Remembering a “hero to millions”, Benjamin Zephaniah

On December 7th 2023, and at the age of 65, the world lost a great soul, cultural icon and social justice champion; his full name was Benjamin Obadiah Iqbal Zephaniah (born Springer) and he lived a full and active life as a poet, actor, musician and advocate for justice and equality. Zephaniah was born on April 15th 1958 in Handsworth, Birmingham, U.K. Read more about his biography here in wikipedia.

A stunning and recent video that Zephaniah made, featuring Eva Abraham, was filmed in Kibera, Nairobi, Kenya, called Dream, which you can watch and listen to below:

Zephaniah was such a creative person that his work moved effortlessly between different genres, exploring multiple, inter-connected themes. One example is taken from his album, Revolutionary Minds, please watch and listen to the very powerful track from 2017 called “President’ below:

Please also take a look at an in-depth interview from 2018 with Channel 4 News with Zephaniah below:

An interesting piece from a 2003 article in the Guardian that focuses, partly, on his rejection of an OBE, can be read here. You can also read the Guardian’s obituary here and also check their tribute called a life in pictures of Zephaniah here. More tributes from people in political and cultural life can be read here and here in Black History Month UK.

Please also take some time to look through Zephaniah’s own website here, where there is a wealth of his work, as well as on his you tube channel here.

Handsworth Park in Birmingham will soon be unveiling a mural to celebrate Zephaniah, that was designed by Black Heritage Walks Network (BHWN), which you can read about in this BBC article here.

Quoting a friend and “fan”, “Benjamin was so open, open-minded, and defied stereotypes. Plus, he had a very good sense of humour! He also didn’t compromise his principles, and that’s quite rare in such successful and popular people.”

Zephaniah was also a strict and passionate vegan, animal rights campaigner, tai chi practitioner and teacher, staunch environmentalist and generally a lover of freedom of all kinds… his energy, passion and love for humanity and for the planet will be greatly missed by millions of people.

Special thanks to Wendy Henry & Sandra Agard for their support and contributions.