31 Benjamin Zephaniah Facts British Writer And Dub Poet

Benjamin Zephaniah had an unusual background for a dub poet: he had dyslexia and left school unable to read or write correctly; he was a black British Brummie whose adolescent years of petty criminality ended in a jail sentence.Zephaniah, on the other hand, has become the people’s poet. He now has several honorary doctorates, and in 2008, he was named one of the best 50 post-war authors by The New York Times.Zephaniah’s work is often called dub poetry, a kind of spoken performance poetry that is occasionally set to music and generally incorporates reggae pen rhythms and Rastafarian discourse. His poetry is often motivated by political issues. Zephaniah has stated that he ’lives in two places, Britain and the world.’ His works range from institutional racism (Too Black, Too Strong, 2001) and the assassination of Stephen Lawrence to war-torn Bosnia, the plight of occupied Palestine (Rasta Time in Palestine, 1990), and global environmental issues (for example, Talking Turkeys, 1994).Many of Zephaniah’s vegan poems are tempered by optimism, humor, and laughter, which is perhaps surprising for a poet associated with protest writing. For example, the song ‘I Have a Scheme,’ a spoof of Martin Luther King’s iconic Civil Rights address from 1963, fantasizes about a society in which ’everyone, regardless of color or class, would have at least one Barry Manilow album.’ One of Zephaniah’s signature techniques is a parody. ‘Terrible World,’ from his 1996 album Propa Propaganda, is a parody of Louis Armstrong’s ‘Wonderful World,’ and begins, ‘I’ve seen streets of blood…’ ‘Heckling Miss Lou,’ on the other hand, is a light-hearted conversation with Louise Bennett, a pioneering performance poet. If such poetry seems to belittle politics, this is probably due to Zephaniah’s lack of political awareness. He has stated that being labeled ‘political’ is a difficult existence. His 1982 album Rasta features a tribute to a political prisoner fighting to free South Africa who later became the South African President, Nelson Mandela. The same album also features Wailer’s first recording since Bob Marley passed away.His works have regularly been featured on BBC Television and BBC Radio. He has also appeared as a panelist on a popular BBC television show! But he also served a prison sentence as a young man on burglary charges.Read on to know more about his contribution to English literature, for which he has received 16 honorary doctorate degrees by the age of 63 years in 2021. Afterward, also check out Bernardo De Galvez facts and Benjamin Disraeli facts.Benjamin Zephaniah: BooksTalking Turkeys (1994), Zephaniah’s first collection of poetry readings for children, was reissued six weeks later. Face, his first of four YA books, was published in 1999.Zephaniah accepted a year-long residency at Keats House in Hampstead, London, in May 2011, his first residency in over ten years. He said: ‘I’m not a big fan of residencies, but Keats was an exception when he took the role. He’s a one-of-a-kind, and one of my favorite poets has always been him.‘Angry White People: Coming Face-to-Face with the British Far Right by Hsiao-Hung Pai, which Zephaniah authored the foreword to in 2016.Benjamin Zephaniah: IsraelWhen the most recent rounds of firings and missile attacks broke out between Israel and Hamas, more than 60 prominent cultural figures from Britain condemned the attack on the Palestinian cultural centers. Benjamin Zephaniah was one of the leading voices who condemned the actions of Israel.All the artists asked the international fraternity to issue targeted and lawful sanctions against Israel for its actions in Gaza and Palestine. The artist’s letter stated that this is a part of the well-documented campaign from the government of Israel to intimidate, arrest, and forcefully evict the Palestinians. This attack, they said, aims to break the morale of the people and deny them their culture.Benjamin Zephaniah Poems: Joy GardnerBenjamin Zephaniah’s poetry ‘The Death of Joy Gardner’ is written about 1993.Joy Gardner was indeed a grad student of Jamaican heritage who was not a legal resident of London, in central England, at the time (she was an undocumented migrant). Her death resulted from police raiding her house to apprehend her and deport her out of the country. Things took a turn for the worse when the cops grew violent and injured her sufficiently to inflict brain injuries, which culminated in a cardiac arrest and her death in the hospital a few days later.The cops involved did not face any severe penalties due to their conduct. Zephaniah utilizes this poetry to vent his pain and anger and chronicle Joy Gardner’s illegal status.Blunt Facts About Benjamin ZephaniahBenjamin Obadiah Iqbal Zephaniah organized We Are All Human, a Koestler Trust-sponsored show at the Southbank Centre in 2016 that included art from inmates, detainees, and ex-offenders.Benjamin Zephaniah has said that many more people have applauded him for refusing the OBE than would have commended him if he had accepted it.Benjamin Zephaniah declined his OBE since it was linked to Britain’s colonial oppression and opposition to the current government’s war on Iraq and continued nation occupation.Benjamin Zephaniah became a tremendously popular children’s poet with his debut book of poetry for children, Talking Turkeys, which had to go into an emergency reprint after just six weeks.In the Alternative Vote referendum in 2011, Benjamin Zephaniah featured material to advocate altering the British legal system from the first to proportional representation for choosing parliament members to a House of Commons.Zephaniah was born and reared in Birmingham, central England’s Handsworth neighborhood, which he refers to as the ‘Jamaican capital of Europe.’ He was born in Barbados to a Barbadian postman and a Jamaican nurse mother. He had dyslexia, and although attending an accredited school, he was unable to read correctly by the age of 13.He states that his poetry is heavily inspired by Jamaican music and poetry and what he refers to as ‘street politics.’ When he was 11, he gave his first performance in church, and by the age of 15, his poetry was well-known within Handsworth’s Afro-Caribbean and Asian populations. His works are inspired by his community’s folk music and cultural diversity.He had a criminal record as a young man and had served a jail term for burglary. Tired of being a black poet who mainly spoke with other black poets, he resolved to broaden his audience and moved to central London just at the age of 22.Zephaniah encountered prejudice frequently while living in north London during the ’80s race riots.His notable works include The Dread Affair, Refugee Boy, Terror Kid, Funky Chickens, and Inna Liverpool.Benjamin Zephaniah was born to Caribbean immigrants in Birmingham in April 1958. He had dyslexia and dropped out of school at 13 because he couldn’t read or write. His poetry is inspired by Jamaican street culture. His first performance was when he was ten years old, and by the age of 15, he was well-known in and around Birmingham. When Benjamin Zephaniah was 22, he went to London. He released his first collection of love poems, which was favorably received. He has built a reputation by composing and performing poetry in bars and other settings. His poetry, which typically dealt with homelessness or unemployment, appeared to encapsulate the tone of Britain in the early ’80s. He was dubbed ‘Britain’s most well-known poet.‘Benjamin is still alive and kicking at the age of 63. Zephaniah accepted a year-long residency at Keats House in Hampstead, London, in May 2011, his first residency in over ten years. Zephaniah won many awards for his poems attacking different aspects of society.Hachette has released a beautiful book called Nature Trail. The welcoming front cover is lovely, and let’s take a minute to admire all of the hand-drawn typography by artist Nila Aya. The book is based on a poem by renowned writer Benjamin Zephahniahs, which celebrates the wonders of nature. The images then add a humorous touch by depicting a fantastical world populated with varied creatures and minibeasts reading, dancing, playing cards, and enjoying birthdays with cakes, or perhaps they do.He went to an accredited school but could not read or write when he was 13. He was handed an ancient manual typewriter as a youngster, which he claims motivated him to pursue a career as a writer. It is presently in the Birmingham Museums Trust’s collection.He states that his poetry is heavily inspired by Jamaican music and poetry and what he refers to as ‘street politics.’ When he was 11, he gave his first performance in church, and by the age of 15, his poetry strongly influenced Handsworth’s Afro-Caribbean and Asian populations.Here at Kidadl, we have carefully created many interesting family-friendly facts for everyone to enjoy! If you liked our suggestions for Benjamin Zephaniah facts, why not look at Bill Brasky facts or Bill Nye facts.