| Benjamin Zephaniah | |
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Benjamin Zephaniah.jpg}} |  |
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| Born | April 15 1958  Cole's Hill, Birmingham, England |
| Occupation | Writer |
| Nationality | British |
| Genres | Teen fiction |
| Literary movement | Rastafari movement |
| Website | www.benjaminzephaniah.com |
Benjamin Obadiah Iqbal Zephaniah (born 15 April 1958, Cole's Hill, Birmingham, England) is a British Rastafarian writer and dub poet, and is well known in contemporary English literature.
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Early life
Zephaniah spent part of his childhood in Jamaica. He was born on 15 April 1958. He spent 2 years in prison as a young man for charges related to burglary[1]. Some sources state that Zephaniah was born in Black River, Jamaica, but his official website says he was born in in the district of Handsworth in Birmingham, UK.
Publications
Zephaniah published his first book of poems, Pen Rhythm, in 1980. It was so well received that three editions were published. His album Rasta, which featured The Wailers' first recording since the death of Bob Marley as well as a tribute to Nelson Mandela, gained him international prestige [1] and topped the Yugoslavian pop charts.[2] It was because of this recording that he was introduced to the political prisoner and soon-to-be South African president, and in 1996, Mandela requested that Zephaniah host the president's Two Nations Concert at London's Royal Albert Hall.
Rejection of OBE
In November 2003, Zephaniah wrote in The Guardian [2] that he was turning down the invitation to accept the honour of the position of Officer of the Order of British Empire (OBE) award from Queen Elizabeth II since it reminded him of "how my foremothers were raped and my forefathers brutalised". He continued to say "Stick it, Mr. Blair and Mrs. Queen, stop going on about empire." It was unusual to do so publicly, since the convention for rejecting the award is to do so privately.
Personal life
Zephaniah currently lives in the small village of Moulton, Lincolnshire, and is a self-described passionate vegan. He is an honorary patron of The Vegan Society.[3] He is also the patron of the east London based anti-racist organisation Newham Monitoring Project. He is also a fan of Aston Villa Football Club.
Animal rights
Zephaniah is an animal rights advocate and in 2007 wrote the foreword to Keith Mann's book From Dusk 'til Dawn on the Animal Liberation Front (ALF). In August 2007 he announced that he would be launching the Animal Liberation Project, alongside the People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA).[4]
Achievements
Zephaniah has been awarded honorary doctorates by the University of North London (in 1998), the University of Central England (in 1999), Staffordshire University (in 2002), London South Bank University (in 2003), the University of Exeter and the University of Westminster (in 2006).
Discography
- Dub Ranting (1982)
- Rasta (1983)
- Free South Africa (1986)
- Us an Dem (1990)
- Crisis (1992)
- Back to Roots (1995)
- Belly of de Beast (1996)
- "Dancing Tribes" (with "Back to Base") (single) MP Records, (1999)
- "Illegal" (with "Swayzak") (single) Medicine Label, (2000)
- "Naked"
- "Naked & Mixed Up" (Benjamin Zephaniah vs. Rodney P)
- "Open Wide" with Dubioza kolektiv (single), (2004)
Books
- Pen Rhythm
- The Dread Affair
- Rasta Time in Palestine
- City Psalms
- Talking Turkeys
- Funky Chickens
- Face (1999)
- Propa Propaganda
- Too Black, Too Strong (2001)
- Refugee Boy
- Gangsta Rap (short-listed for the 2006 Manchester Book Award)
References
External links
- Official site
- Rasta poet rejects honour from Queen, by Jane Wardell, Associated Press. Published by the Toronto Star on 27 November 2003.
- Rasta poet publicly rejects his OBE by Merope Mills, published by The Guardian on 27 November 2003.
- Benjamin Zephaniah — from The Black Presence in Britain
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| Bibliography | Pen Rhythm · The Dread Affair · Rasta Time · City Psalms · Talking Turkeys · Funky Chickens · Face · Refugee Boy · Too Black, Too Strong · Gangsta Rap |
| Other | |
