It is rare for the death of a poet to be a lead story on the major TV news channels in the UK and announced on the front page of a national newspaper.
But Benjamin Zephaniah was exceptional in so many ways. He was acclaimed as the people’s poet, a successful actor and highly influential campaigner. Benjamin was awarded an honorary Doctor of Letters by UWE Bristol in 1999 in recognition of his outstanding contribution to the art of poetry and to greater understanding between diverse peoples.
Professor Marie Mulvey-Roberts (Professor of English Literature at UWE Bristol) and Professor Shawn Sobers (Professor – Cultural Interdisciplinary Practice at UWE Bristol) are both immensely proud to have called him their friend.
They share with us their memories, commemorating a truly remarkable and visionary person whose powerful work and wisdom has made such a difference to the world.
Marie Mulvey-Roberts’ tribute
I first came across Benjamin at a conference organised by Lifelines, a British charity dedicated to writing letters to prisoners on America’s death row. A prisoner himself in his youth, Benjamin went on to become a supporter and advocate for prisoners, not least through his poetry. ‘
I discussed with him an idea for helping prisoners on death row by organising a poetry competition. Benjamin was very enthusiastic and offered to be a judge. Results from the competition were published in a book called Out of the Night: Writings from Death Row (1994) which he helped me put together. He also gave me one of his own poems to include in the book, To be Seen, To Be Done. It was launched in Westminster Hall, Houses of Parliament in Jan 1995 and won the LifeLines Book of the Year award.
Back of Out of the Night: Writings from Death Row (1994) picturing Marie Mulvey-Roberts and Benjamin Zephaniah
Benjamin was insistent that all the prisoners who entered the competition be given a prize, which we managed to make happen. He fully approved of the decision for our royalties to be donated to a legal charity in capital defence, which has subsequently helped fund law students from universities, including UWE Bristol, to work as interns on appellate cases in the US.
I nominated Benjamin for an honorary Doctor of Letters at UWE Bristol. Prior to that, Professor Madge Dresser (then Professor in History with a specialism in the history of the slave trade and the position of religious and ethnic minorities in British society) had arranged for Benjamin to talk to her students about black history to their huge delight.
In an interview, many years after the Lifelines project, Benjamin identified Out of the Night: Writings from Death Row as his most important book.
Benjamin wrote an inscription on the title page bearing both our names, in which I am proud to have been called ‘sista’ by him.
Shawn Sobers’ tribute
It is no exaggeration to say that Benjamin Zephaniah has been a support to me for my entire career. I first contacted him in 1995 when I was in my 2nd year at university.
I sent him a letter, and in reply he rang me at my student house. I’ll never forget the face of my housemate Joe when he handed me the phone.
I first got the opportunity to work with him in 1999, when we collaborated on making the documentary Footsteps of the Emperor, for ITV West, about Emperor Haile Selassie’s time living in the city of Bath.
During a lunch break from filming, we ate in the canteen at the HTV Studios on Bath Rd. I introduced him to my colleague Sam and a young person I was mentoring called Mark. Both had dyslexia, and Benjamin was very open about his own dyslexia, and generous sharing his experience about how to manage it and what was possible – anything was possible, if he could do it anyone could do it. He talked about other authors and accomplished people who had dyslexia and presented it as his hidden superpower.
Over the years we chatted, not often, but when we did it was meaningful and deep on all levels – personal, professional and spiritual. He was an incredibly busy person, but when he had time, he was incredibly generous with it, and could spend hours on the phone reasoning and putting the world to rights. He was our surprise guest in 2021 at a reunion screening of Footsteps of the Emperor, for my AHRC funded Freedom in the City Festival.
Although it was an online event due to covid, his infectious presence and smile lit up the screen and he fully held the audience with his memories and stories. Very graciously he said that out of all the tv work he’s done, besides Peaky Blinders, Footsteps is perhaps the work he’s asked about most.
Even up to last year, Benjamin kindly proofread my book Black Everyday Lives, Material Culture and Narrative: Tings in de House and gave me my first review and endorsement. He has literally been with me throughout my career. I’ve always remembered the advice he gave me on the phone back in 1995, when he rang my student house.
“Whatever you make, and whatever you write, the main thing is to be honest. Just be honest.”
Benjamin’s advice to Shawn
I have seen how Benjamin has lived up to his own advice throughout his career, whether that’s in his poetry, autobiography, novels, through to him featuring on programmes such as Question Time speaking truth to power, and in how he generally carried himself as an individual. He was truly an inspirational and visionary person, ahead of his time and not of this time. I thank him for all he has done for me personally, and for wider humanity. He made a difference in this world.
JAH Bless you my brother Zephaniah in your next footsteps. I am honoured to have called you my friend.
Words taken from Shawn’s blog Personal Tribute for Professor Ras Benjamin Zephaniah | Dr Shawn Naphtali Sobers’ blog ——– thoughts, images and things. (wordpress.com).
UWE Bristol alumni – quick links
Sign up for offers and fundraising and update your details
Join Alumni Connect online mentoring network