Ihave just finished reading the book So Much Things To Say:The Oral History of Bob Marley by Roger Steffens, an accomplished researcher on Bob Marley by the author who is based in Los Angeles.
By Fred Zindi
What makes Steffens’s book unique is that the author does not present a portrait of the artist through his own lens, but instead presents us with a collage of impressions seen through the eyes of others. The list of people he has interviewed on Bob Marley’s life is endless. For many years, Steffens has travelled the world telling Marley’s story with his illustrated Life of Bob Marley lecture.
The book contains 35 chapters with riveting events that took place in Bob Marley’s life and is introduced by dub poet, Linton Kwesi Johnson of Dread Beat and Blood fame.
Steffens, indeed has so much things to say. If you will recall, this is the same title Bob Marley gave to one of his songs. So grammatically, although it does not follow the Queen’s English, it is Jamaican correct.
Some of the captivating chapters in this book include: Where Is My Mother?, Trenchtown Rock, Rasta Shook Them Up, Lee Perry and Jamaican Politricks, Island’s Kinky Reggae, Natty Dread, Rastaman Vibration, Ambush In The Night, Did The CIA Kill Bob Marley? and Dr Issels and The Final Days.
I was particularly moved by Chapter 21 about the CIA involvement and Chapter 34, which describes the part played by Issels in Bob Marley’s life.
In Zimbabwe, interest in the life of Bob Marley has continued to grow since 1980 when he graced the independence celebration ceremony in this country. We have had several Jamaican musicians such as Jimmy Cliff, Gregory Isaacs, Don Carlos, Ijahman Levi, Dennis Brown, Freddie McGregor, Shabba Ranks, Maxi Priest, Sizzla Kalonje, Culture, Luciano, Cocoa Tea, Capleton, Beenie Man, Mavado, Fantan Mojah, Jah Cure, Morgan Heritage, Busy Signal, Christopher Martin, Romain Virgo and Tarrus Riley visiting Zimbabwe since then, but no other Jamaican has done more to make the same impact or boost the brand name Jamaica as Marley did.
- Chamisa under fire over US$120K donation
- Mavhunga puts DeMbare into Chibuku quarterfinals
- Pension funds bet on Cabora Bassa oilfields
- Councils defy govt fire tender directive
Keep Reading
As reggae music’s greatest ambassador, Marley made an enormous contribution to its globalisation and its impact on popular culture around the world. Since his demise, he has grown in stature from superstar to legend to iconic status, a remarkable achievement for someone from such a humble background.
Steffens, who sent me his book, wrote to me after reading my article titled Bob Marley: The CIA Connection, which appeared in The Standard Style sometime last year. This is what he had to say: “I have no love for the CIA and its criminal elements, but I have never been able to find any direct link between them and the hit on Bob [as much as I would like to]”. As I said, there is confusion about how Bob Marley died.
As far back as 1976, speculation was rife that the newly-elected Jamaican prime minister, Edward Seaga had sent a hit squad to assassinate Bob Marley. Steffens failed to find evidence to that effect either. In fact, Seaga delivered the eulogy at Bob’s funeral. Seaga awarded him the Order of Merit, the nation’s highest civilian award. It was in recognition not only of Marley’s enormous popularity in Jamaica, but also of the kudos he had brought to the nation by his achievements abroad.
The Rastafarian soul rebel, armed with his distinctive voice, a guitar, a great backing band and fine backing vocals from the I-Threes, was a man on a mission to challenge the “isms and schisms” of principalities and powers as he fought against “spiritual wickedness” in high and low places.
So how did Bob Marley die? If he was murdered, who killed him?
Enter Issels.
According to Steffen’s book, the choice of Issels to treat Bob was highly controversial as he only took patients who had been given up as hopeless by other doctors. He had been called a quack and rumours abounded of his unorthodox treatments and his rate of actual cures. It was also alleged that he had been in the Schutzstaffel (SS) during World War II.
His true history is much more complex. He received his medical doctorate in 1932 and went to work for a Catholic hospital, which demanded he become a member of the Nazi Party and suggested he join the SS to advance his career. Though he described himself as “politically uninterested,” he resigned from the SS in 1938 when he was ordered to stop treating Jewish patients. He subsequently spent time as a prisoner of war in Russia.
The German medical establishment sought to shut down his clinic in 1960, and he spent three months in prison before being acquitted of all charges in 1964. The outcome of the trial paved the way for immunobiologic treatments to be allowed in Germany. According to his wife, the Issels cancer treatment achieved complete long-term tumour remissions of advanced standard therapy-resistant cancers, and patients led cancer-free lives for many years. Bob Marley was in Issel’s Bavarian Clinic in Germany for seven months.
In the first months of treatment, Bob Marley improved considerably and was again able to play football for fun.
Issels knew about the tremendous importance of the mind and soul in the development and in the cure of disease — any disease. He tried to teach his patients forgiveness — the first step towards healing.
Cleansing the mind and the body, to give the inner physician a chance.
Medical doctors and medications are only tools to help the body help itself. These convictions he talked to his patients about and he did the same with Bob Marley. It was a relationship of respect and trust. The book goes on to say Issels respected Bob Marley highly as a person, his convictions, for what he stood for in life, his purpose in life for which he fought. They had many long talks not only about medical subjects, but about life, religion, his music and art. So, it looks like Issels was not part of the conspiracy that sought to eliminate Bob.
Cindy Breakspeare, who won the Miss World title in 1976 and mother to Damian Marley one of Bob’s sons, was there for three weeks in the early part of the year that Bob died.
She describes Bob’s condition as follows: “When you see pictures of Bob without his shirt you can see how fit he was. There’s not an ounce of fat anywhere. It was just dreadful to watch him deteriorate like that. And I mean, it wasn’t only hard for me alone.
“I’m sure it was hard for everyone who knew him and cared for him.”
Many people, family and friends visited Bob in his hospital bed in Germany. He died on the May 11 1981, one year after his mesmerising and historical concert in Zimbabwe.
More than a million mourners, half of Jamaica’s population, lined up from Kingston, all the way to Marley’s burial place in Nine Miles. This was historical. It was the largest gathering in Caribbean history.
There is so much things to say right now, but I have limited space. Forgive me.
l Feedback: [email protected]
