Kidz
Benjamin Who?? My full name is Benjamin Obadiah Iqbal Zephaniah which is Christian, Jewish and Muslim. I was born in the district of Handsworth in Birmingham. My poetry is strongly influenced by the music and poetry of Jamaica and I can't remember a time when I was not creating poetry. This had nothing to do with school where poetry meant very little to me, infact I had finished full time education at the age of 13.
I wanted to reach more people so at the age of 22 I headed south to London where Page One Books published my first book Pen Rhythm. My mission was to take poetry everywhere and I was able to do this through performing my poems directly to the people. I try to write poems that are fun but they should also have a serious message. I am very concerned about racism, animal rights, pollution and I have always believed that boys and girls should be treated equally. I hate wars and I think it is not right that adults should tell children not to deal with disputes by fighting and then those same adults go and fight in wars. I think armies should be banned.  I love jogging, Kung Fu, football, collecting old banknotes and exploring woods and forests. Most of my best friends are animals and I am passionate about being vegan.
I love being on television programmes and I have been on some silly ones like The Bill and Eastenders. I have also been on things like Live and Kicking, Blue Peter and Wise Up - they were fun but they don't pay you much. I have travelled around the world many times and my favorite countries for performing are in Asia and Africa. I now live in the East End of London right next door to West Ham Football ground but I still support the best team in the world - Aston Villa!
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I get lots of poems sent to me by kids - I love receiving them - so this is a space specially for you... There is also a separate collection of poems sent to me by adults here....
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"As the family lay sleeping soldiers kicked down the door of the house and entered waving their rifles round erratically...
The soldier who was in command went and stood so that his mouth was six inches away from Alem's father's ear and shouted.
'What kind of a man are you?' "
Life is not...
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This photographic, alphabet book introduces young readers to the sights, sounds, and tastes of Jamaica. It goes from A to Z with a poem for every letter. A great way for children to explore the colorful diversity of this small beautiful island. Accompanying the poems are photos taken by Prodeepta Das who also worked...
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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.
Be nice to yu turkeys dis christmas,
Don't eat it, keep it alive,
It could be yu mate, an not on...
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by Verna Wilkins
Now here's an interesting book. It's about Benjamin but it's written by V. Wilkins. It's for 7 - 11 year olds and it has some great drawings in it.
Published by Tamarind...
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(audio cassette)
"A funky chicken ate my corn
But really I don't mind
My funky friend eats my dinner
Every time I dine."
That funky chicken will stop at nothing! Enter the crazy world of rap poet Benjamin Zephaniah and move to the beat of his very own high-octane, performance-power poetry.
Published by Puffin Books...
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(audio tape/CD)
Poems taken mainly from Talking Turkeys and Funky Chickens....
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His parents feed him rice and peas
And fancy looking greens
Sometimes they give him nuts and seeds
And various string beans
They also give him channa dhal
Tomato soup and pike
But Jaguar just says loud and clear
"It's pizza that I like."
Zachary loves practicing magic tricks. He's going to be an...
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(book and audio cassette)
"All people are people
And as far as I can see
You're all related to me
That is why I say that
All people are equal"
Welcome to the wild and wicked words of Benjamin Zephaniah! You'll find loads of the cool people who make up our world in this rapping, happening, how and...
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After winning the first race he ever took part in, running became a part of daily life for Benjamin. Here he talks about what running means to him
Runners World - August 1998
Profession: Poet and broadcaster.
Achievements: Primarily a political spoken-word poet, Zephaniah has had nine columes of poetry published since 1980, and in the last two years has been touring with his work in countries including South Africa, Colombia and Pakistan. He has also released four albums with the Benjamin Zephaniah band, and...
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Shelley's my man. If he were alive now he wouldn't be sitting in an ivory tower only leaving to attend the odd literature festival, he would be demonstrating against the exploitation of the third world and performing at the Glastonbury festival. He would have marched with us against the war on 15th February 2003. I...
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Benjamin lives in Newham, East London. Find out what why he likes it so much - and a couple of things he doesn't!
Newham Magazine - Issue 1 - September 2000
Each issue we invite a prominent Newham person to tell us what they like about Newham - and perhaps some of the not so good points.
We start with Britain's leading rap poet Benjamin Zephaniah, Birmingham born - but a Newham resident since 1980.
Why did you choose to move...
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How long does it take Benjamin to write a poem? What does he do if he gets writers block?
The 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...
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What's Benjamin's perfect day and not-so-perfect day? What would he have written on his gravestone? Find out more...
Article taken from a cultural magazine for Hong Kong about life in Britain, Spring 2000
What would make your perfect day?
Waking up surrounded by animals and hogging over the Welsh mountains, writing a great poem and a kiss before bedtime.
What would spoil your perfect day?
Seeing only humans and no other animal or nature....
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Find out how Benjamin started writing poetry and what he does in his spare time.
The Puffin Post - Autumn 1997
When did you realise your destiny was as a poet?
I was born a poet. I really can't remember a time when I wasn't 'poeting' as I call it.As a very young child I used to do word games in my head, and my parents used to worry because I...
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From childhood to now, an indepth article about benjamin's life
Authorgraph No.111 - July 1998
Born in the heart of Handsworth, Birmingham, the poet Benjamin Zephaniah thought for years that he was living in some outpost of Jamaica. "At the time all the food was Jamaican, all the music was Jamaican and all the people were Jamaican. Once my mother told me that someone was...
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