Rita Marley May Date Again

The wife of reggae legend Bob Nesta Marley, Rita Marley born Alpharita Constantia Anderson, has said she may date again if only she meets a worthy man.

The legends’ wife disclosed this in an interview with Blakk Rasta on the Taxi Driver show on Hitz FM Tuesday adding that she may although ‘date’ again, yet, she is currently not concentrating on that. “I am not concentrating on that yet,” but she may consider that, “if he is worthy…he has to be worthy because I know I am special…It has to be special,” she said.

Rita born July 25, 1946 in Santiago de Cuba, married Bob Marley on 10 February 1966 and had three children with him. Bob Marley died May 11, 1981 of cancer at the age of 36.

Nana (Rita) Marley as she is sometimes known however had three other children from other relationships including Sharon, a child she had while in nursing training before she met Bob Marley. She was reported to have dated Pliers of Chaka Demus and Pliers fame, and other famous personalities.

Did not date Peter Tosh

Nana, who was a member of the I Threes singing group made up of 3 women, that was formed in 1974 to support Bob Marley and The Wailers, debunked allegations that she dated reggae star, Peter Tosh. It was alleged that Peter Tosh recorded the song Brand New Second Hand because of her.

Rita noted: “No, Peter wasn’t my type… Peter was a play boy… Bob came to endorse my discipline… ‘Don’t fool around her, she is not your regular type,’ because Peter was very playful. He will try to kiss me and touch me but then it was no no.”

Touching on early love life with Bob Marley, she said their love relation was monitored closely by her Aunt, Viola, who didn’t want her to have a second child.

She said she did not use birth control, according to her, “Birth control was a plot to kill all black women in terms of bringing Rastafari in my life. I identified early what symptoms of birth control do to black women. I wrote on my wall right across the street birth control was a plan to kill black people,” advising that it is better to abstain than to fill yourself and corrupt yourself with birth control.

Rita is rich

On her financial statues, Rita said, “I am rich with the blessings of the almighty. I am so perfectly rich and blessed to the cause of God but I don’t look at the material…to have money, to have many cars…I mean I have many cars and I have many houses but I mean if you are not in God’s will, you are not in that divine order, all those [material things] become vanity.”

But was quick to play down assertions that she lives an extravagant life style and spending Bob’s money lavishly, saying she has a right to her husband’s wealth.

“That’s my husband and if I spend his money, I have the right to [do so]. I work very hard, I am a hard worker so I don’t have any doubt about what I spend and I don’t spend extravagantly, I spend for a purpose, I spend for a want not a need but a want,” she stressed.

Rita Marley has been made a Queen Mother of Konkonuru in the Eastern Region with the stool name Nana Afua Adobea I with the sole aim of helping bring development to the area.

She disclosed that plans are far advanced for the reconstruction of her US$20 million studio, Studio 1, and property that got burnt last year through fire at her residence in Aburi.

Rita finally revealed that the now annual Africa Unite concert will take place this year in May and will coincide with 30 years of Bob Marley’s death. Musical giants who will grace this year’s concert include Chaka Demus and Pliers, Ziggy Marley amongst others.