Professor Benjamin Zephaniah, who has died aged 65, was a poet, writer, musician, actor, BAFTA winner, national treasure – and a prized professor at 蜜桃传媒.
Benjamin took up his first ever academic position when in 2011 he joined Brunel as Chair of Creative Writing. Already widely known for poetry which talked about issues that related to Black people and made them universal, as well as for his activism for animal rights and veganism, Birmingham-born Benjamin was a self-identified anarchist. He was ‘very’ dyslexic, had left school at 13 unable to read or write, and drifted into petty crime and gangs. Fiercely anti-establishment, he had publicly turned down an OBE because of its ties to slavery and in protest against the Iraq war. So pivoting to become a professor – and joining the establishment – was a radical career move.
Commenting at the time, Benjamin said that, with becoming an academic, he felt very nervous about the word ‘teach’. “It’s about sharing my knowledge and inspiring people,” he said, and insisted that he did not want to “duplicate other people. I want to do something original. The area in which I am most well known is performance poetry. I’d like to make this place known for performance poetry.”
His nervousness would have been at least partially alleviated by the hero’s welcome he received during his walkabout on his first day in post. Dr Max Kinnings, Reader in Creative Writing at Brunel, had been asked to show Benjamin around campus. Reminiscing during a BBC News interview yesterday, Max said: “It took about an hour and a half because everywhere he went, people wanted to stop and talk to him. A couple of people even wanted to hug him – which he was quite happy to oblige.”
The effortless, inspirational way in which Benjamin’s writing reached out to readers mirrored the unique way in which he connected with Brunel students, through his performance poetry and other modules. And, indeed, from day one, when he sat in on Max’s comedy writing lectures to get a sense of the academic delivery on the programme. “The topic under discussion in class that day was the rise of alternative comedy in the late 1970s and early 1980s,” Max wrote in a tribute. “We discussed the DIY aesthetic of punk and the rise of spoken word and stand-up comedy. This was obviously something that Benjamin was very much a part of at the time and he threw himself into the conversation, his easy-going and infinitely approachable demeanour, breaking down any sense of a barrier between young third-year undergraduate students and the cultural icon in their midst. He was fascinating, and empowered the students to discuss their own lives and experiences.”
Benjamin’s career continued to thrive throughout his professorship. The Hillingdon Literary Festival, held on Brunel’s campus for the West London community, was launched in 2015, with Benjamin co-hosting a children’s poetry party and performing with local poets. “Both of my events are about making poetry more accessible and giving people the space to express themselves. This is all about the poets and the audience. I’m just the messenger,” he said, with trademark humility. He supported the festival year after year, as well as appearing on panels at events on campus and more widely, discussing poetry, diversity, challenging norms and giving voice to the underrepresented.
Between 2013 and 2022, he had a major acting role, as Jeremiah ‘Jimmy’ Jesus, in the BBC period crime drama Peaky Blinders. And the publication of his 2018 autobiography, ‘The Life and Rhymes of Benjamin Zephaniah’, was a critically acclaimed reflection on his life, struggles and achievements thus far.
His trailblazing poetry show, Life & Rhymes, was aired over four episodes in 2020 and was billed as the first of its kind – a TV show solely dedicated to celebrating the UK’s best poetry and spoken word talent. “We gave voice to so many people that felt unheard,” Benjamin said. “They were just so pleased to be on stage and to have an audience to perform to. They did poems about mental health and poems about violence against women. They did poems about being cooped up in a council flat on the tenth floor. They did poems about sexuality, about kissing. The whole range. And people need to hear that.” The brilliance of the show led Benjamin’s show to a BAFTA.
In 2022, the British Academy elected him as an Honorary Fellow. “To be honest, I didn’t know much about them,” he said at the time. “And I’m not very good with big institutions. But some artists who I really respect, they said it’s a good idea. So yes, I accept. It’s something I think is quite progressive. And if it helps artists communicate and share ideas, that’s positive.”
On hearing the news of Benjamin’s death, Professor Andrew Jones, Brunel’s Vice-Chancellor and President, said: “Many in the Brunel community will be very greatly saddened by this news. Benjamin made an immense contribution to the life of the university and transformed the lives of many students as well as colleagues. He leaves a huge hole in the Brunel community and will be enormously missed.”
Among tributes penned to Benjamin, Dr Jessica Cox, Division Lead for English and Creative Writing at Brunel, wrote: “Benjamin’s brilliance was a matter of public record – evident in his activism, poetry, books, music, television and radio work… the list goes on. He was also incredibly warm, generous, and funny – and always willing to make time for everyone. Those lucky enough to have met him could be left in no doubt of the reason for his success: a natural born storyteller, even the most mundane conversation (about the weather, holidays, university admin…) was transformed into something else in his presence, giving way to amazing anecdotes about a life so full, so vibrant, it seems impossible now to contemplate his loss. A wonderful colleague, and an inspirational figure for our students, his death leaves a huge gap at the heart of our division.”
Chris Cox, Brunel’s Head of Arts and Humanities, added: “It was a privilege to have worked with Benjamin at Brunel – his ability to make everything count was incredible. He could talk about anything and I would hang on every word because he cared so completely about everything he did. Benjamin brought with him a wealth of experiences and could turn them into anecdotes from which we all learnt about dignity, oppression, language and life. He was hugely popular amongst our students and staff and he will be incredibly missed by us all, although I hope we will all celebrate being lucky enough to have known him. All our love and thoughts go to his family.”
At a time when Brunel is coming to terms with Benjamin’s death, Max remembered how Benjamin helped him on a similar occasion. “Aware of my grief when my mother passed away a few years ago, Benjamin spontaneously delivered his poem, , to me – one to one in his office – to cheer me up. It was typical Benjamin: kind, thoughtful and bursting with emotional intelligence. It was also incredibly moving, and I will never forget his animated facial expressions and unmistakable delivery as he reached out to me through his art, as an act of kindness and reassurance.
“Benjamin was one of life’s good guys. I’ll miss him enormously, as I know we all will.”
Read Dr Max Kinning's tribute to Professor Benjamin Zephaniah in full.
Reported by:
Joe Buchanunn,
Media Relations
+44 (0)1895 268821
joe.buchanunn@brunel.ac.uk