Word Warrior
WHAT STEPHEN LAWRENCE HAS TAUGHT US
We know who the killers are,
We have watched them strut before us
As proud as sick Mussolinis’,
We have watched them strut before us
Compassionless and arrogant,
They paraded before us,
Like angels of death
Protected by the law.
It is now an open secret
Black people do not have
Chips on their shoulders,
They just have injustice on their backs
And justice on their minds,
And now we know that the road to liberty
Is as long as the road from slavery.
The death of Stephen Lawrence
Has taught us to love each other
And never to take the tedious task
Of waiting for a bus for granted.
Watching his parents watching the cover-up
Begs the question
What are the trading standards here?
Why are we paying for a police force
That will not work for us?
The death of Stephen Lawrence
Has taught us
That we cannot let the illusion of freedom
Endow us with a false sense of security as we walk the streets,
The whole world can now watch
The academics and the super cops
Struggling to define institutionalised racism
As we continue to die in custody
As we continue emptying our pockets on the pavements,
And we continue to ask ourselves
Why is it so official
That black people are so often killed
Without killers?
We are not talking about war or revenge
We are not talking about hypothetics or possibilities,
We are talking about where we are now
We are talking about how we live now
In dis state
Under dis flag, (God Save the Queen),
And God save all those black children who want to grow up
And God save all the brothers and sisters
Who like raving,
Because the death of Stephen Lawrence
Has taught us that racism is easy when
You have friends in high places.
And friends in high places
Have no use whatsoever
When they are not your friends.
Dear Mr Condon,
Pop out of Teletubby land,
And visit reality,
Come to an honest place
And get some advice from your neighbours,
Be enlightened by our community,
Neglect your well-paid ignorance
Because
We know who the killers are.
By Benjamin Zephaniah – “Too Black, Too Strong”
About the Word Warrior: Benjamin Obadiah Iqbal Zephaniah (born 15 April 1958, Birmingham, England) is a British Jamaican Rastafarian writer and dub poet. He is a well-known figure in contemporary English literature, and was included in The Times list of Britain’s top 50 post-war writers in 2008.
A true warrior for the Hue-man race, Zephaniah first gained public prominence at the age of 15, gaining a reputation as a young poet who spoke out against the social injustice he witnessed and experienced as a black man in Britain.
A Life of Contradictions
Education:
Born and raised in Handsworth district of Birmingham,[3] which he called the “Jamaican capital of Europe”, to a Barbados postman and a Jamaican nurse, Zephaniah was dyslexic and gave up on formal education at the age of 13 unable to read or write.
The Poet has received thirteen honorary doctorate degrees including awards by the Universities of North London (1998), Central England (1999), Staffordshire University (2002), London South Bank University (2003), and the Universities of Exeter , Westminster (2006) and Birmingham (2008). He has also been listed at 48 in The Times’ list of 50 greatest postwar writers.
Sphere of Influence:
His first real public performance was in church when he was 10 years old, by the time he was 15 he had developed a strong following in his home town of Handsworth. As his popularity swept beyond the African-Caribbean and Asian audience in his hometown, he became dissatisfied with preaching about the sufferings of Black people to Black people. Seeking a wider mainstream audience, Zephaniah moved to south London at the age of 22.
In the nineties, the Word Warrior went global when he took his messages outside Europe, listing South Africa, Zimbabwe, India, Pakistan and Colombia as some of his most memorable tours. Over a 22-day period in 1991, he performed on every continent on this planet. His literary and musical performances have taken him to Malawi and Yugoslavia. He was the first person to record with the Wailers after the death of Bob Marley in a musical tribute to Nelson Mandela titled Free South Africa. Mandela heard the tribute whilst in prison on Robben Island and soon after his release, requested an introductory meeting with the Poet. In more recent times, the Poet spends much of his time in China, but he continues working throughout Asia, South America and Africa.
Publishing:
His first book Pen Rhythm was published by Page One Books – a small, East London publishing firm that published poets rooted in their local communities, seeing promise where several others had turned him down.
To date, Zephaniah has published more than 14 books of poetry, 5 novels and 3 children’s books.
Identity:
Although he was born in Britain, Zephaniah considers that his poetry is strongly influenced by the music and poetry of Jamaica and what he calls ‘street politics’. Zephaniah has spoken in favour of a British Republic and the dis-establishment of the crown. His 2001 Poem: Bought and Sold was very critical of Awards and prizes that cause ‘Warriors to be tamed’. He even called the OBE (Order of the British Empire) by name
In November 2003, Zephaniah wrote in The Guardian that he had turned down an OBE from the Queen because it reminded him of “how my foremothers were raped and my forefathers brutalised. In the Poet’s own words in an interview with The Guardian, “I woke up on the morning of November 13 wondering how the government could be overthrown and what could replace it, and then I noticed a letter from the prime minister’s office. It said: “The prime minister has asked me to inform you, in strict confidence, that he has in mind, on the occasion of the forthcoming list of New Year’s honours to submit your name to the Queen with a recommendation that Her Majesty may be graciously pleased to approve that you be appointed an officer of the Order of the British Empire.” “‘Me? I thought, OBE me? Up yours, I thought'” “
Audience:
Hating the dead image that academia and the establishment had given poetry, Zephaniah set out to reach people who were not mainstream readers, according to him: ‘
The Poet is described as Britain’s most filmed, photographed, and identifiable poet because of his ability to perform on stage, but most of all on television, bringing Dub Poetry straight into British living rooms, while also providing a more interactive experience for readers of his poetry by bringing his books to life on the stage. In the early Eighties, Zephaniah’s poetry was heard at street demonstrations by Punks and Rastas, at youth gatherings, outside police stations and on the dance floor protesting SUS Laws, high unemployment, homelessness and the National Front.
Musical Genre:
Due to his Rasta origins, most of the Poet’s musical recordings fall into the Reggae or Dub Poetry category.
However, his 2005 album ‘Naked’ defies categorisation. Produced by the legendary drummer Trevor Morais and featuring artists as diverse as Howard Jones, Aref Durvesh, Rupert Heaven, Mike Cahen, Jamie West-Oram, Jean Alain Rousell, and Dennis Bovell, the album is a mixture of Jazz, Reggae, Hip Hop, Rock and house music. In order to compliment the music the graffiti artist Banksy gave exclusive permission for his artwork to feature in the 36 page booklet that comes with the CD. The album was critically acclaimed and received substantial radio airplay worldwide. Rodney P, Britain’s’ foremost Hip Hop artist and BBC radio DJ re-mixed four of the tracks, making the album a dance floor favourite.
Taking Time Out
Zephaniah has dropped out of circulation in recent years, perhaps in order to support his family’s campaign for justice in the Mikey Powell case. Michael Lloyd Powell, who was suffering from a mental health episode at the time died on September 7 2003 while in the custody of West Midlands Police responding to a call from his mother after he smashed a window in the home he shared with his mother. Unable to handle him, Powell was rammed at top speed by the Police vehicle, sprayed repeatedly with CS gas at close range and then restrained in a dangerous position in the back of the Police vehicle as he was transported to the station rather than to hospital as the family had hoped. Powell was dead on arrival at the Police station. An inquest jury concluded in December 2009 that the Police was culpable for the death of Powell from positional asphyxia resulting from their handling of the 38-year old father of three.
www.BenjaminZephaniah.com
