A unique musical image imprinted on memories

Manama 

Even after thirty-four years since the premature demise of Jamaican legend Bob Marley, he is still the most popular reggae superstar in the world. The Caribbean star has got a diehard fan in Bahrain too, who sells a wide range of products from T-shirts to shoes and headphones with Marley’s image imprinted on them.  

Bahraini national Ali Ahmed Salman’s shop One Love at the Exhibition Road here is the only shop in Bahrain exclusively dedicated to Bob Marley fans.

The other items available in the shop include wristbands and apparels depicting Marley’s picture.  Revealing his admiration for Bob Marley, Ali says:  “I am a great fan of Bob Marley.  I love his attitude towards life and his songs really touch my soul. This is the reason why I started a shop like this.” “My shop is a dedication to the entire Bob Marley fans in Bahrain.”

In fact, Ali’s tryst with Marley and his music began during his trip to India. He recalls, “I saw a huge cutout of Bob Marley in Goa, India for the first time when I was on a vacation with my family during my teenage years. I was fascinated by the cutout and started to learn more about Bob Marley from then.” 

He started to collect the tracks and read more about him.  Later, he found himself that he had become an ardent fan of the music legend. 

 Interestingly, the shop One Love located at the main central of Exhibition Road displays a big collage of Bob Marley comprising 1,200 pictures of Marley.

“Many of my customers are regular visitors.  They want to update their style to show others about their love for Bob Marley. Most of my customers are from Saudi, Kuwait, UAE and Oman.  But I do have young customers from Bahrain too,” Ali explains. 

 A documentary on Bob Marley’s life will be screened on television in the shop for the customers. According to Ali, Bob Marley was a unique person.  “He loved his nation and wanted everyone to live in peace.”  

“Whoever visits my place has to feel what real Bob Marley was, that is why I always show the documentary on TV in my shop.  Ali has a valid reason for christening his shop as One Love. “My favourite track of Bob Marley is “One-love” and that is the reason why I chose the same name for my shop.”

 Ali is now seriously planning to open a new store in Bahrain exclusively for women Bob Marley fans.