He was named one of britain's best post-war writers. So who better to introduce his story from Midlands to maestro than the man himself? In his own words. He was born in Birmingham and raised on reggae and rice and peas on sound systems. He talked about being cool and fighting oppression. He went to church, he went to prison, he went to London. I'm talking about me. Benjamin Zephaniah.
It was a mighty rise for a dyslexic boy who left school unable to read or write. But in 1980 he published his first collection of poetry while part of a worker cooperative in East London. His books, you know, just have never stopped selling this bookshop was opposite his house and has championed his work ever since. He tolled by every morning, stop, come in and then if people came in, he would get behind the counter and serve them and people remember that.
His poetry in later prose tackled racism, poverty and social injustice. The Man from Birmingham, son of parents from Barbados and Jamaica, responding to what he was seeing in places like Bradford and Brixton.
Benjamin Zephaniah Say "I have wrote poems about these places because the riots to me were the fulfillment of a prophecy by Marco gave. The prophecy is simple when there are many hungry and many without food, many in bad housing, they not uprising. It born to come." one of his early works drew on his time as a writer in residence in Liverpool.
Benjamin Zephaniah Line "Some will just common, just city, the city center. Forget about the ghetto, too frightened to enter, forget about the people, forget about the evil, just Check place. Famous for the Beatles"
the outspoken, unafraid vegan anarchist was a chronicler of britain's past and present empire, race and immigration. Someone who was constantly questioning the land of colonialism and conquest also felt proud of his Britishness and the change that came with diversity.
Once Benjamin Zephaniah Say "I complaint where there were no Black or Asian people on television. I remember as a kid, we only saw Americans.
So things have changed"
but change didn't mean he embraced all the trappings of the establishment, rejecting the offer of an OBE and being quite clear why "the OBE means Order of the British Empire. I've been fighting against Empire all my life. I've been fighting against slavery and colonialism. All my life. I've been writing to connect with people, not to impress governments and monarchy."
Benjamin Zephaniah never stopped critiquing his surroundings in the aftermath of Brexit and the wind rush scandal. He said he was more angry than he'd ever been before, "black people have been in this country so long and we've contributed so much. This is old. This is tired. We've been doing this too long, you know, with the British council's kind of Maine ambassador at 1 point, going around the world.
Spread in British culture but there is still a part of me that is really nervous. That says one day they still might get rid of you."
Benjamin Zephaniah said he still felt an outsider but he was a national treasure appearing in Peaky Blinders, taking him back to the streets of Birmingham
Benjamin Zephaniah died at the age of 65 after being diagnosed with a brain tumor just eight weeks ago. A statement from his family said. Benjamin leaves us with a joyful and fantastic legacy.
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