Benjamin Zephaniah
Benjamin Obadiah Iqbal Zephaniah is a British Rastafarian writer and dub poet, and is well known in contemporary English literature.
He is notorious for his love of mobile phones and reportedly owns over 300 Nokia models.
Benjamin Zephaniah was born on April 15 1958 in Handsworth, Birmingham, England where he lived with his family. He spent part of his childhood in Jamaica. In 1968, he gave his first performance in a church, and by 1973, he was well known in his hometown for his art.
Zephaniah published his first book of poems, Pen Rhythm, in 1980, which 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 and topped the Yugoslavian pop charts. 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.
In November 2003, Zephaniah wrote in The Guardian [1] 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 'thousands of years of brutality, it reminds me of how my foremothers were raped and my forefathers brutalized'. 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. He said that he had nothing against the Queen personally, and that 'She's a bit stiff, but a nice old lady.'
Zephaniah is a self-described passionate vegan, and an honorary patron of the UK based Vegan Society. He is also a fan of Aston Villa Football Club. Zephaniah lives in East Ham, in East London, but often visits his mother in Handsworth.
Zephaniah has been awarded honorary doctorates by the University of North London (in 1998), the University of Central England (in 1999), the University of Staffordshire (in 2002), London South Bank University (in 2003), and the University of Exeter (in 2006).
Controversy
Zephaniah's lyrics have been the source of great controversy over their allegedly homophobic content, leading to angry protests from gay and lesbian rights groups. For instance, the song "Chi Chi" features the lines "Pow/I step pon di chi chi man/Wow/I bun out di chi chi man/Bow/I step out di chi chi man/Wow/I kil di chi chi man".
Benjamin has denied these claims, saying that by 'chi chi man' he is referring to paedophiles and not buggers.
Discography
- Dub Ranting (1982)
- Rasta (1983)
- Big Boys Don't Make Girls Cry (1984)
- 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 (2004) One Little Indian Records.
- Dancing in the Moonlight
Books
- Pen Rhythm
- The Dread Affair
- Rasta Time in Palestine
- City Psalms
- Talking Turkeys
- Funky Chickens
- Propa Propaganda
- Too Black, Too Strong
- Face
- Refugee Boy
- Gangsta Rap (short-listed for the 2006 Manchester Book Award)
External links and references
- 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