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Benjamin Zephaniah

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Benjamin Zephaniah
Zephaniah in 2018
Zephaniah in 2018
BornBenjamin Obadiah Iqbal Springer
(1958-04-15)15 April 1958
Handsworth,Birmingham, England
Died7 December 2023(2023-12-07)(aged 65)
Occupation
  • Poet
  • playwright
  • author
  • actor
Genre
Literary movement
Years active1980–2023
Spouses
  • Amina
    ​
    ​
    (m.1990;div.2001)​
  • Qian Zheng
    ​
    (m.2017)​
Benjamin Zephaniah's voice
Zephaniah talking about generational views of music and technology
Website
benjaminzephaniah
Zephaniah reciting a poem in 2015

Benjamin Obadiah Iqbal Zephaniah(néSpringer;15 April 1958 – 7 December 2023) was a British writer,dub poet,actor, musician and professor of poetry and creative writing. He was included inThe Timeslist of Britain's top 50 post-war writers in 2008. In his work, Zephaniah drew on hislived experiencesof incarceration, racism and his Jamaican heritage.

He won theBBC Radio 4Young Playwrights Festival Award in 1998 and was the recipient of at least sixteenhonorary doctorates.A ward atEaling Hospitalwas also named in his honour. His second novel,Refugee Boy,was the recipient of the 2002 Portsmouth Book Award in the Longer Novel category. In 1982, he released an album,Rasta,which featuredthe Wailersperforming for the first time since the death ofBob Marley,acting as a tribute toNelson Mandela.It topped the charts inYugoslavia,and due to its success Mandela invited Zephaniah to host the president's Two Nations Concert at theRoyal Albert Hall,London, in 1996. As an actor, he had a major role in the BBC'sPeaky Blindersbetween 2013 and 2022.

Aveganandanimal rights activist,who self-identified as ananarchist,Zephaniah supported changing theBritish electoral systemfromfirst-past-the-posttoalternative vote.

In 2003, he was offered appointment as anOfficer of the Order of the British Empire(OBE) but publiclyrejected the honour,stating that: "I get angry when I hear that word 'empire'; it reminds me of slavery, it reminds of thousands of years of brutality, it reminds me of how my foremothers were raped and my forefathers, brutalised".

Early life and education

Benjamin Obadiah Iqbal Springer was born on 15 April 1958,[1][2][3]in theHandsworthdistrict of Birmingham, England, where he was also raised.[4][5]He referred to this area as the "Jamaican capital of Europe".[6]He was the son of Oswald Springer, aBarbadianpostman, and Leneve (née Honeyghan),[7]aJamaicannurse, and had a total of seven younger siblings, including his twin sister, Velda.[2][3][8]

Zephaniah wrote that he was strongly influenced by themusicand poetry ofJamaicaand what he called "street politics", and he said in a 2005 interview:

Well, for most of the early part of my life I thought poetry was an oral thing. We used to listen to tapes from Jamaica ofLouise Bennett,who we think of as the queen of all dub poets. For me, it was two things: it was words wanting to say something and words creating rhythm. Written poetry was a very strange thing that white people did.[9]

His first performance was in church when he was 11 years old, resulting in him adopting the name Zephaniah (afterthe biblical prophet),[2]and by the age of 15, his poetry was already known among Handsworth'sAfro-Caribbeanand Asian communities.[10]

He was educated atBroadway School,Birmingham, from which he was expelled aged 13, unable to read or write due todyslexia.[8][3][2]He was sent to Boreatton Parkapproved schoolinBaschurch,Shropshire.[11]

The gift, during his childhood, of an old, manualtypewriterinspired him to become a writer. It is now in the collection ofBirmingham Museums Trust.[12]

As a youth, he spent time inborstaland in his late teens received a criminal record and served a prison sentence for burglary.[2][8][13][14]Tired of the limitations of being a black poet communicating with black people only, he decided to expand his audience, and in 1979, at the age of 22, he headed to London, where his first book would be published the next year.[15][16]

While living in London, Zephaniah was assaulted during the1981 Brixton riotsand chronicled his experiences on his 1982 albumRasta.[17]He experienced racism on a regular basis:[18]

They happened around me. Back then, racism was very in your face. There was theNational Frontagainst black and foreign people and the police were also very racist. I got stopped four times after I bought aBMWwhen I became successful with poetry. I kept getting stopped by the police so I sold it.

In a session withJohn Peelon 1 February 1983 – one of twoPeel sessionshe recorded that year – Zephaniah's responses were recorded in such poems as "Dis Policeman", "The Boat", "Riot in Progress" and "Uprising Downtown".[19][20]

Written work and poetry

Zephaniah performing in 2011

Having moved to London, Zephaniah became actively involved in a workers' co-operative inStratford,which led to the publication of his first book of poetry,Pen Rhythm(Page One Books, 1980). He had earlier been turned down by other publishers who did not believe there would be an audience for his work, and "they didn't understand it because it was supposed to be performed".[21]Three editions ofPen Rhythmwere published. Zephaniah said that his mission was to fight the dead image of poetry inacademia,and to "take [it] everywhere" to people who do not read books, so he turned poetry readings into concert-like performances,[15]sometimes with The Benjamin Zephaniah Band.[15][22]

His second collection of poetry,The Dread Affair: Collected Poems(1985), contained a number of poems attacking theBritish legal system.[23]Rasta Time in Palestine(1990), an account of a visit to thePalestinian occupied territories,contained poetry and travelogue.[24]

Zephaniah was poet-in-residence at the chambers ofMichael MansfieldQC, and sat in on the inquiry intoBloody Sundayand other cases,[25]these experiences led to hisToo Black, Too Strongpoetry collection (2001).[8]We Are Britain!(2002) is a collection of poems celebrating cultural diversity in Britain.[23]

He published several collections of poems, as well as novels, specifically for young people.[26]Talking Turkeys(1994), his first poetry book for children, was reprinted after six weeks.[27][28]In 1999, he wrote his first novelFace– a story of "facial discrimination", as he described it[26]– which was intended for teenagers, and sold some 66,000 copies.[22][29][30][31]PoetRaymond Antrobus,who was given the novel when he had just started attending a deaf school, has written: "I remember reading the whole thing in one go. I was very self-conscious about wearing hearing aids and I needed stories that humanised disability, asFacedid. I was still struggling with my literacy at the time, and I understood Benjamin as someone who was self-taught and had been marginalised within the education system. And so he really felt like an ambassador for young people like me. "[32]

Zephaniah's second novelRefugee Boy,about a 14-year-oldrefugeefromEthiopiaandEritrea,[33]was published in August 2001. It was the recipient of the 2002 Portsmouth Book Award in the Longer Novel category,[26][34]and went on to sell 88,000 copies.[22]In 2013,Refugee Boywas adapted as a play by Zephaniah's long-time friendLemn Sissay,staged at theWest Yorkshire Playhouse.[35][36][37]

In May 2011, Zephaniah accepted a year-long position as poet-in-residence atKeats HouseinHampstead,London, his first residency role for more than ten years. In accepting the role, he commented: "I don't do residencies, butKeatsis different. He's a one-off, and he has always been one of my favourite poets. "[38][39]The same year, he was appointed professor of poetry and creative writing atBrunel University London.[2][40][41]

In 2016, Zephaniah wrote the foreword toAngry White People: Coming Face-to-Face with the British Far RightbyHsiao-Hung Pai.[42]

Zephaniah's frank autobiography,The Life and Rhymes of Benjamin Zephaniah,was published to coincide with his 60th birthday in 2018, whenBBC Soundsbroadcast him reading his own text. "I'm still as angry as I was in my twenties," he said.[43][44]The book was nominated as "autobiography of the year" at theNational Book Awards.[4]

TheBirmingham Maildubbed him "The people's laureate".[45]

On the publication of his young adult novelWindrush Childin 2020, Zephaniah was outspoken about the importance of the way history is represented in the curriculum of schools.[46][47]

Acting and media appearances

Zephaniah made minor appearances in several television programmes in the 1980s and 1990s, including The Comic Strip Presents...(1988),EastEnders(1993),The Bill(1994), andCrucial Tales(1996).[48]In 1990, he appeared in the filmFarendj,directed bySabine Prenczinaand starringTim Roth.[49]

He was the "castaway" on the 8 June 1997 episode of theBBC Radio 4programmeDesert Island Discs,where his chosen book was thePoetical Works ofShelley.[50]

In 2005,BBC Onebroadcast a television documentary about his life,A Picture of Birmingham, by Benjamin Zephaniah,which was repeated byBBC Twoon 7 December 2023.[51]

In December 2012, he was guest editor of an episode of the BBC Radio 4 programmeToday,for which he commissioned a "good news bulletin".[52][53]

Between 2013 and 2022, Zephaniah played the role of preacher Jeremiah "Jimmy" Jesus in BBC television dramaPeaky Blinders,appearing in 14 episodes across the six series.[54]

In 2020, he appeared as a panellist on the BBC television comedy quiz showQI,on the episode "Roaming".[55]

Music

In 1982, Zephaniah released the albumRasta,which featuredthe Wailers' first recording since the death ofBob Marleyas well as a tribute to the political prisoner (later to become South African president)Nelson Mandela.The album gained Zephaniah international prestige[56]and topped theYugoslavianpop charts.[10][56]It was because of this recording that he was introduced to Mandela, and in 1996, Mandela requested that Zephaniah host the president's Two Nations Concert at theRoyal Albert Hall,London.[18][57]

Zephaniah released a total of seven albums of original music.[3][58]

Views

Zephaniah was connected with – and served as patron for – many organizations that aligned with his beliefs.[59][60]

Animal rights and veganism

Zephaniah became avegetarianat the age of 11,[61]and then became aveganat the age of 13,[62][63]when he read poems about "shimmering fish floating in an underwater paradise, and birds flying free in the clear blue sky".

He was an honorary patron ofThe Vegan Society,[64]Viva!(Vegetarians' International Voice for Animals),[65]andEVOLVE! Campaigns,[66]and was ananimal rightsadvocate. In 2004, he wrote the foreword toKeith Mann's bookFrom Dusk 'til Dawn: An insider's view of the growth of the Animal Liberation Movement,a book about theAnimal Liberation Front.In August 2007, he announced that he would be launching the Animal Liberation Project, alongsidePeople for the Ethical Treatment of Animals.[67]In February 2001, his bookThe Little Book of Vegan Poemswas published byAK Press.[68]

Anti-racism activism

Zephaniah spoke extensively about his personal experiences of anti-Black racism in Britain and incorporated his experiences in much of his written work.[69]

In 2012, Zephaniah worked with anti-racism organisationNewham Monitoring Project,with whom he made a video,[70][71]andTower Hamlets Summer University(Futureversity) about the impact of Olympic policing on black communities.[72]In that same year, he also wrote about cases of racially abusive language employed by police officers and "the reality of police racism that many of us experience all the time".[73]

In November 2003, Zephaniah was offered appointment in the2004 New Year Honoursas anOfficer of the Order of the British Empire(OBE), for which he said he had been recommended byTony Blair.But he publiclyrejected the honour[74][75]and in a subsequent article forThe Guardian,elaborated on learning about being considered for the award and his reasons for rejecting it: "Me? I thought, OBE me? Up yours, I thought. I get angry when I hear that word 'empire'; it reminds me of slavery, it reminds of thousands of years of brutality, it reminds me of how my foremothers were raped and my forefathers brutalised... Benjamin Zephaniah OBE – no wayMr Blair,no wayMrs Queen.I am profoundlyanti-empire."[76][77]

Other activism

Zephaniah spoke in favour of aBritish Republicand thedis-establishment of the Crown.[78]In 2015, he called forWelshandCornishto be taught in English schools, saying: "Hindi, Chinese and French are taught [in schools], so why not Welsh? And why not Cornish? They're part of our culture."[79]

Zephaniah supportedAmnesty Internationalin 2005, speaking out againsthomophobia in Jamaica,saying: "For many years Jamaica was associated with freedom fighters and liberators, so it hurts when I see that the home of my parents is now associated with the persecution of people because of their sexual orientation."[80]

In 2016, Zephaniah curatedWe Are All Human,an exhibition at theSouthbank Centrepresented by theKoestler Trust,which exhibited art works by prisoners, detainees and ex-offenders.[81]

Zephaniah was a supporter of thePalestine Solidarity Campaignand joined demonstrations calling for an end to theIsraeli occupation of Palestinian lands,describing the activism as the "Anti Apartheid movement". He was also a supporter of the BDS (Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions) movement.[82][83]

Political views

Zephaniah self-identified as ananarchist;[84]observing in a 2022 interview: "...there are places that live without government and live peacefully and happily. A lack of power means people of course aren't fighting over it and the main objective of society is to look after each other."[85]He appeared in literature to support changing theBritish electoral systemfromfirst-past-the-posttoalternative votefor electingmembers of parliamentto theHouse of Commonsin theAlternative Vote referendumin 2011.[86]In a 2017 interview, commenting on the ongoingBrexit negotiations,Zephaniah stated: "For left-wing reasons, I think we should leave theEUbut the way that we're leaving is completely wrong. "[87]

In December 2019, along with 42 other leading cultural figures, he signed a letter endorsing theLabour PartyunderJeremy Corbyn's leadership in the2019 general election.The letter stated: "Labour's election manifesto under Jeremy Corbyn's leadership offers a transformative plan that prioritises the needs of people and the planet over private profit and the vested interests of a few."[88][89]

Achievements and recognition

Collecting the Hancock atCambridge Folk Festival2008, withMartin Carthylooking on

In 1998, Zephaniah was a winner of theBBCYoung Playwrights Festival Award with his first ever radio playHurricane Dub.[1][26][90]

In 1999, he was the subject of an illustrated biographical children's book byVerna Wilkins,entitledBenjamin Zephaniah: A Profile,published in the Black Stars Series ofTamarind Books.[91]

Zephaniah was awarded at least 16 honorary doctorates,[92]by institutions including theUniversity of North London(in 1998),[1]theUniversity of Central England(1999),Staffordshire University(2001),[93]London South Bank University(2003), theUniversity of Exeter,theOpen University(2004),[94]theUniversity of Westminster(2006), theUniversity of Birmingham(2008)[95]and theUniversity of Hull(DLitt, 2010).[96]

In 2008, he was listed at 48 inThe Timeslist of 50 greatest post-war writers.[97]A ward atEaling Hospitalwas named in his honour.[92]

He was awarded Best Original Song in the Hancocks 2008, Talkawhile Awards for Folk Music (as voted by members of Talkawhile.co.uk[98]) for "Tam Lyn Retold",recorded withThe Imagined Villageproject on their eponymous 2007 album. He collected the award atThe Cambridge Folk Festivalon 2 August 2008, describing himself as a "Rasta Folkie".[99]

To markNational Poetry Dayin 2009, the BBC ran an online poll to find the nation's favourite poet, with Zephaniah taking third place in the public vote, behindT. S. EliotandJohn Donne,and being the only living poet to be named in the top 10.[100][101]

Zephaniah's 2020 reality television seriesLife & Rhymes,onSky Arts,celebrating spoken-word performances,[102][103]won aBritish Academy Television Award(BAFTA), theLew Grade Award for Best Entertainment Programme,in 2021.[104][105][3][41]

Personal life

Zephaniah lived for many years inEast London;however, in 2008, he began dividing his time between a village nearSpalding, Lincolnshire,andBeijingin China.[106]He was a keen language learner and studiedMandarin Chinesefor more than a decade.[107]

Zephaniah was married for 12 years to Amina, a theatre administrator. His infertility – which he discussed openly[108]– meant that they could not have children and his criminal record prevented them from adopting.[3]They divorced in 2001.[109]

In 2017, Zephaniah married Qian Zheng, whom he had met on a visit to China three years earlier, and who survives him.[2]

In May 2018, in an interview ofBBC Radio 5 Live,Zephaniah admitted that he had been violent to a former partner, confessing to having hit her. He said:

The way I treated some of my girlfriends was terrible. At one point I was violent. I was never like one of these persons who have a girlfriend, who'd constantly beat them, but I could lose my temper sometimes... There was one girlfriend that I had, and I actually hit her a couple of times, and as I got older I really regretted it. It burned my conscience so badly. It really ate at me, you know. And I'm a meditator. It got in the way of my meditation.[110]

His cousin, Michael Powell, died in police custody, atThornhill Road police stationin Birmingham, in September 2003 and Zephaniah regularly raised the matter,[76][111]continuously campaigning with his brother Tippa Naphtali, who set up a national memorial fund in Powell's name to help families affected by deaths in similar circumstances.[112]

Zephaniah's family were Christian but he became aRastafarianat a young age.[113][114]He gave up smokingcannabisin his thirties.[115]

He was a supporter ofAston Villa F.C.– having been taken to matches as a boy, by an uncle[3][116]– and was the patron for an Aston Villa supporters' website,[117]as well as an ambassador for the club's charity, the Aston Villa Foundation.[118][119]

Death and legacy

Benjamin Zephaniah died on 7 December 2023, at the age of 65, after being diagnosed with abrain tumoureight weeks previously.[3][4][120][121]His friend of nearly twenty years,Joan Armatrading,gave a tribute to him onNewsnightonBBC Twoafter hearing the news of his death. Writing onTwitter,she said: "I am in shock. Benjamin Zephaniah has died age 65. What a thoughtful, kind and caring man he was. The world has lost a poet, an intellectual and a cultural revolutionary. I have lost a great friend."[122]

The BBC later re-broadcast Zephaniah's documentaryA Picture of Birmingham,in which he revisited his birthplace and his formerapproved school.[51]Fiona Bruce,the presenter of BBC'sQuestion Time,on which Zephaniah was a regular panellist, paid tribute to him, saying: "He was an all round, just tremendous bloke" for whom she had "huge affection and respect".[123]

According toMartin GlynnofBirmingham City University,Zephaniah was "never an establishment person", but "got into spaces" where he felt he could be heard. Glynn said: "He was theJames Brownof dub poetry, the godfather...Linton Kwesi Johnsonspoke to the political classes, but Benjamin was a humanist, he made poetry popular and loved music. He had his own studio.... He did whatJohn Cooper Clarkedid with poetry and that was bringing it into the mainstream. "[124]

The family issued a statement regarding Benjamin Zephaniah's death, saying, "Thank you for the love you have shown Professor Benjamin Zephaniah".[125]

Aston Villa Football Club paid tribute to Zephaniah on Saturday, 9 December 2023, in advance of their home match againstArsenal F.C.,by playing on the big screens his ode to Villa, originally recorded in 2015.[126][127]

His private funeral, attended by close friends and family, took place on 28 December, and it was requested that well-wishers plant flowers, trees or plants in Zephaniah’s honour, rather than sending cut flowers.[128][129]

An artwork featuring Zephaniah that appeared on the wall of an underpass inHockley,Birmingham, in March 2023 was accidentally painted over by a council sub-contractor employed to remove graffiti, although Zephaniah's family had been given assurances that the mural would be protected.[130][131]Following a public backlash,[132]an apology was issued,[133][134]and new artwork was subsequently commissioned from black artists, to be unveiled on 14 April atHandsworth Park.[135][136]

As a tribute, BBC Radio 4 broadcast the 2018Book of the Weekrecording of Zephaniah reading his autobiography,The Life and Rhymes of Benjamin Zephaniah.[137]

Books

Poetry

  • Pen Rhythm(1980), Page One,ISBN978-0907373001
  • The Dread Affair: Collected Poems(1985), Arena,ISBN978-0099392507
  • City Psalms(1992),Bloodaxe Books,ISBN978-1852242305
  • Inna Liverpool(1992),AK Press,ISBN978-1873176757
  • Talking Turkeys(1994),Puffin Books,ISBN978-0140363302
  • Propa Propaganda(1996), Bloodaxe Books,ISBN978-1852243722
  • Funky Chickens(1997), Puffin,ISBN978-0140379457
  • School's Out: Poems Not for School(1997), AK Press,ISBN978-1873176498
  • Funky Turkeys(audiobook) (1999), Puffin,ASINB07VJJ8WCX[138]
  • Wicked World!(2000), Puffin Random House,ISBN978-0141306834
  • Too Black, Too Strong(2001), Bloodaxe Books,ISBN978-1852245542
  • The Little Book of Vegan Poems(2001), AK Press,ISBN978-1902593333
  • Reggae Head(audiobook), 57 Productions,ISBN978-1899021055

Novels

  • Face(1999), Bloomsbury (published in children's and adult editions)
  • Refugee Boy(2001), Bloomsbury
  • Gangsta Rap(2004), Bloomsbury
  • Teacher's Dead(2007), Bloomsbury
  • Terror Kid(2014), Bloomsbury[139]
  • Windrush Child(2020), Scholastic,ISBN978-0702302725

Biographies

Children's books

  • We Are Britain(2002),Frances Lincoln Publishers
  • Primary Rhyming Dictionary(2004), Chambers Harrap
  • J Is for Jamaica(2006), Frances Lincoln
  • My Story(2011), Collins
  • When I Grow Up(2011), Frances Lincoln

Other

  • Kung Fu Trip(2011), Bloomsbury
  • The Life And Rhymes of Benjamin Zephaniah(2018), Simon & Schuster[43]

Plays

  • Playing the Right Tune(1985)
  • Job Rocking(1987). Published inBlack Plays: 2,ed.Yvonne Brewster,Methuen Drama, 1989.
  • Delirium(1987)
  • Streetwise(1990)
  • Mickey Tekka(1991)
  • Listen to Your Parents(included inTheatre Centre: Plays for Young People – Celebrating 50 Years of Theatre Centre,2003, Aurora Metro; also published by Longman, 2007)
  • Face: The Play(with Richard Conlon)

Acting roles

  • Didn't You Kill My Brother?(1987) – Rufus
  • Farendj(1989) – Moses
  • Dread Poets' Society(1992) – himself
  • Truth or Dairy(1994) – The Vegan Society (UK)
  • Crucial Tales(1996) – Richard's father
  • Making the Connection(2010) – Environment Films / The Vegan Society (UK)
  • Peaky Blinders(2013–2022) – Jeremiah Jesus

Discography

Albums

  • Rasta(1982), Upright (reissued 1989), Workers Playtime (UK Indie#22)[141]
  • Us An Dem(1990),Island
  • Back to Roots(1995),Acid Jazz
  • Belly of De Beast(1996),Ariwa
  • Naked(2005),One Little Indian
  • Naked & Mixed-Up(2006), One Little Indian (Benjamin Zephaniah Vs. Rodney-P)
  • Revolutionary Minds(2017), Fane Productions

Singles and EPs

  • Dub RantingEP (1982), Radical Wallpaper
  • "Big Boys Don't Make Girls Cry" 12-inch single (1984), Upright
  • "Free South Africa" (1986)
  • "Crisis" 12-inch single (1992), Workers Playtime

Guest appearances

See also

References

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  82. ^Sagir, Ceren (12 May 2019)."Thousands in London call for an end to Israeli occupation of Palestine".Morning Star.Archivedfrom the original on 14 July 2020.Retrieved14 July2020.
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  111. ^Balloo, Stephanie (11 July 2018)."Police paid £300,000 to the family of man who died in custody".Birmingham Live.Archivedfrom the original on 18 January 2022.Retrieved7 December2023.Birmingham poet Benjamin Zephaniah, had said: "We have been asking questions for 10 years, protesting for 10 years, writing letters, and poems, and statements for 10 years, but most of all we have been collectively grieving for 10 years.
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External links

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