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Benjamin Obadiah Iqbal Zephaniah was born in Birmingham but
spent some of his early years in Jamaica where he absorbed
much of the music, poetry and what he calls 'street politics'
which strongly influences his later work.
Termed
a 'born failure' by one teacher, Benjamin had a difficult
school life, he later found out that he was dyslexic, and
after being sent to an approved school he spent some time
at Her Majesty's Pleasure. As Benjamin says, prison proved
to be a turning point in his life, it was then he decided,
'I'm going to use this energy differently. I've got the
talent to be a poet…I wanted to educate myself, be a bit
more spiritual, a bit more political.'
- Soon
after this he started publishing poetry for adults, but
it was in performance that the Dud (Reggae) Poet would
cause a revolution, injecting new life into the British
poetry scene: 'I can't say anything about the rules of
poetry because I've broken them all. Everyone says you
shouldn't do this or that, but I do it!'
He's a real messenger, unlike
anyone in Britain in his stand against the mystification
of culture.' |
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Poetry
Review
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Benjamin's
mission was to take poetry everywhere. He has read all around
the world, from Argentina to Palestine, in prisons, theatres,
youth clubs, demonstrations, taking poetry to those who
don't read books. As he says, 'I was one of those kids that
kept asking Why? Once I received some of the answers, I
realized that those in authority were not right, so I could
not go along with them.' His poetry was musical, radical,
relevant - and on TV. It was once said of him that he was
Britain's most filmed and identifiable poet.
He feels
at home anywhere the oral tradition is still strong, listing
South Africa, India and Zimbabwe among his most memorable
tours.
- Life
has been one long tour, but this is the only way to keep
the oral tradition alive. Benjamin's voice is known throughout
the world and he has released several records
- He
has written plays for radio, TV and theatre including
Dread Poets Society (BBC TV). He has presented, or appeared
in numerous TV programmes ranging from The Tube to The
Bill via Eastenders and The South Bank Show.
- In
1989 he was nominated for Oxford Professor of Poetry,
narrowly beaten by Seamus Heaney.
One
of Benjamin's most famous fans is Nelson Mandela. Having
heard Benjamin's tribute song (recorded with the Wailers)
while he was in prison, Mandela invited Benjamin to host
the President's two nation concerts at the Albert Hall.
This relationship led to Benjamin going to South Africa
to work with returning refugees and township children.
- Benjamin
is actively involved in numerous organisations, including
the Hackney Empire Theatre, Umoja Housing Co-op, the Are
Dance Company, VIVA (Vegetarians International Voice for
Animals), Newham Young People's Theatre Scheme, the Chinese
Women's Refuge Group, Musicworks - Brixton, SARI (Soccer
Against Racism in Ireland), and SHOP (Self-Help Organisation
for ex-Prisoners). When asked how he finds the time for
all this, he says, "I care about all these things passionately."
Benjamin's
first collection for children, Talking
Turkeys (Puffin) was published in 1994 and with
Funky
Chickens (Puffin) he changed the perception of what
poetry for children might be.
In 1999,
Benjamin's first novel, Face, was published. In the novel,
Benjamin explores the issue of prejudice from an unusual
and powerful angle. Writing the book was a new challenge
for Benjamin: "I haven't read that many novels… I had an
idea in my mind what I wanted to do and I did it. Sometimes
I broke the rules, and if it worked, it worked". It worked.
Face
has received rave reviews and was shortlisted for
the Children's Book Award 2000.
Biography
provided by Helen Dunning
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