Benjamin Zephaniah is a poet and author from the United Kingdom. Benjamin Zephaniah is a prominent Rastafarian spoken-word poet known for Pen Rhythm, The Dread Affair: Collected Poems, and Funky Chickens. In 1982, he was also able to release his internationally recognized spoken-word CD, Rasta.
Quick Facts
| Full Name: | Benjamin Zephaniah |
|---|---|
| Born Date: | April 15, 1958 |
| Age: | 65 years |
| Horoscope: | Aries |
| Lucky Number: | 6 |
| Lucky Stone: | Diamond |
| Lucky Color: | Red |
| Best Match for Marriage: | Leo |
| Gender: | Male |
| Profession: | Poet, Writer |
| Country: | England |
| Height: | 5 feet 6 inches (1.68m) |
| Marital Status: | divorce |
| Divorce | Amina |
| Net Worth | $1.1M |
| Eye Color | Dark Brown |
| Hair Color | Dark Brown |
| Birth Place | Handsworth, Birmingham |
| Nationality | British |
| Ethnicity | Barbadian-Jamaican |
| Religion | Christian |
| Education | Broadway Academy |
| Siblings | One (Velda Zephaniah) |
Benjamin Zephaniah Biography
Benjamin Zephaniah was born in Handsworth, Birmingham, England, on April 15, 1958. He is 65 years old and born under the sign of Aries. He is British and goes by the name Benjamin Obadiah Iqbal Zephaniah.
Benjamin’s parents’ names are not available at the moment. He is, nevertheless, the son of a Barbadian mail carrier and a Jamaican nurse. He also has a sister, Velda Zephaniah. And his parents reared him in Birmingham, England’s Handsworth district, which he refers to as the “Jamaican capital of Europe.” Regarding his youth, he is dyslexic and attended an approved school until he was 13 years old due to his inability to read or write. Additionally, Zephaniah was a student at Broadway Academy.
He was given an old manual typewriter during that period, which he credits for inspiring him to pursue a career as a writer. His manual typewriter is presently in the Birmingham Museums Trust collection. Similarly, he earned a criminal record and served a prison sentence for burglary when he was young.
Height And Weight
Benjamin Zephaniah stands at 5 feet 6 inches tall, but his weight and other physical parameters are now being evaluated. Additionally, Zephaniah is a dark brown-haired man with dark brown eyes.
Career
Benjamin Zephaniah’s poetry is heavily influenced by Jamaican music and poetry, as well as by what he refers to as “street politics.” And at the age of 11, he gave his first performance in church, and by the age of 15, his poetry had gained popularity among Handsworth’s Afro-Caribbean and Asian communities. However, his poetry remained restricted to black people, and when he grew bored of the restrictions, he decided to broaden his audience and moved to London at 22.
Benjamin, likewise, was able to participate actively in a workers’ co-operative in Stratford, London. This eventually resulted in publishing his first collection of poems, “Pen Rhythm” (Page One Books, 1980). Additionally, he remarked that his mission is to combat poetry’s stale image in academia and to “spread [it] everywhere” to people who do not read books, which is why he transformed poetry readings into concert-style performances. Additionally, he has two other poetry collections, “The Dread Affair: Collected Poems (1985)” and “Rasta Time in Palestine (1990).
Benjamin Zephaniah was able to release the album “Rasta” in 1982, which earned him international recognition and topped the Yugoslavian music charts. He has also appeared in Peaky Blinders and Q.I. Benjamin, too, self-identifies as an anarchist.
Benjamin Zephaniah Net Worth
He has a net worth of $1.1 million as of February 2024, according to idolnetworth, and his primary source of income must be his work as a poet and writer.
Benjamin Zephaniah Girlfriend, Dating
He was married to Amina, a theatre administrator, for twelve years. They separated in 2001. He even acknowledged striking her during their relationship. He also admitted to hitting several of his other women. Similarly, his family was Christian, but he converted to Rastafari early. In his forties, he also quit smoking cannabis. Zephaniah is also an Aston Villa F.C. follower and patronizes an Aston Villa supporters’ website.
