BENJAMIN ZEPHANIAH https encryptedtbn 3 gstatic comimages qtbn

BENJAMIN ZEPHANIAH https: //encrypted-tbn 3. gstatic. com/images? q=tbn: ANd 9 Gc. Rn. P 2 QHDHOWPXIKJCOBBIHFe 0 hwn. Nj. AKluzv. Nm 9 x. TFTl. Rmk. S 3 W

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BIOGRAPHY • His full name is Benjamin Obadiah Iqbal Zephaniah. • He was born in 1958, in Birmingham, England, but he spent part of his childhood in Jamaica, his parents’ homeland. • His father is a postman and his mother is a nurse. His father was born in Barbados and his mother in Jamaica. http: //uaf. org. uk/wp-content/uploads/2010/08/zephaniah 1 -221 x 300. jpg

BIOGRAPHY • He had a difficult childhood: he was expelled from school many times. • He was in prison for burglary when he was a teenager. http: //ecx. images-amazon. com/images/I/512 y. Qz. A 6 Tg. L. _AA 160_. jpg

BIOGRAPHY http: //www 2. hull. ac. uk/images/benjamin_zephaniah 2. jpg • When he left prison, he enrolled at a school for adults and decided to change his life. • He published his first book of poetry in 1980. It is called Pen Rhythm. • Now, he works as a writer and he is an honorary doctor in many universities in England. He is also o novelist, a musician, a TV presenter http: //img 1. fantasticfiction. co. uk/images/c 3/c 1 8297. jpg

HOBBIES • Benjamin likes: • Jogging • Kung Fu • Football • Collecting old bank notes • Exploring woods and forests http: //benjaminzephaniah. com/wpcontent/uploads/2012/07/Kung-Fu-Trip. jpg

INTERESTING FACTS http: //www. lozells. info/images/madibazephaniah. jpg • Nelson Mandela was one of Zephaniah’s admirers. .

INTERESTING FACTS • He hates animal cruelty, blood sports & violence. http: //www. banbloodsports. com/images/ze phaniah. jpg

INTERESTING FACTS • He is a Rastafarian. • Benjamin is a dub poet (he performs his poems with reggae rhythms).

ZEPHANIAH’S PHRASES • “I started writing poetry because I didn’t like poetry. ” • “This planet is for everyone, borders are for no one. It's all about freedom. ” • “I think poetry should be alive. You should be able to dance it”. • “The way animals are carted around reminds me of the slavery of my people. . . The slavery of animals has to be ended too. ”