Benjamin Zephaniah
Our wonderful client Benjamin Zephaniah tragically passed away in the early hours of Thursday, 7th November 2023 after being diagnosed with a brain tumour eight weeks prior. In the wake of his passing, a statement on instagram was posted, saying “We shared him with the world and we know many will be shocked and saddened by this news,”. Since then, tributes to the poet, wirter and activist have poured in.
Benjamin was born and raised in in Handsworth, Birmingham, the son of a Barbadian postman and a Jamican nurse. He was dyslexic and left school aged 13, unable to read or write. Despite this, at the age of 22, having moved to London, he published his first book, Pen Rhythm. His early work became known for its use of dub poetry, a Jamaican style of work that has evolved into the music genre of the same name.
His profile continued to grow and as it did, he became a familiar face on our tv screens. His legacy includes novels, poetry, childrens books, music, TV and an abundance of activism, spanning education, racism, anti-colonialism and animal rights. Through this he has left an eduring mark on the world and in people’s hearts, with the Black Writer’s Guild describing him as ‘a titan of British Literature’ and Sir Lenny Henry asserting ‘His passion for poetry, his advocacy for education for all was tireless’.
Similar sentiments are echoed here at United Voices, and the United Agents.
In honour of his memory we would like to share one of his poems.
People Will Always Need People - Benjamin Zephaniah
People need people,
To walk to
To talk to
To cry and rely on,
People will always need people.
To love and to miss
To hug and to kiss,
It’s useful to have other people.
To whom to moan
If you’re all alone,
It’s so hard to share
When no one is there.
There’s not much to do
When there’s no one but you.
People will always need people.
To please
To tease
To put you at ease,
People will always need people.
To make life appealing
And give life some meaning,
It’s useful to have other people.
It you need a change
To whom will you turn.
If you need a lesson
From whom will you learn.
If you need to play
You’ll know why I say
People will always need people.
As girlfriends
As boyfriends
From Bombay
To Ostend,
People will always need people-
To have friendly fights with
And share tasty bites with,
It’s useful to have other people.
People live in families
Gangs, posses and packs,
Its seems we need company
Before we relax,
So stop making enemies
And let’s face the facts,
People will always need people,
Yes
People will always need people.