Ziggy Marley, courtesy.

This story originally appeared in the Oakland Tribune.

ZIGGY MARLEY embarked on a tour of China expecting to see despair on the faces of its people. 

“I was looking for that stereotypical Communist oppression,” Marley, eldest son of reggae legend Bob Marley, said a day after returning home to Los Angeles from an international trek that also took him to Europe and the United Kingdom. 

“But I guess it’s a little bit more invisible these days, as most oppression is. We learned to hide it.” 

The 38-year-old Marley, who will perform Wednesday at the Mountain Winery in Saratoga, still proclaims that love is his religion, just as his Grammy-winning 2006 album “Love is My Religion” states. 

But lately he’s had more than love on his mind. 

“My next work is going to be about the man-made world that we’re living in,” Marley said in a recent phone interview. “That’s what I’ve been thinking about. It might include some politics. It might include … oppression, injustice and these things.” 

Although he has not returned to the recording studio yet, Marley has been busy. He has been touring constantly for the last two years — all of 2006 in support of “Love is My Religion” — and he’s stayed active with his charity, which assists Jamaican children in orphanages. 

To top it off, his wife, Orly Agai, gave birth to their second child — his fifth overall — in January. 

“You caught me in my spare time right now,” Marley said. “I got back yesterday. Today I cooked breakfast for my kids. Then I went and played some video games. Then I’m going to go roast some corn and potatoes on the grill outside. I have two weeks off and then I go back for summer shows.” 

The oldest male Marley scion was born in 1968 to Bob and Rita in Trenchtown, Jamaica. His debut as a musician came when he was 11 — with siblings Cedella, Stephen and Sharon. Calling themselves the Melody Makers, the group recorded and performed together for two decades and won three Grammy awards. 

After the group ran its course, he went solo in 2003 and released “Dragonfly.” Marley said the time was right to strike out on his own and that it was a good experience because he had the support of his family. 

“You kind of go with the flow of life,” he said. “If life don’t want me to perform, I won’t perform. I don’t fight it that much — I accept things.” 

The album received lukewarm reviews from critics. It was his younger brother Damian, 28, nicknamed Jr. Gong, who became the first Marley child with a financially successful solo record, “Welcome to Jamrock,” which was released in 2005 and won a Grammy for best reggae album. 

“It increased the buzz about our possibilities,” Marley said. 

Marley released “Love Is My Religion” in July 2006 and it also became a hit, following “Jamrock” as best reggae album at this year’s Grammy Awards. 

In March, his 35-year-old brother Stephen’s solo debut, “Mind Control,” was released and reached No. 1 on the Billboard Top Reggae Album poll. 

Despite the three Marley-brother albums charting at the same time (as of press time, “Mind Control” was No. 4, “Jamrock” No. 5 and “Love is My Religion” No. 15), he said there is no sense of competition. 

For “Love is My Religion,” Marley wrote all the lyrics and music, played most of the instruments and even produced many of the tracks. 

The themes gravitated to friendship, spirituality and love, which his lyrics declare should be taught at every house of worship. 

“Let’s say what religion is,” Marley says, explaining the meaning of the album title. “Religion is (an) institutionalized concept of a higher deity, of higher concepts and higher philosophy. I tell people that the true religion of this thing that you’re looking for which you call God … is love.” 

One of the ways Marley practices his religion is by helping the less fortunate. His nonprofit “Unlimited Resources Giving Enlightenment” helps children in Jamaica, Ethiopia and other developing countries face various hardships. 

He also has thrown his support behind the Youth AIDS campaign and Little Kids Rock, a nonprofit that gives children throughout America free musical instruments.. 

“It’s not really volunteer work, it’s life,” he said. “I don’t want to volunteer to do it — I just do it. I didn’t have to think to volunteer. It’s a part of our makeup.” 

Marley, who voiced a Rasta jellyfish in the 2004 film “Shark Tale,” also has a few other projects in the works. He is interested in possibly DJing a radio show and has been working on a movie script, although he won’t give out any details. 

Eventually, he will get into the studio to record a third solo album. 

“I’m waiting on the time, I’m waiting on the season,” he said. 

What he ends up writing about, be it concerns of “the man-made world” or love, will depend on what inspires him. 

“I write songs when I get the urge.”

Follow editor Roman Gokhman at Twitter.com/RomiTheWriter.