A festival of “music, poetry, joy and laughter” has taken place to honour the trailblazing artist and activist Benjamin Zephaniah.
The Handsworth-born dub poet, who appeared in hit BBC show Peaky Blinders as Jeremiah Jesus, died at the age of 65 in December 2023, shortly after being diagnosed with a brain tumour.
Saturday’s celebrations at London’s Brunel University where he worked as a professor of creative writing, were billed as the first Benjamin Zephaniah Day – A Festival of Rhythm, Unity and Revolution.
Poet Benjamin Zephaniah
PA
His widow Qian Zephaniah, who was dressed in one of his old suits and a hat, watched with a smile as she saw fellow poets Linton Kwesi Johnson and Michael Rosen recite some of his work, along with other tributes.
Rosen later told the PA news agency: “Benjamin was somebody who could speak to everybody and to anybody.
“He could speak with passion, wisdom and beauty about the way life is, the way he wanted life to be and the way he saw us all as human beings.
“He could not stand hierarchy. He could not stand discrimination, oppression or exploitation. He wanted to say that and he could say it in so many different ways – ironically, humorously, angrily and he could say it to children, adults, on television, radio.
“He could go all around the world and say it – that is what was so special about him.”
Rosen said it felt “unbelievably important and special” to take part, adding: “He meant so much to me. I learned a lot of things from him – ways of writing, ways of thinking and even ways of being.
“I feel I kind of owe it to him (to be here). ”
Basil Gabbidon, a founding member of the band Steel Pulse, took to the stage to sing a new song he penned in tribute to Zephaniah called True Revolutionary, which said: “He was a Handsworth man, a cultured man, peace and love was his intention.”
Qian Zephaniah, Zephaniah’s widow, wearing one of his suits at the Benjamin Zephaniah Day tribute at Brunel University in London (Helen William/PA)
After the performance Gabbidon, who said he knew Zephaniah from their youth in Handsworth, said: “He was very direct. He knew what he wanted to say and he said it. I had a lot of respect for him because he was a good man.
“He respected everyone and wanted the world to be a better place. He was a true revolutionary.”
Brunel’s vice-chancellor and president Professor Andrew Jones described the festival, which was staged three days before what would have been Zephaniah’s 67th birthday, as a fitting tribute to a man who gave voice to the voiceless.
He told those gathered: “Now, as many of you may know, this weekend would have marked Benjamin’s 67th birthday. We are filling this day, his day, with music, poetry, joy and laughter.
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“I don’t think there’s any better way for us to show our love and appreciation for the many many things that Benjamin achieved in his life.”
Performances from poets, musicians and artists from around the world, contributions from the Royal Society of Literature and stage takeovers from theBlack Writers Guild were among the events.
There were also chances for people to showcase their talents plus creative workshops, exhibitions and film screenings.
The aim is to make it an annual event in celebration of Zephaniah whose talents as a poet, writer, actor and musician made him a hugely influential figure across the UK.
He published numerous collections of his poetry, wrote novels, and was included in The Times list of Britain’s top 50 post-war writers in 2008.
In 2021, he won a Bafta for Life And Rhymes, which eclipsed Ant & Dec’s Saturday Night Takeaway, Strictly Come Dancing and The Masked Singer to land the best entertainment programme award.
Dubbed the “people’s laureate”, he was also an anti-racism and animal rights activist, and he appeared in several episodes of the hit television show Peaky Blinders.
An invitation posted online from the organisers said: “Today’s the day to honour Benjamin Zephaniah — everyone welcome. Let’s turn his words into action: stand for justice, speak with kindness, and weave unity into every verse of life. The world needs more bridges, not walls.”
Global Majority Writers (GMW) helped to kick off the tribute with poetry performances about issues that were close to Zephaniah’s heart including race, food, environment, Windrush and mental health.
Abiodun Abdul, of GMW, told the audience: “He was a prolific poet with passions across a range of themes including racial equality, social justice, shared humanity, environmental protection, neuro diversity, veganism and so many more.”
Prof Andrew Jones, Brunel’s Vice-Chancellor, and Qian Zephaniah, the widow of the late Benjamin Zephaniah, during a plaque unveiling at the university (Brunel University London/PA)
Earlier, his widow Qian Zephaniah said: “When Benjamin was asked what he wanted his legacy to be, he said simply, ‘love’.
“Benjamin Zephaniah Day is one of the ways we honour that legacy.”
She said the day “shows what was close to Benjamin’s heart” at an event packed with people who loved him and open to those who like him feels that “love is one of the greatest gifts we can offer to one another”.
Zephaniah’s first writings used dub poetry, a Jamaican style of work which evolved into the music genre of the same name.
He was nominated for autobiography of the year at the National Book Awards for The Life And Rhymes Of Benjamin Zephaniah, and the work was also shortlisted for the Costa Book Award in 2018.
The writer, who rejected an OBE in 2003 because of the association with the British Empire and its history of slavery, was often outspoken on racial abuse and education.
