One Love Deep Dive: The Missing Message of Bob Marley’s Legacy

by Shannon Yvonne Moreau

To say I was pumped to see the Bob Marley biopic One Love, starring Kingsley Ben-Adir (High Fidelity, One Night in Miami), is an understatement. The movie set the Valentine’s Day opening record with a $14 million gross. Days after viewing, however, I finally admitted that I found it disappointing. A bit of research helped me figure out why. Missing was the context of Marley within the political strife in Jamaica, the dramatic significance of the concerts bookending the film (“Smile Jamaica” in 1976 and “One Love” in 1978), and the ways his philosophy impacted his music and the world. As author Roger Steffens (So Much Things to Say: The Oral History of Bob Marley) said about the mainstream shaping of Marley’s legacy: “They neutered his revolutionary image.”

According to the documentary Who Shot the Sheriff (Netflix), Marley conceived the “Smile Jamaica” concert to bring back peace and unity: “When you have political violence and I see the youth fighting against the youth for the politicians, I really feel sick.” Those “politicians” were prime minister Michael Manley, People’s National Party (PNP), and challenger Edward Seaga, Jamaica Labour Party (JPL). They rallied votes through street gangs and, due to Marley’s popularity, wanted his support. Marley refused to take sides, staying true to his idea of unity. PNP manipulated the upcoming election date around the concert to make it appear as if Marley favored them. In response, JLP pressured him to cancel. Death threats culminated in an assassination attempt at Marley’s home. The question of who sent the gunman remains. Many suspect the PNP or the JLP. The timing of events makes one thing clear: Marley’s music was so powerful that political players coveted its potency without embracing its message, and, when co-opting it failed, tried to destroy him.

The show went on, but took its toll. Marley exiled himself to London and focused on writing music. Exodus (1977, Island Records) spoke to individual pain and people toiling under oppression.

Back home in Jamaica, violence escalated. When rival gang leaders Bucky Marshall (PNP) and Claudie Massop (JLP) were incarcerated, they realized they had been used as political pawns. They worked to call a truce, convincing Marley to return to Jamaica by promising his safety. The seeds of “One Love” were planted.

“This unity in Jamaica is to unify the universal Black people all over the Earth.” Marley demonstrated his commitment to the themes of love, togetherness, and peace by calling Manley and Seaga onstage to shake hands, underscoring the ideals of people working together for the common good. Ultimately, though, the possibility of peace proved too scary. Massop was later murdered by police, and Seaga won the 1980 election amid deadly violence.

“How long shall they kill our prophets while we stand aside and look?” — “Redemption Song”

Marley’s music was a threat to those who gain power through violence. His legacy of staying true to his belief in peace inspired and uplifted people fighting for their own freedom. “He was revered by people who were in South Africa,” says photographer Bruce Talamon. “He spoke to people who had the boot on their neck. What he did was revolutionary.”

“I know I am of benefit to the people, you know? That’s the only consciousness I have of myself, that I can be beneficial to a people.” - Bob Marley

Watch the One Love trailer below:

Local Organizations for Peace and Justice
Albuquerque Center for Peace and Justice
https://www.abqpeaceandjustice.org

Veterans for Peace
https://www.veteransforpeace.org

Southern Christian Leadership Conference New Mexico
https://sclcnm.org

NAACP Albuquerque
http://www.naacpabq.org

New Mexico MLK Commission
https://nmmlksc.org

Common Cause New Mexico
https://www.commoncause.org/new-mexico

New Mexicans to Prevent Gun Violence
https://www.newmexicanstopreventgunviolence.org