Benjamin Zephaniah facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Benjamin Zephaniah
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Zephaniah in 2018
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| Born | Benjamin Obadiah Iqbal Zephaniah 15 April 1958 Handsworth, Birmingham, England |
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| Nationality | British |
| Genre | Poetry, teen fiction |
| Literary movement |
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| Years active | 1980–present |
| Spouse |
Amina
(m. 1990; div. 2001) |
Benjamin Obadiah Iqbal Zephaniah, born on April 15, 1958, is a famous British writer and dub poet. He is known for his powerful words and unique style. In 2008, The Times newspaper named him one of Britain's top 50 writers since World War II.
Contents
Early Life and Inspiration
Benjamin Zephaniah grew up in Handsworth, a part of Birmingham, England. He called Handsworth the "Jamaican capital of Europe." His father was a postman from Barbados, and his mother was a nurse from Jamaica.
Benjamin had Dyslexia and left school at 13. He found it hard to read and write then. As a child, he received an old typewriter. This gift inspired him to become a writer. This special typewriter is now kept in the Birmingham Museums Trust.
He says his poetry is greatly shaped by Jamaican music and poetry. He also learned from "street politics." He first performed his poetry in church when he was 11. By age 15, people in Handsworth's Afro-Caribbean and Asian communities already knew his poems.
When he was 22, Benjamin moved to London. He wanted his poetry to reach more people, not just those in his local community.
Facing Challenges in London
While living in London, Benjamin saw a lot of racism. He was there during the 1980s race riots. He shared that racism was "very in your face" back then. He mentioned that the police were also racist. He was stopped by police many times after buying a nice car. Because of this, he decided to sell it.
Writing and Poetry Career
Benjamin Zephaniah joined a workers' group in Stratford, London. This led to his first poetry book, Pen Rhythm, published in 1980. He believes poetry should not be seen as boring. He wants to "take [it] everywhere" to people who do not usually read books. He made his poetry readings feel like exciting concerts.
His second poetry book, The Dread Affair: Collected Poems (1985), included poems that questioned the British legal system. In 1990, he wrote Rasta Time in Palestine. This book shared his experiences visiting the Palestinian occupied territories and included his poems.
Benjamin was a poet who worked with a famous lawyer, Michael Mansfield. He learned a lot from legal cases, like the inquiry into Bloody Sunday. These experiences inspired his 2001 poetry collection, Too Black, Too Strong. His 2002 book, We Are Britain!, celebrates the many different cultures in Britain.
Books for Young People
Benjamin Zephaniah wrote his first poetry book for children, Talking Turkeys, in 1994. It was so popular that it was reprinted very quickly. In 1999, he wrote Face, his first novel for teenagers. He has written four novels for young people so far.
In 2011, Benjamin became a poet-in-residence at Keats House in Hampstead, London. He said he usually doesn't do these roles. But he made an exception for Keats, calling him "a one-off" and one of his favorite poets.
His autobiography, The Life And Rhymes of Benjamin Zephaniah, came out in 2018. He said he was "still as angry as I was in my twenties." The Birmingham Mail newspaper has called him "The people's laureate."
Acting and Television Roles
Benjamin Zephaniah has appeared in several TV shows. In the 1980s and 1990s, he was in shows like The Bill (1994) and Crucial Tales (1996).
He also acted in the 1990 film Farendj. In this movie, he appeared alongside actor Tim Roth.
From 2013 to 2022, Benjamin played the character Jeremiah "Jimmy" Jesus. This was in the popular BBC drama Peaky Blinders. He was in 14 episodes of the show.
In 2020, he was a guest on the BBC television show QI.
Music Career
In 1982, Benjamin Zephaniah released his album Rasta. This album included the first recording by the Wailers after Bob Marley passed away. It also had a song honoring Nelson Mandela, who was a political prisoner then. The album became famous around the world and even topped the pop charts in Yugoslavia.
Because of this album, he met Nelson Mandela. In 1996, Mandela asked Benjamin to host his Two Nations Concert. This big event took place at the Royal Albert Hall in London.
Important Views and Activism
Benjamin Zephaniah is known for his strong beliefs and for speaking out.
Animal Rights and Veganism
Benjamin became a vegetarian when he was 11 years old. At 13, he became a vegan. He said he read poems about "shimmering fish floating in an underwater paradise, and birds flying free in the clear blue sky." These poems inspired him to stop eating animal products.
He is a special supporter of several animal rights groups. These include The Vegan Society and Viva!. He is a strong supporter of animal rights. In 2001, he published The Little Book of Vegan Poems.
Fighting Racism
Benjamin Zephaniah has often talked about his own experiences with anti-Black racism in Britain. He includes these experiences in much of his writing.
In 2012, he worked with an anti-racism group called Newham Monitoring Project. He also worked with Tower Hamlets Summer University. They made a video about how police actions during the Olympics affected black communities.
Other Activism
In 2003, Benjamin Zephaniah was offered an award called an Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE). He publicly turned down this award. He explained his reasons in The Guardian newspaper. He said the word "empire" reminded him of slavery and brutality. He stated, "Benjamin Zephaniah OBE – no way Mr Blair, no way Mrs Queen. I am profoundly anti-empire."
He supports the idea of Britain becoming a British Republic. This means he believes the country should not have a king or queen. He also thinks that Welsh and Cornish languages should be taught in English schools. He said they are "part of our culture."
In 2012, he joined Amnesty International to speak out against homophobia in Jamaica. He said it hurt him that his parents' home country was linked to treating people badly because of their sexual orientation.
Benjamin supports the Palestine Solidarity Campaign. He has joined protests calling for an end to the Israeli occupation of Palestinian lands. He compares this activism to the "Anti Apartheid movement." He also supports the BDS (Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions) movement.
Political Views
Benjamin Zephaniah describes himself as an anarchist. This means he believes in a society without a government or laws, where people are free to organize themselves.
In 2011, he supported changing the British electoral system. He wanted a different way to elect members of parliament. In 2017, he said that he thought Britain should leave the European Union for "left-wing reasons." However, he felt the way they were leaving was "completely wrong."
In 2019, he signed a letter with other cultural figures. This letter supported the Labour Party and its leader, Jeremy Corbyn. The letter said Labour's plan would put people and the planet first, not just private profit.
Achievements and Awards
Benjamin Zephaniah won the BBC Young Playwright's Award. He has received many honorary doctorates from universities. These include the University of North London (1998), University of Central England (1999), and the University of Birmingham (2008).
In 2008, The Times newspaper listed him as number 48 in their list of the 50 greatest postwar writers.
He has released several music albums. In 2008, he won the Best Original Song award at the Hancocks Talkawhile Awards for Folk Music. This was for his song Tam Lyn Retold, which he recorded with The Imagined Village. He collected this award at The Cambridge Folk Festival. He even called himself a "Rasta Folkie."
Personal Life
For many years, Benjamin Zephaniah lived in East London. However, since 2008, he has divided his time. He lives partly in a village near Spalding, Lincolnshire, and partly in Beijing in China. He enjoys learning languages and has studied Mandarin Chinese for over ten years.
He was married to Amina, a theatre administrator, for twelve years. They divorced in 2001.
Benjamin is a big fan of Aston Villa F.C., a football team. He is also a patron for one of their supporters' websites.
Books
Poetry
- Pen Rhythm (1980)
- The Dread Affair: Collected Poems (1985)
- City Psalms (1992)
- Inna Liverpool (1992)
- Talking Turkeys (1994)
- Propa Propaganda (1996)
- Funky Chickens (1997)
- School's Out: Poems Not for School (1997)
- Wicked World! (2000)
- Too Black, Too Strong (2001)
- The Little Book of Vegan Poems (2001)
Novels
- Face (1999)
- Refugee Boy (2001)
- Gangsta Rap (2004)
- Teacher's Dead (2007)
- Terror Kid (2014)
Biographies
- We Sang Across the Sea: The Empire Windrush and Me (2022) – a biography of Mona Baptiste written by Zephaniah.
Children's Books
- We are Britain (2002)
- Primary Rhyming Dictionary (2004)
- J is for Jamaica (2006)
- My Story (2011)
- When I Grow Up (2011)
Other Writings
- Kung Fu Trip (2011)
- The Life And Rhymes of Benjamin Zephaniah (2018)
Plays
- Playing the Right Tune (1985)
- Job Rocking (1987)
- Delirium (1987)
- Streetwise (1990)
- Mickey Tekka (1991)
- Listen to Your Parents (2003)
- Face: The Play (with Richard Conlon)
Acting Roles
- Didn't You Kill My Brother? (1987) – Rufus
- Farendj (1989) – Moses
- Dread Poets' Society (1992) – Andy Wilson
- 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)
- Us An Dem (1990)
- Back to Roots (1995)
- Belly of De Beast (1996)
- Revolutionary Minds (2017)
Singles, EPs
- Dub Ranting EP (1982)
- "Big Boys Don't Make Girls Cry" 12-inch single (1984)
- "Free South Africa" (1986)
- "Crisis" 12-inch single (1992)
Guest Appearances
- "Empire" (1995) with Bomb the Bass and Sinéad O'Connor
- Heading for the Door by Back to Base (2000)
- Open Wide (2004) by Dubioza kolektiv
- Rebel by Toddla T (2009)
- "Illegal" (2000) from "Himawari" by Swayzak
- "Theatricks" (2000) by Kinobe
See also
In Spanish: Benjamin Zephaniah para niños
- List of animal rights advocates
