heroes Circle for a crowd of over 80,000 people.