Robert Lalah, Staff ReporterTHERE'S A rift brewing in the normally serene Nine Miles community in St. Ann.
The area is known across the world for being the birthplace of the late reggae star Bob Marley. The deceased singer's mausoleum which is located at the home in which he grew up, is a huge tourist pull, and as a spinoff benefit, has for years provided revenue to the residents of the otherwise underdeveloped rural community.
But the residents of Nine Miles are now extremely disgruntled. They say the Marley Foundation has completely cut off their access to the hundreds of tourists who visit the community daily, with the recent construction of a huge wall that now surrounds the Marley mausoleum.
SHORT END OF THE STICK
Shop, bar, and restaurant owners in the small community say they have been left clutching the short end of the stick and are pleading with the Marley Foundation to reconsider shutting them out.
The Sunday Gleaner spent a while in the community recently and found residents brimming with anger. They were, however, extremely cautious when talking about the matter, as many of them said they did not want to make an already bad situation worse.
"The mausoleum is something for all of us because Bob is from all of us," said Miltona 32-year-old farmer.
Nine Miles is predominantly a farming community and with the torrential rains that lashed the island last year, the mostly small-scale farmers have taken a beating.
"Things really hard with the farming now. If that wall wasn't there, like how things were before, then we could still survive. The tourists used to walk all over the community and buy in the shops and restaurants. But now we not even see them most times," Milton said.
While the news team was in the community, about a dozen tour buses filled with tourists visited the mausoleum. A security guard positioned at the gate regulated access to the compound. Each time a tour bus came up the road on its way to the mausoleum, a crowd of youngsters would run alongside the vehicle until it got to the gate, where the security guard would ensure they went no further. The youngsters would then peak through holes in the fence to get a glimpse of what was happening on the compound.
"You see that? Dem ting deh nuh right. We can't even sell the tourist them anything," Milton noted.
Just across from the mausoleum, is a rustic bar painted in red, green and gold. There are several paintings of Bob Marley on the walls and his music was blaring from a small radio. But there was nobody inside but the barmaid. She gave her name as Sharon and explained how things had changed since the construction of the wall.
"Since the wall build up, business take a big plunge. I don't like how they went about things. It's not even us alone, it's the whole community," she said.
"We all respect and love the Marley family so they shouldn't block the community out like that," she added.
One resident pointed out that very little development has taken place in the community, even though hundreds, if not thousands of U.S. dollars are exchanged there each day. There is no running water and according to residents, not much to do. Donkeys still transport water from tanks and wells.
RESIDENTS FEEL SHAFTED
We were told that each tourist who enters the mausoleum pays an entrance fee of US$15. There is a restaurant on the compound as well as a souvenirs shop.
"If them could even allow the tourists to eat at the restaurant in the community. We even have a health restaurant. We even have people who can make souvenirs, so we could survive if them allow the tourists to walk around," he said.
Everyone we spoke with had the same thing to say. They all felt shafted by the Marley Foundation, but were intent on seeking a peaceful resolution to the matter.
"At the end of the day, is not our family member, so we can only beg a help. We only asking for some consideration," said Sharon, the barmaid.
The Sunday Gleaner was unable to get a response from the Marley family on the matter, but one female resident said the fence had been built to prevent tourist harrassment.
"The family only doing what they have to do to prevent harrassment. If they don't do that, then anything can happen and then everybody stop come, " the woman said.
Name changed on request.
