Come Tuesday, the newly established Peter Tosh Museum at the Pulse Complex in New Kingston will open its doors to the public.

The project, which was officially opened two weeks ago, aims to offer visitors an insight into the life and legacy of the reggae great who began his musical career in the 1960s as a member of The Wailers, which also featured Bob Marley and Bunny Wailer.

The museum, which currently occupies three rooms, has four distinct components: the graphics covering the walls of all three rooms, which include images of Tosh; the narrative which traces his earliest beginnings to that fateful night in September 1987 when he was gunned down; the artefacts, including personal items, and the interactive and multimedia aspects of the collection which comprises a slide show; music; and interview with people who knew Tosh, who help to give a greater understanding of the man.

TheJamaica Observer was taken on a tour of the facility with Pulse Chairman Kingsley Cooper, who helms the project with the Peter Tosh Estate.

According to Cooper, visitors should walk away with a much better appreciation of who Peter Tosh was and what he stands for .

“Tosh was a visionary, a man before his time. He wasn’t just a musician; he had very strong philosophical views on issues such as equal rights and the apartheid struggle, the legalisation of marijuana and his whole uncompromising stance on certain matters, and he was prepared to take a beating for what he believed in. We want people to leave with a deeper appreciation for someone who is not only unique and outstanding Jamaican; he was a citizen of the world who has given so much to the whole world and we see that now with the international coverage of the opening of the museum… it tells you how far his reach was and the impact he had.”

For now, Cooper is pleased with the museum and the experience it offers. He notes that all the key items which were associated with Peter Tosh have been acquired and are on display. These include his unicycle and his guitars particularly the famous M16 guitar which was saved from the auction block. The 1998 Grammy Award, which stirred up controversy when it was claimed that it had been sold to a pawn shop in the United States by a family member. Also displayed is Tosh’s post-mortem report, a walking stick from Swaziland, his personal telephone, copies of his passport, tour jackets, his nunchakus used in his martial arts practice, and his gold record for the albumBush Doctor.

“We have a lot more artefacts than are displayed here. So, at some point we may move them around or as we expand, ’cause we are going to expand. One of the things we’re gonna do right away is a store called The Last Concert. That is an event that Pulse had put on, so it will include things related to that last concert with it’s own set of merchandise and visuals. Later on, you can imagine, the potential for things like The Peter Tosh Smoking Room featuring the various ‘grades’. And we will be guided by demand and to see how we can use more technology to increase and improve that interactive experience so that patrons can do more and see more than you can present visually, ’cause you can create virtual worlds using technology. The next phase of the museum will be technology driven.”