Benjamin Zephaniah was a British writer and musician. He was included in The Times list of Britain’s top 50 post-war writers in 2008. Benjamin Zephaniah lived for 65 years (1958-2023).
The names of some of his songs are:
- Word and Sound
- Rong Radio Station
- Uptown Down
Benjamin Zephaniah won the BBC Radio 4 Young Playwrights Festival Award in 1998 and was the recipient of at least sixteen honorary doctorates. A ward at Ealing Hospital was also named in his honour. His second novel, Refugee Boy, was the recipient of the 2002 Portsmouth Book Award in the Longer Novel category.
Having moved to London, Zephaniah became actively involved in a workers’ co-operative in Stratford, which led to the publication of his first book of poetry, Pen Rhythm. 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”.
In the Guardian he wrote. “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 brutalized. Zephaniah spoke out against racism and slavery throughout his life
A quote from Benjamin: “Do the little or the big things that make a difference you can see. The doable stuff. Or take to the streets to do something for the future. Do anything. Just don’t give up”. “Don’t let them grind you down. Rise up all ye sisters and brothers who know better. Stand firm in the downturn.”
By Dylan Sezer
