Benjamin Zephaniah
Benjamin Obadiah Iqbal Zephaniah (15 April 1958 – 6 December 2023)[1] was a British Jamaican writer, dub poet and Rastafarian. He was included in The Times list of Britain's top 50 post-war writers in 2008.
Benjamin Zephaniah | |
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 Zephaniah in 2018 | |
| Born | Benjamin Obadiah Iqbal Zephaniah 15 April 1958 Handsworth, Birmingham, England |
| Died | 6 December 2023 (aged 65) |
| Occupation |
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| Nationality | British |
| Genre | Poetry, teen fiction |
| Literary movement | |
| Years active | 1980–2023 |
| Spouse | Amina (m. 1990; div. 2001) |
| Website | |
| benjaminzephaniah | |
Zephaniah was a young black boy who had dyslexia and encountered Racism at his new school in Birmingham. He grew up in Handsworth up until the age of 9 when his mother who was also a Jamaican nurse who fled from his father who was a postman back in Barbados. Leaving his twin sister Velda and other siblings Zephaniah felt isolated as being a young black boy with a disability
Zephaniah faced prejudice frequently while residing in London and was involved in the racial riots of the 1980s: "They happened all around me. Racism was really evident back then. The National Front opposed foreigners and people of color, and the police were also very racist.
Zephaniah died on 6 December 2023 because of a brain tumor at the age of 65.[2]
Benjamin Zephaniah Media
Zephaniah reciting a poem in 2015
Zephaniah performing in 2011
Collecting the Hancock at Cambridge Folk Festival 2008, with Martin Carthy looking on
References
- ↑ Gregory, Andy (2002), International Who's Who in Popular Music 2002, Europa, p. 562. ISBN 1-85743-161-8.
- ↑ Creamer, Ella (7 December 2023). "British poet Benjamin Zephaniah dies aged 65". The Guardian. https://www.theguardian.com/books/2023/dec/07/british-poet-benjamin-zephaniah-dies-aged-65. Retrieved 7 December 2023.
Other websites
- Official website
- Benjamin Zephaniah on IMDb
- Benjamin Zephaniah discography at Discogs
- Merope Mills, "Rasta poet publicly rejects his OBE", The Guardian, 27 November 2003.
- Benjamin Zephaniah – from The Black Presence in Britain
- Benjamin Zephaniah on Poetry, Politics and Revolution – video report by Democracy Now!