57 | Benjamin Zephaniah

57 | Benjamin Zephaniah

From Relatively by Pocket Productions Ltd

January 23, 2023 · 35 min

About this episode

Benjamin Zephaniah discusses his childhood experiences and the meaning of brotherhood.

Benjamin Zephaniah describes himself as a "Poet, writer, lyricist, musician and naughty boy." He is the son of a Barbadian postman and a Jamaican nurse and was born in Handsworth the 'Jamaican capital of England'. Benjamin attended over 15 schools as a child, moving regularly with his mother to evade his father, who was abusive. Unusually, Benjamin grew up separately from his siblings, who stayed with their dad. This means that the brothers and sisters are not close, and have almost the opposite story to tell about their childhoods. In this episode we talk about that, about what brotherhood means, about being the 'cock of the school' and how community organising after the death of Benjamin's cousin did something to repair the sibling bonds. ** Keep listening to after the music for a poetry treat!** Relatively is brought to you in partnership with leading family history website, Findmypast. With family records you won’t find anywhere else and easy-to-use tools to help your family tree bloom, Findmypast is the perfect place to explore your ancestors’ amazing stories. Start building your family tree for free at Findmypast today. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more…

People in this episode

Guest: Benjamin Zephaniah

Topics covered

  • poetry
  • childhood
  • brotherhood
  • community organizing
  • family history

Keywords

  • poet
  • writer
  • musician
  • sibling bonds
  • community

Sponsors

Findmypast

Mentioned in this episode

Places: Barbadian, Jamaican, Handsworth

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