Ziggy Marley says luxury villa discriminated against him because he’s Jamaican – property denies claim
Eight time Grammy Award winner Ziggy Marley, son of the late reggae legend Bob Marley, is complaining that Sea Salt Villa, a posh property based in St Ann, has discriminated against him, merely because he is “Jamaican”. The villa has reportedly denied the claim.
According to the musician, he was denied rental of the property because of his nationality.
“Bob go through it, this come in like the same thing we go through, nothing no really change, is like the same thing Rasta did face, discrimination, but now anno Rasta, ah Jamaican. It really strange to me, that in this 2024 or whatever, dem kinda ting we haffi a deal wid, inna Jamaica, discrimination against Jamaicans,” Ziggy Marley said during a discussion with Kabu on Irie FM over the weekend.
“The only reason mi ah get it is because I am Jamaican, wah dat? That’s the only reason. Yu have a prison record or something? Just because mi a Jamaican, yu ah go deny me that. How yu can discriminate against Jamaicans in Jamaica. Mi glad mi have the experience caw now mi know. Mi tell dem seh yp mi glad, because now mi know. Mi experience it now, suh mi can deal wid it now in a different level, so yeah yeah,” he said.
Ziggy was speaking on a programme called “The Africa Forum: Running African” during which there was a discussion regarding the privatization of local beaches.
“Listen, Jamaicans are being discriminated against in dem own country… by a certain class… ,” an upset Ziggy Marley said.
“I don’t know what it is but we are being discriminated against. And wi can’t stand fi dat. This is our country. How yuh a discriminate against we so we can’t do this or we can’t do dat? Even though me can pay, you still a discriminate against mi? Fi wha? ‘Cause mi a Jamaican? No man. Dat caan work.”
Sea Salt Villa is a luxury beachfront villa in Old Fort Bay, located close to Ocho Rios in St Ann. According to the posh villa’s website, a one week stay at the property costs between US$29,000 to US$33,000 per week for a five bedroom villa. It offers its guests access to a staff which includes a butler, a chef, housekeepers, a gardener, and a laundress.
Efforts by OBSERVER ONLINE to contact the management proved futile as multiple calls to a listed number went unanswered up to publication time.
However, the villa reportedly denied the discrimination claims in response to queries by online news site Dancehall Mag. The management also reportedly revealed to the media sources that Rita Marley stayed at the same hotel recently and gave it her stamp of approval. Despite that, Ziggy Marley appeared to double down on his claims.
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“Unuh know me naah lie. Why would I? We have the witnesses and the evidence. Dem try to whitewash it now. They know the truth and so do I as well as those who witnessed and pleaded with them about their disgraceful policy,” he responded on social media.
Sea Salt has a standard rule that “there are no outside visitors allowed during a rental”, a policy Marley said he was willing to comply with.
“I was more than willing to follow dem rules. It’s a disgrace how they think about Jamaicans as if we don’t have any class or respect. I found another place that was cool with a Jamaican renting their villa. We have to stop the discrimination against Jamaicans in Jamaica. Hopefully, Sea Salt will no longer have a policy of no Jamaicans allowed. We must test dem and see.”
