91Èȱ¬

His style of writing incorporates humour, but the underlying seriousness of the struggle of black people is also reflected.

The depth of his writing comes from sometimes hard experience of life on the streets of Jamaica, Birmingham and London.

A distinct Jamaican influence is best reflected in his Dub Poetry - a political writing genre closely linked to Reggae music.

Performing both solo and in groups, Dub poets do all they can to change the boring image of poetry.

Jamaica

Jamaican Brum

Zephaniah was born where the Beorma people have made their home - Handsworth in Brummagem.

It was here that he was to discover his own interpretation of the nature of the universe - he realised that the theory of 'everything' leaves a lot to be desired. It was the postman that taught him that everything needs poetry.

"Birmingham has changed a lot from the place I wrote about in my poem 'The Big Bang'," he says.

"But for me it's still the centre of the universe and I was just a little toddler when I found poetry there - or poetry found me."

For many of Benjamin's early years, he thought of Handsworth in Birmingham as a 'cold suburb of Kingston Jamaica'.

His keen sense of equality has always been inspired by the landscapes, people, places and politics that have surrounded him.

Benjamin’s education was mixed. He suffered from racial abuse and the stereotypes of the day.

He says that he was often dubbed a failure, and argues that it was the education system that failed him. His experiences inspired his poem 'No Problem'.

'No Problem'

I am not de problem
But I bare de brunt
Of silly playground taunts
An racist stunts,
I am not de problem
I am a born academic
But dey got me on de run
Now I am branded athletic,
I am not de problem
If yu give I a chance
I can teach yu of Timbuktu
I can do more dan dance,
I am not de problem
I greet yu wid a smile
Yu put me in a pigeon hole
But I a versatile.

You can read the full version of No Problem from the link in the 'see also'>>

Benjamin's memories of Handsworth start at the local church at 55 Bevington Road where he witnessed the first of his public readings at the age of 11.

Benjamin walking down Soho Road

Just over 10 years ago he wrote 'Soho Road Then and Now', a poem that draws the reader into his vision of the life and times on the Soho Road - the sounds, the smells and the sights that stimulated his early life.

So open up the eye and see
How Soho Road did come to be
That place with those exotic smells
Where greats are born
And poets dwell…

You can read the full poem 'Soho Road, Then and now' from the link in the 'see also'>>

Returning to roots

The mid 1980s was a time of unrest in Britain, culminating in a number of riots.
The first came in Handsworth, taking place on July 10, 1981, with hundreds of people attacking police and property.

"Before the town went up in smoke," he recalls, "I saw poverty and oppression suffered by black people, so I wrote a poem called 'Nice One Handsworth'.

"I was going to perform it on television, but on that very night the riots erupted so the show was cancelled.

"The TV people said it may come over as inflammatory; I suppose they had a point but the poem’s about not rioting."Ìý

September 1985 saw a wave of hot-weather riots, including those in Brixton and Toxteth.

Benjamin outside his childhood home

This was a time when Benjamin realised that he needed to get out of Handsworth and Birmingham, so he travelled to London, where he now lives and works.

Inspiration

Inspiration comes from all angles. Benjamin's life's experiences are rich and have a distinct influence on what he writes about. And above all, it is people that are most influential.

"And one of the questions I always ask people is 'who loves you'? I write for the unloved, I connect with them," he says.

Benjamin's education was not the greatest, but it was by no means all bad.

"There is one place that I do like going back to, my primary school Deykin Avenue.

"Here was the first time I felt like I could express myself. I try and come back every year and talk to the kids."

And it's the kids that mean so much to Zephaniah. But there is a harsh reality that he has to live with.

"I love kids, and there’s no doubt that they’ve inspired some of my poetry. But the reality is that because I’m infertile, I’ll never have any of my own children to be inspired by.

"Not being able to have children is something I talk about in my poem ‘Naked’.

Benjamin's old school

Dis is me fatherless, childless. Who do I go to and for what?
Who shall I cry to? Who shall I cry for?
I needs babies to recite to
I need babies to recite to me
My life is full of lonely childless eternities
Where only poetry gives me life
And nakedness gives me knowledge.

Dark days

At 14 Benjamin was expelled from school and sent to an approved institution.

Boreatton Park in Baschurch, or "Dracula's House", as he used to call it, is set in the Shropshire countryside.

Today, Boreatton Park has been transformed into an activity centre for children who come for week long holidays. But back in the early 1970s it was a place that Benjamin was desperate to escape from.

One day he tried: "I remember it really well, I managed to get out of the hall and I just ran and ran into the woods.

"I was gone for hours and then I looked up and I could see the hall and realised that I’d gone around in one great circle."

Today, 'Dracula's House' has changed: "It's very different now, hundreds of kids come here to have an adventure holiday and escape … when I was here all I wanted to do was get out … once I nearly did."

Benjamin at Villa Park

The beautiful game?

Football has been a central part of Benjamin's life. Although living within a stone's throw of Upton Park, that ground of West Ham, he has been a lifelong supporter of Aston Villa.

And his support on the terraces has been much tested in the past.

"When I was a teenager," he recalls, "I used to come here every other week. It was a lot different then - 25,000 people stood here on the famous Holte End, I was almost the only black face.

"I always remember one game when I came here with my uncle and Villa were winning 2-0 and everybody was happy.

"And then the other team, I forget who they were, started to come back and beating Villa. The mood changed and suddenly the crowd noticed I was the only black kid and they took it out on me. It was terrible."

Despite these experiences Benjamin has remained a lifelong fan and is now patron of Aston Villa Supporters’ Club. In his poem 'Knowing Me', he expresses his love and passion for the club.

With my Jamaican hand on my Ethiopian heart
The African heart deep in my Brummie chest,
And I chant, Aston Villa, Aston Villa, Aston Villa,
Believe me I know my stuff.

Benjamin and Birmingham are synonymous, but as he explains, there are other roots that are important too.

"Everybody thinks of me as an urban animal, and wrongly - that’s how most black people are seen. But me, I’m a country bumpkin."

"As I child I used to come here to the magnificent Malvern Hills with my family. We used to borrow the old Commer van from the local church," he recalls.

"I’m back to do what I do everyday - go for a run.

"Maybe exercise will free my mind and inspire this new poem I’m trying to write.

"The great outdoors and particularly the rights of animals have helped me write before."

You can read the poem 'The Great Outdoors' from the link in the 'see also'>>

But, one person who has remained his central inspiration has been Benjamin's mother, Valerie.

She arrived in England from Jamaica in the 50's and settled in Birmingham giving Benjamin his established roots in the city. She remains a strong influence on his life and works.

"Whenever I perform, I think of different things and many different people.
Ìý
But what emerges from Benjamin's lines and stanzas is a clear passion for his beloved Birmingham - something that has always been his guiding influence.

'A Picture of Birmingham' runs alongside a new series called 'A Picture of Britain' which is broadcast on 91Èȱ¬ One from June 2005.

(All poems are copyright of Benjamin Zephaniah)