Benjamin Zephaniah Poems

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1.
The British

Take some Picts, Celts and Silures
And let them settle,
Then overrun them with Roman conquerors.
...

2.
Talking Turkeys!

Be nice to yu turkeys dis christmas
Cos' turkeys just wanna hav fun
Turkeys are cool, turkeys are wicked
An every turkey has a Mum.
...

3.
We Refugees

I come from a musical place
Where they shoot me for my song
And my brother has been tortured
By my brother in my land.
...

4.
Nature Trail

At the bottom of my garden
There's a hedgehog and a frog
And a lot of creepy-crawlies
Living underneath a log,
...

5.
Dis Poetry

Dis poetry is like a riddim dat drops
De tongue fires a riddim dat shoots like shots
Dis poetry is designed fe rantin
Dance hall style, big mouth chanting,
...

6.
Everybody Is Doing It

In Hawaii they Hula
They Tango in Argentina
They Reggae in Jamaica
And they Rumba down in Cuba,
...

7.
Who's Who

I used to think nurses
Were women,
I used to think police
Were men,
...

8.
Fair Play

Mirror mirror on the wall
Could you please return our ball
Our football went through your crack
You have two now
...

9.
De Rong Song

Your house is
Falling down
Around
Your
...

10.
The Race Industry

The coconuts have got the jobs.
The race industry is a growth industry.
We despairing, they careering.
We want more peace they want more police.
...

What is Benjamin Zephaniah famous for? Here, Benjamin Zephaniah Poems and Facts

Benjamin Zephaniah was born on April 15, 1958 in Handsworth, Birmingham, England, UK. He is an actor and writer, known for Peaky Blinders (2013), Percy Lifar and Standing Firm: Football's Windrush Story (2021). He was previously married to Amina. So, what is Benjamin Zephaniah famous for? Here, Benjamin Zephaniah poems and facts.

Life of Benjamin Zephaniah 

Dr. Benjamin Obadiah Iqbal Zephaniah grew up in Birmingham, England. He cannot recall a period when he did not write poetry, and this had nothing to do with school, where poetry meant very little to him; in fact, he had completed full-time study at the age of 13.

His poetry is heavily influenced by Jamaican music and poetry, as well as what he refers to as "street politics." His first real public performance was in church when he was ten years old, and by the age of fifteen, he had developed a strong following in his hometown of Handsworth, where he had established a reputation as a young poet capable of speaking on local and international issues.

He was previously described as "Britain's most filmed, photographed, and recognisable poet" due to his ability to perform on stage, but especially on television, bringing Dub Poetry directly into British living rooms. The mission was to take poetry everywhere; he despised the dead image that academia and the establishment had given poetry and declared that he was out to popularize poetry by reaching out to people who did not read books; those who were interested in books could now see a book come to life on stage. This poetry was political, musical, radical, timely, and shown on television.

His book publishing, record releases, and television appearances surged in the 1990s in the United Kingdom, but he has since focused on performing outside of Europe. He feels at home everywhere the oral tradition is still alive and well, and some of his most memorable trips have taken him to South Africa, Zimbabwe, India, Pakistan, and Colombia. In reality, life has been one lengthy journey, yet this is the only way the oral tradition can continue to exist. He performed on every continent within a 22-day span in 1991.

What is Benjamin Zephaniah famous for?

The British writer Benjamin Zephaniah is known for his poetry as well as novels, plays, and other works. His poetry is called “dub poetry,” which means that is performed—the words are recited over the beat of reggae music.

Benjamin Zephaniah Poems

Biko the Greatness

City River Blues

Dis Poetry

Eat Your Words

Everybody Is Doing It

Faceless

Fair Play

It’s Work

Miss World

Nature Trail

Neighbours

People will always need people

Ride

S.O.S [Save Our Sons]

The British

The Death Of Joy Gardner

The Race Industry

We Refugees

What Stephen Lawrence Has Taught Us

White Comedy

Who's Who

 

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