"OUT OF CONTEXT" is how Rita Marley, wife of Reggae legend Bob Marley, explains a British tabloid's publication of a story quoting her saying that he raped her.
The singer, formerly of Bob Marley's backing trio, The I-Threes, says the story did not reflect what she meant when she was being interviewed.
The story was first published in the London newspaper, the Daily Mirror on Wednesday, and was re-published in The Gleaner and THE STAR yesterday.
In offering comments about the story yesterday, Rita stated that her words were taken out of context, and for that reason she is not bothered by the story.
"It don't bother me because definitely it was taken out of context," she explained. "We spoke about my husband coming home after I hadn't seen him for a long time, 'cause you have to talk about the realities, and they wanted to know about Bob and the other women and how I took it, so there was a point where we were not having a good relationship because of it, so if I feel to say he hold me down and take it and I felt it was rape I had a right to say it... but it wasn't the way they made it look 'cause he would be in jail if he had really raped me like a stranger. He wasn't a rapist."
In fact, she added, Bob was more than a superb husband. "My husband is still the best husband in the world...If his wife said that (he raped her), then she must mean something else. It's not like a strange girl come out and said Bob Marley raped me, I'm his wife."
She noted that despite keeping many of her experiences private for more than 20 years, she just felt she had a right to make some of her experiences public. These are in her newly published book called No Woman No Cry: My Life With Bob Marley.
"Its my story. Whether 20 years or 100 years If you feel like saying what happened in your lifetime you are free to say it, you don't have to lie or pretend about it. It is happening to plenty people right now... It's a reality, so why some choose to live in a pretence?"
Rita will soon return to Jamaica where she will further promote her book.
