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Friday, January 02, 2004
The life and times of Benjamin Zephaniah
Dr Benjamin Obadiah Iqbal Zephaniah was born and raised in Birmingham. He cannot remember a time when he was not creating poetry but this had nothing to do with school where poetry meant very little to him, in fact he had finished full time education at the age of 13. His poetry is strongly influenced by the music and poetry of Jamaica in what he calls 'street politics'. His first real public performance was in church when he was 10 years old, by the time he was 15 he had developed a strong following in his home town of Handsworth where he had gained a reputation as a young poet who was capable of speaking on local and international issues.
He loved Handsworth, in the Seventies it was the Jamaican capital of Europe but although his work had become popular within the African-Caribbean and Asian community he thought the town was too small, he was not satisfied preaching about the sufferings of Black people to Black people, so he sought a wider mainstream audience. At the age of 22 he headed south to London where his first book Pen Rhythm was published by Page One Books.
Page One Books was a small, East London based publsihing co-operative which published Zephaniah when others failed to tune into the new poetry that was about to emerge. The book sold well going into 3 editions but it was in performance that the Dub (Reggae) Poet would cause a revolution, a revolution that injected new life into the British poetry scene and attracted the interest of many mainstream publishers, some of whom had sent refusal letters to him only 12 months earlier.
In the early Eighties when Punks and Rastas were on the streets protesting about SUS Laws, high unemployment, homelessness and the National Front, Zephaniah's poetry could be heard on the demonstrations, at youth gatherings, outside police stations and on the dance floor, because of his ability to perform, it was once said of him that he was Britain's most filmed and identifiable poet. The mission was to take poetry everywhere, he hated the dead image that academia and the establishment had given poetry and proclaimed that he was out to popularise poetry by reaching people who did not read books, and those that were keen on books could now witness a book coming to life on the stage. This poetry was musical, radical, relevent and on TV.
In the nineties his book publications, record releases and television appearances have increased in Britain, although he has concentrated on performing outside Europe. He feels at home anywhere the oral tradition is still strong and he lists South Africa, Zimbabwe, India and Pakistan & Colombis as some of his most memorable tours. Life has been one long tour but this is the only way the oral tradition can live, over a 22-day period in 1991 he performed on every continent on this planet.
Periodically The Benjamin Zephaniah Band takes to the road, the nature of the music business means records get to places around the globe a little quicker than the poet, so many people around the world are more familiar with the poets music than his performances, plays or books. His only official fan club developed in Malawi in Central Africa and his only Number One Hit Record was in the former Yugoslavia where the Rasta LP was released on the Helidon lable. He was the first person to record with the Wailers after the death of Bob Marley in a musical tribute to Nelson Mandela, it was recorded at Marley's Tuff Gang Studio in Kingston, Jamaica. Mandela heard the tribute whilst in prison on Robben Island and soon after his release he requested an introductory meeting with Zephaniah, they have not built a relationship which has led to Zephaniah working with children in South African townships and hosting the President's Two Nation's Concert at the Royal Albert Hall in July 1996. Other musical collaborations include Bomb the Bass album Clear produced by Tim Simenon, where the track called Empire sees the poet working with Sinead O'Connor.
His first book of poetry for children called Talking Turkeys had to fo into an emergency reprint after just 6 weeks, no one could foresee how popular the book would be, it went to the top of the children's book list and stayed there for months. At first he was not keen on publishing a book for children believing that there was just poetry, not children's poetry or adult's poetry, but he was soon convinced that young people did appreciate the fact that he is not afraid to write about the real world where there are bullies, guns, racism and war. Being a passionate vegan he writes a lot about animals but these animals are not all smiley, happy creatures, some may just be waiting for slaughter or losing their habitat and of course some may be having fun.
Young writers have said that the accessibility of his work has inspired them to take up writing, many record sleeves bare witness to the fact that he has inspired many of the new generation of rappers, and of all the performance poets that emerged in the late seventies/early eighties he is one of the few that is still going strong. In 1998 the University of North London awarded him an honorary doctorate in recognition of his work. Zephaniah believes that working with human rights groups, animal rights groups and other political organisations means that he will never lack subject matter. Working in Asia, South America and Africa has given his poetry an international outlook which in turn has made him understand the role as a poet and the nature of the cultural glue that binds us all together.
Here an interview with Smart Issue - October 1998
When did you start writing?
Even before I was able to write I was creating poems. I have always been doing it, I can't remember starting.
When did you decide you wanted to be a poet? And why?
I didn't decide, I just was. When I realised that other people were interested in what I had to say, I began to do lots of poetry readings and make television appearances.
What was the title of your first poem and when was it published?
I really can't remember. I sent some poems to various magazines, some were published, some were not.
Which of the books you've written is your favourite and why? When was it published? Do you think your readers would also think it's your best book?
My favourite book is 'School's Out'. It was published in 1997 and I like it because it is completely uncensored, raw and lots of parents don't approve of it, that why I think kids like it.
Do you enjoy writing poems? Do you think your readers like reading them?
I love poems like I love life. I thinhk if my readers didn't like reading them, they wouldn't be my readers.
Can you give us some tips on how to write poems?
Write about subjects close to your heart. be honest. Try to use normal speech patterns. If you are rhyming, don't force the rhymes and if you are writing something funny, make sure ir makes you lauch and then try it on friends.
Do you worry about getting stuck when you're writing a poem?
No. When you worry about it, you get stuck.
Do you ever get jealous of other poets' poems? If yes, which poets are they?
No. We all have our place. We are all needed and if we are not needed, we are usually told by the public.
If you are not pleased with a poem what do you do?
Stop reading it, stop writing it, or if I see it on the streets, I walk on the other side of the road.
How long does it take to write a poem?
Impossible to say. I once wrote a very long poem in fifteen minutes, then I also wrote a short poem in three weeks.
Did anyone try teaching you to write poems or were you mostly self-taught?
I was completely self-taught.
Did you write any poems when you were a child?
I created poems in my head but I didn't write them down.
Is it fun to be a poet?
I wouldn't do it if I didn't love it, but there are ups and downs. Most of all i love travelling around the world and meeting people.
Do you write your poems on a word processor/a typewriter/by hand?
By hand.
What sort of books do you like to read?
Poetry, historical and funny books.
What are your favourite foods and drinks?
Fav foods: butterbean stew.
Fav drinks: banana juice.
What was your best and your worst subject at school?
Worst subject: maths
Best subject: Kiss chase
Have you got any pets? If yes, what animal is it and what is its name?
No. I live next door to a man who hates everything. If he found a car in his garden he would kill it. I wouldn't want an animal to go anywhere near him.
Do you have any hobbies, like swimming, cycling, football or gardening?
Collecting banknotes (numismatics), kung fu, jogging and restoring my old sports car.
Are there any instruments you play?
I play bass guitar - not very well.
We have heard you are a vegetarian. Why?
I can't eat my friends. In face, I'm a vegan. I won't take a baby's milk or eat eggs. I believe in leaving the animal world alone.
What are your favourite TV programmes and your worst?
I love documentaries that let us know the truth and I love Kung Fu films. I hate all game shows and those dramas that try to make black people look like criminals.
Do you have a mascot to help you write?
No.
How long is your hair?
Somewhere down by my bum.
posted by CoolSoulSmith a.k.a Rinci|ak
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