Why is reggae music so popular in Marseille?
PJ: In Marseille, reggae music comes naturally. All Jamaican musicians and singers, when they come to France, to Marseille, it’s special for them because Marseille people love reggae. We have many reggae bands, singers, musicians. TS: Why do you think that is? PJ: Because Africa’s just on the other side of the Mediterranean. Here, you have a lot of people from Senegal, Ivory Coast, Guinea, and many, of course, from Algeria, Tunisia, Morocco. TS: What brings them to Marseille? PJ: It’s natural for them to come to Marseille because our culture is common. We have lived together for centuries now, and the weather is good — it’s not like in Africa but it’s better than in Paris, for example, where it’s cold. Many white people from Marseille go to Africa for holidays: we are just cousins. TS: How did Massilia Sound System begin? PJ: Tatou, my friend, founded the band. He had his own little sound system and he played Jamaican records everywhere he could in Marseilles, in little clubs and soci
