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Benjamin Zephania dead.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-67646607
Only 65 - a very sad loss.
Seen him live and read a lot of his stuff - he was one of the faces of modern Britain for me and a brilliant social commentator through his poems and performances - and champion of the white poppy.
He'll still be Talking Turkeys this Christmas.
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Re: Benjamin Zephania dead.
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Re: Benjamin Zephania dead.
Whilst I didn't agree with everything he said, he was thought-provoking, a great orator, and spoke with dignity and with a great frame of reference.
Always took notice when he spoke on QT and other shows.
RIP
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Re: Benjamin Zephania dead.
Inspirational, left school at 13 unable to read or write. Rip
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Re: Benjamin Zephania dead.
Quote:
Originally Posted by
North Cardiff Blue
Wrong thread or just too subtle for me? :shrug:
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Re: Benjamin Zephania dead.
The British
Take some Picts, Celts and Silures
And let them settle,
Then overrun them with Roman conquerors.
Remove the Romans after approximately 400 years
Add lots of Norman French to some
Angles, Saxons, Jutes and Vikings, then stir vigorously.
Mix some hot Chileans, cool Jamaicans, Dominicans,
Trinidadians and Bajans with some Ethiopians, Chinese,
Vietnamese and Sudanese.
Then take a blend of Somalians, Sri Lankans, Nigerians
And Pakistanis,
Combine with some Guyanese
And turn up the heat.
Sprinkle some fresh Indians, Malaysians, Bosnians,
Iraqis and Bangladeshis together with some
Afghans, Spanish, Turkish, Kurdish, Japanese
And Palestinians
Then add to the melting pot.
Leave the ingredients to simmer.
As they mix and blend allow their languages to flourish
Binding them together with English.
Allow time to be cool.
Add some unity, understanding, and respect for the future,
Serve with justice
And enjoy.
Note: All the ingredients are equally important. Treating one ingredient better than another will leave a bitter unpleasant taste.
Warning: An unequal spread of justice will damage the people and cause pain. Give justice and equality to all.
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Re: Benjamin Zephania dead.
Quote:
Originally Posted by
jon1959
The British
Take some Picts, Celts and Silures
And let them settle,
Then overrun them with Roman conquerors.
Remove the Romans after approximately 400 years
Add lots of Norman French to some
Angles, Saxons, Jutes and Vikings, then stir vigorously.
Mix some hot Chileans, cool Jamaicans, Dominicans,
Trinidadians and Bajans with some Ethiopians, Chinese,
Vietnamese and Sudanese.
Then take a blend of Somalians, Sri Lankans, Nigerians
And Pakistanis,
Combine with some Guyanese
And turn up the heat.
Sprinkle some fresh Indians, Malaysians, Bosnians,
Iraqis and Bangladeshis together with some
Afghans, Spanish, Turkish, Kurdish, Japanese
And Palestinians
Then add to the melting pot.
Leave the ingredients to simmer.
As they mix and blend allow their languages to flourish
Binding them together with English.
Allow time to be cool.
Add some unity, understanding, and respect for the future,
Serve with justice
And enjoy.
Note: All the ingredients are equally important. Treating one ingredient better than another will leave a bitter unpleasant taste.
Warning: An unequal spread of justice will damage the people and cause pain. Give justice and equality to all.
What a fantastic bloke
May he chill out forever
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Re: Benjamin Zephania dead.
Came to recite some of his poems at my school once. I wasn't expecting to enjoy listening to poetry but he was great.
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Re: Benjamin Zephania dead.
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Re: Benjamin Zephania dead.
I enjoyed this from the article in the Guardian
"In 2003, Zephaniah rejected his OBE. “Me? I thought, OBE me? Up yours, I thought,” he wrote in the Guardian. "
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1 Attachment(s)
Re: Benjamin Zephania dead.
Jeremiah 'Jimmy' Jesus in Peaky Blinders:
Attachment 5945
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Re: Benjamin Zephania dead.
That is sad he always came across as a tidy fella , very young , didn't always agree with his views but his views were well worth a listen as it is all about balance and individual freedoms to speak out which the UK provided him with .. unlike some other countries we can name .
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Re: Benjamin Zephania dead.
Quote:
Originally Posted by
life on mars
That is sad he always came across as a tidy fella , very young , didn't always agree with his views but his views were well worth a listen as it is all about balance and individual freedoms to speak out which the UK provided him with .. unlike some other countries we can name .
He wasn't a fan of your conservatives that's for sure
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Re: Benjamin Zephania dead.
Quote:
Originally Posted by
jon1959
Wrong thread or just too subtle for me? :shrug:
Just the first part, what another one! (lots of famous people passing away)
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Re: Benjamin Zephania dead.
Quote:
Originally Posted by
North Cardiff Blue
Just the first part, what another one! (lots of famous people passing away)
Everyone's at it
I am waiting for Braverman
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Re: Benjamin Zephania dead.
Quote:
Originally Posted by
jon1959
The British
Take some Picts, Celts and Silures
And let them settle,
Then overrun them with Roman conquerors.
Remove the Romans after approximately 400 years
Add lots of Norman French to some
Angles, Saxons, Jutes and Vikings, then stir vigorously.
Mix some hot Chileans, cool Jamaicans, Dominicans,
Trinidadians and Bajans with some Ethiopians, Chinese,
Vietnamese and Sudanese.
Then take a blend of Somalians, Sri Lankans, Nigerians
And Pakistanis,
Combine with some Guyanese
And turn up the heat.
Sprinkle some fresh Indians, Malaysians, Bosnians,
Iraqis and Bangladeshis together with some
Afghans, Spanish, Turkish, Kurdish, Japanese
And Palestinians
Then add to the melting pot.
Leave the ingredients to simmer.
As they mix and blend allow their languages to flourish
Binding them together with English.
Allow time to be cool.
Add some unity, understanding, and respect for the future,
Serve with justice
And enjoy.
Note: All the ingredients are equally important. Treating one ingredient better than another will leave a bitter unpleasant taste.
Warning: An unequal spread of justice will damage the people and cause pain. Give justice and equality to all.
As always, when someone dies, the eulogising goes overboard.
But that "poetry" below shouldn't be lauded as "brilliant" for the simple reason that the opening line has an obvious error. The Silures WERE Celts. The Picts were not Celts so yes they should be treated as a separate category. It cannot be "great" if the opening line is incorrect.
The rest of it is just flakey guff, trying to redefine Britishness. If you were white British living in Iran you would not be "Iranian". This is just simple logic. An Ethiopian living here isn't "British". He is an Ethiopian with a British passport - a citizen. Being precise and accurate is a de facto requirements of greatness, and being consistent at it. Someone may personally like it, but it is not "great".
My opinion is that he was a decent guy, of decent values, and had a good general talent in several areas. He made the best of little opportunity which shows depth of character. He could also show native white British guys the values of getting off your arse and applying yourselves to hard work, something many lazy Lefties could learn from in this country.
So for me, not a "great". Good, but not great. Morgan Freedman would be an example of a "great" for me, but not this chap.
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Re: Benjamin Zephania dead.
Quote:
Originally Posted by
Keyser Soze
So for me, not a "great". Good, but not great. Morgan Freedman would be an example of a "great" for me, but not this chap.
I suspect your last line has an obvious error. Who Morgan Freedman?
So sadly I can't laud your post as great, or even good. Maybe closer to 'flakey guff'?
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Re: Benjamin Zephania dead.
Quote:
Originally Posted by
Keyser Soze
As always, when someone dies, the eulogising goes overboard.
But that "poetry" below shouldn't be lauded as "brilliant" for the simple reason that the opening line has an obvious error. The Silures WERE Celts. The Picts were not Celts so yes they should be treated as a separate category. It cannot be "great" if the opening line is incorrect.
The rest of it is just flakey guff, trying to redefine Britishness. If you were white British living in Iran you would not be "Iranian". This is just simple logic. An Ethiopian living here isn't "British". He is an Ethiopian with a British passport - a citizen. Being precise and accurate is a de facto requirements of greatness, and being consistent at it. Someone may personally like it, but it is not "great".
My opinion is that he was a decent guy, of decent values, and had a good general talent in several areas. He made the best of little opportunity which shows depth of character. He could also show native white British guys the values of getting off your arse and applying yourselves to hard work, something many lazy Lefties could learn from in this country.
So for me, not a "great". Good, but not great. Morgan Freedman would be an example of a "great" for me, but not this chap.
Naturally, second generation or third generation might tick the "British box". But the first generation arrivals usually don't identify as "British" as they feel connected to other prior cultures. A lot of people say that stuff because it is warm, cuddly, and people-pleasing. Important to be kind and welcoming, but also not being false and inaccurate. It comes across as insincere, and I'd rather than an honest if slightly awkward sincerity, than insincere falseness which doesn't get it out in the open.
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Re: Benjamin Zephania dead.
Quote:
Originally Posted by
jon1959
I suspect your last line has an obvious error. Who Morgan Freedman?
So sadly I can't laud your post as great, or even good. Maybe closer to 'flakey guff'?
Touche, and correct you are. But I do not think at any point I claimed my post to be great!
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Re: Benjamin Zephania dead.
I liked him as a poet because most of his poetry rhymed - now that's what I call proper poetry. :hide:
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Re: Benjamin Zephania dead.
Quote:
Originally Posted by
Keyser Soze
As always, when someone dies, the eulogising goes overboard.
But that "poetry" below shouldn't be lauded as "brilliant" for the simple reason that the opening line has an obvious error. The Silures WERE Celts. The Picts were not Celts so yes they should be treated as a separate category. It cannot be "great" if the opening line is incorrect.
The rest of it is just flakey guff, trying to redefine Britishness. If you were white British living in Iran you would not be "Iranian". This is just simple logic. An Ethiopian living here isn't "British". He is an Ethiopian with a British passport - a citizen. Being precise and accurate is a de facto requirements of greatness, and being consistent at it. Someone may personally like it, but it is not "great".
My opinion is that he was a decent guy, of decent values, and had a good general talent in several areas. He made the best of little opportunity which shows depth of character. He could also show native white British guys the values of getting off your arse and applying yourselves to hard work, something many lazy Lefties could learn from in this country.
So for me, not a "great". Good, but not great. Morgan Freedman would be an example of a "great" for me, but not this chap.
I agree and romanticising the "melting pot" isn't great. All a bit simplistic. Ultimately, the melting pot destroys distinct cultures. And studies show that diversity reduces social cohesion.
Nevertheless RIP.
Perhaps a discussion for another day
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Re: Benjamin Zephania dead.
Don't listen to these tory idiots Benjamin
I mean are people going to remember Gary Barlow for his dreadful songwriting or the fact he was a tax dodging conservative supporting fatty ?
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Re: Benjamin Zephania dead.
He was a strong advocate for multiculturalism, not cultural uniformity as seen here in his piece on the Eisteddfod
https://www.bbc.co.uk/cymrufyw/33841602?s=09
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Re: Benjamin Zephania dead.
Quote:
Originally Posted by
SLUDGE FACTORY
Don't listen to these tory idiots Benjamin
I mean are people going to remember Gary Barlow for his dreadful songwriting or the fact he was a tax dodging conservative supporting fatty ?
You are gonna give yourself an ulcer with your hatred of the Tories. Most of us know what a greedy and out of touch mob they are, but you need to chill a bit and get yourself a woman.
It sounds like you’ve been shagging the palm of your hand for way too long.
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Re: Benjamin Zephania dead.
Quote:
Originally Posted by
William Treseder
You are gonna give yourself an ulcer with your hatred of the Tories. Most of us know what a greedy and out of touch mob they are, but you need to chill a bit and get yourself a woman.
It sounds like you’ve been shagging the palm of your hand for way too long.
And yet another thread gets derailed.
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Re: Benjamin Zephania dead.
Quote:
Originally Posted by
Robin Friday's Ghost
And yet another thread gets derailed.
By the sanctimonious guff of two tory boys further up analysing the poetic skills of a legend of modern multicultural Britain
I reserve the right to reply
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Re: Benjamin Zephania dead.
Quote:
Originally Posted by
William Treseder
You are gonna give yourself an ulcer with your hatred of the Tories. Most of us know what a greedy and out of touch mob they are, but you need to chill a bit and get yourself a woman.
It sounds like you’ve been shagging the palm of your hand for way too long.
I gave that up a long time ago , it's too much effort
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Re: Benjamin Zephania dead.
I'll bow to the general view that he was a great poet. It didn't really do much for me. I always thought Linton Kwezi Johnson portrayed the black British experience better.
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Re: Benjamin Zephania dead.
Quote:
Originally Posted by
SLUDGE FACTORY
Don't listen to these tory idiots Benjamin
I mean are people going to remember Gary Barlow for his dreadful songwriting or the fact he was a tax dodging conservative supporting fatty ?
Well done sludge for getting your favourite word (Tory) into a rip thread…..smashing stuff:ayatollah:
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Re: Benjamin Zephania dead.
Quote:
Originally Posted by
Keyser Soze
As always, when someone dies, the eulogising goes overboard.
But that "poetry" below shouldn't be lauded as "brilliant" for the simple reason that the opening line has an obvious error. The Silures WERE Celts. The Picts were not Celts so yes they should be treated as a separate category. It cannot be "great" if the opening line is incorrect.
The rest of it is just flakey guff, trying to redefine Britishness. If you were white British living in Iran you would not be "Iranian". This is just simple logic. An Ethiopian living here isn't "British". He is an Ethiopian with a British passport - a citizen. Being precise and accurate is a de facto requirements of greatness, and being consistent at it. Someone may personally like it, but it is not "great".
My opinion is that he was a decent guy, of decent values, and had a good general talent in several areas. He made the best of little opportunity which shows depth of character. He could also show native white British guys the values of getting off your arse and applying yourselves to hard work, something many lazy Lefties could learn from in this country.
So for me, not a "great". Good, but not great. Morgan Freedman would be an example of a "great" for me, but not this chap.
Rather than focus too much on what he actually wrote about, he’s bound to focus on stuff he felt relevant growing up in a dark and openly racist uk in the 70’s….moreover how he turned his life around after leaving school with nothing at 13, coming from a violent family setting in a poor area of Birmingham. Good on him
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Re: Benjamin Zephania dead.
What I think of him is neither here nor there although it's interesting what passes for "great" these days. What stood out for me was that he was diagnosed 8 weeks ago and he went as quick as the seasons change. Made me pause. Maybe I'll take up poetry.
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Re: Benjamin Zephania dead.
Quote:
Originally Posted by
goats
Well done sludge for getting your favourite word (Tory) into a rip thread…..smashing stuff:ayatollah:
Thank god its not Thatcher who died eh
When she due to go ?
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Re: Benjamin Zephania dead.
Quote:
Originally Posted by
Robin Friday's Ghost
I'll bow to the general view that he was a great poet. It didn't really do much for me. I always thought Linton Kwezi Johnson portrayed the black British experience better.
It's a sad loss. I must admit I made the same comparison.
LKJ recorded some incredibly powerful stuff, especially late 70s/early 80s, which certainly made a big impression on me at the time. Maybe with his dub poet/reggae style, he was more niche though.
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Re: Benjamin Zephania dead.
Quote:
Originally Posted by
SLUDGE FACTORY
By the sanctimonious guff of two tory boys further up analysing the poetic skills of a legend of modern multicultural Britain
I reserve the right to reply
"..a legend of modern multicultural Britain". I doubt many would have known who he was, and even fewer if it wasn't for his appearances in Peaky Blinders as the 'token black'.
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Re: Benjamin Zephania dead.
Quote:
Originally Posted by
A Quiet Monkfish
"..a legend of modern multicultural Britain". I doubt many would have known who he was, and even fewer if it wasn't for his appearances in Peaky Blinders as the 'token black'.
I think you're wrong about the level of name recognition for Benjamin Zephania.
Although I agree most people won't know much or anything about him - a black poet, musician and activist that has never appeared on Strictly - many do. I first noticed his name in the early 80s when 'Rasta' was released.
I hope and expect that Villa will do something to mark his passing at the game against Arsenal tomorrow.
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Re: Benjamin Zephania dead.
Quote:
Originally Posted by
City123
A pro immigration piece from the Beeb, i'm shocked.
When taken to it's logical conclusion Multiculturalism ends up in a nondescript gloop, as distinct cultures merge and disappear.
Do you honestly think an immigrant cares enough to keep the Welsh culture as we know it alive? If you answer yes i think you're full of wishful thinking.
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Re: Benjamin Zephania dead.
Quote:
Originally Posted by
NinianOpinion1927
A pro immigration piece from the Beeb, i'm shocked.
When taken to it's logical conclusion Multiculturalism ends up in a nondescript gloop, as distinct cultures merge and disappear.
Do you honestly think an immigrant cares enough to keep the Welsh culture as we know it alive? If you answer yes i think you're full of wishful thinking.
The world is better off for inter racial sex , marriage and coffee coloured kids
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Re: Benjamin Zephania dead.
Nice article in the Guardian
As we mourn Benjamin Zephaniah’s death, learn this lesson from his brilliant life
https://www.theguardian.com/commenti...droidApp_Other
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1 Attachment(s)
Re: Benjamin Zephania dead.
Quote:
Originally Posted by
jon1959
I think you're wrong about the level of name recognition for Benjamin Zephania.
Although I agree most people won't know much or anything about him - a black poet, musician and activist that has never appeared on Strictly - many do. I first noticed his name in the early 80s when 'Rasta' was released.
I hope and expect that Villa will do something to mark his passing at the game against Arsenal tomorrow.
Attachment 5951
