President Barack Obama to head to the Bob Marley Museum after arriving in Jamaica and shaking hands with foreign dignitaries.
About an hour and 15 minutes after Air Force One touched down at Norman Manley Airport in Kingston, Obama visited the museum, which is based in a large Victorian house that was the reggae singer’s abode until he died in 1981.
“I still have all the albums,” Obama said while touring the museum, according to a White House pool report. Only still photographers could accompany the president during his museum tour, which was a surprise for the press.
The museum preserves the rooms in Marley’s former home and displays his recording studio, bedroom, Gold and Platinum records, a life-sized hologram from his 1978 One Love Peace Concert and his Grammy Lifetime Achievement award, among other collectibles.
A statue of Marley playing a guitar stands at the front of the colorful museum, painted red, green and yellow, according to the pool report. After his tour, Obama exited the front door with tour guide, Natasha Clark, as “One Love” played on the building’s speakers.
Obama spent about 20 minutes at the museum before returning to his hotel. It’s no secret that he’s a Marley fan. In 2012, he shared with MTV that he listened to Marley during his college years.
The president is set to spend three and a half days in Jamaica and Panama, where he is expected to discuss security, energy and other topics, including the U.S. relationship with Cuba, with foreign officials.
This marks the first presidential trip to Jamaica since 1982.