Benjamin Zephaniah

Benjamin Zephaniah was born and raised in Birmingham, but his poetry is strongly influenced by the music and poetry of Jamaica and what he calls ‘street politics’. In the early days his work was popular within the African-Caribbean and Asian communities in Handsworth but he wanted to speak to a more mainstream audience. Decades later, Benjamin’s accessible and eclectic repertoire, accompanied by numerous television appearances, have made him one of the UK’s best-loved performance poets.

Benjamin Zephaniah's show is part of the Refugee Week 2009 programme of events. This event is sponsored by Academi.