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AM: I saw the video of you and your brothers being chased by the charging giraffe. Was that your most frightening moment?

Z: I would say the most frightening part of the trip was actually being on the road. We had to drive from Johannesburg to another city and take the freeways to get there. I’d rather ride off road than on road, that’s me.

It was such a long ride on that road. It was endless for as far as the eyes could see. And that was scary for me, being on this road for hours without any end in sight. I don’t like it. It was so much more fatiguing, riding as fast we were going. It’s was so monotonous that it gets scary after a while. When you’re off road you see stuff, do stuff and you’re active in this environment. The giraffes and animals and other things weren’t as scary as being on that road.

AM: Did you meet any interesting or memorable people along the way?

Z: Back in the ’80s when I was doing the Conscious Party album in NY there was an acting group from South Africa who were there to do the play, Sarafina, about apartheid. We were kids in those days, well not really kids, but we were young. They had experienced apartheid and I was singing about apartheid and meeting them back then gave more inspiration to write songs.

I went to see the play, met the cast, and they stayed in my hotel. We cooked food and became really good friends.

Around 1986 I left New York. So when I went back to South Africa last year, although we hadn’t seen each other for 20 years, I searched them out. One of them in particular, Dumsani, came along with us on the trip. He’s from South Africa so we talked about apartheid and how things had changed over the years. We were having a meal together, when we saw the rest of the cast by coincidence—it was an emotional meeting. They have the full experience of what it was like before and after apartheid.

Having Dumsani as our guide during this trip was cool. We didn’t lose our step, you know the African people are so friendly, our meeting still feels like yesterday. There was nothing missing… right away we were laughing and joking and back to the way we were 20 years before.

AM: What do you think that says about people, friendships and time?

Z: For the friendship that we have, time really didn’t mean anything. All that time not seeing or talking to each other had no meaning to us. It’s something so true, it never falls off. The friendships kept going even though we didn’t talk for 20 years. When we saw each other again, it was right there, immediately. There’s no hitches, no glitches… it just starts right back in.

AM: Would you do it again?

Z: Yeah I’d do it again. I like Africa. One of the main reasons why we went was to try and communicate the idea of African unity to the people. I think being on the motorcycle gives you a chance to express that directly to everyday people you see on the streets.

I would love to do this again in a different part of Africa, maybe Ghana, because it’s all around the premise of spreading an idea—spreading the message of African unity on a motorcycle. That gives us the openness to interact with everyday people, people on the streets and in the countryside, so being on a motorcycle I think is one of the best tools to get this message out.

AM: I’m sure we’ll find out more about your trip on the television or DVD, but in the meantime do you have any parting words to riders out there?

Z: Do it. It is an experience that can change your life. These are the experiences that bring humanity closer together. Having an adventure like this and being on a motorcycle… doing it is good for humanity. It’s good for our knowing about each other, learning about each other and becoming closer together with each other has a human family. I would tell people, do it. Be serious. Be prepared. Be aware, but don’t be afraid to do it. Have fun and enjoy.

For more info and videos, visit: marleyafricaroadtrip.com.

If you’re looking to groove at a show near you, check out: ziggymarley.com.

The Marley Africa Road Trip will air November 2011 in Europe, Africa and the Middle East. North American dates have not been announced but we’ll keep you posted.