Benjamin Zephania in Luton

004 BENJAMIN ZEPHANIAH IN LUTONDownload

Benjamin Zephaniah: The Poet of the People

Benjamin Zephaniah’s name resonates with power, passion, and profound poetry. Born on April 15, 1958, in Birmingham, England, Zephaniah emerged as one of the most influential and outspoken voices in contemporary British literature. His life and works are a testament to the enduring power of the written word and the impact of a committed activist’s voice. Zephaniah passed away on 7 December, 2023, at the age of 65, after being diagnosed with a brain tumour just eight weeks prior.

Benjamin Obadiah Iqbal Zephaniah was born into a working-class Jamaican family in the Handsworth district of Birmingham. His upbringing in a vibrant, multicultural community profoundly influenced his worldview and literary voice. The experiences of racism, poverty, police brutality, and economic inequality in his youth became central themes in his work, driving his commitment to social justice and community empowerment.

for more go here – https://www.blackhistorymonth.org.uk/article/section/poets-corner/benjamin-zephaniah-the-poet-of-the-people/

It Was Six Years Ago (written 1988)

Soldiers on Falkland Islands

They sallied forth in parallel lines
Their bleating dying in the midnight air
The escaping of men, marching in rigid time
From domestic chores to be there,

Falklands bound with the crowing
Of journalistic banter in their ears,
The armies at least released into warring
“Give ‘em a bloody nose and thick ear”

Smutty jokes and puking nervous boys
Given their orders as if holidaying in Spain,
The forces of politically directed toys
Entering the final bloody stage.

Reputations intact
Motivations react
The Falklands folly
Was a sorry tale
The architect is woman bound
Who only wanted her job returned.
Survivors and veterans in fact
The lonely widowed wives
Counting out time
Counting the lives
The Merry Warring song.

Professor Sikka Advice to Chancellor

Here’s how the chancellor can raise the billions needed to improve the quality of life of millions

Prem Sikka is an Emeritus Professor of Accounting at the University of Essex and the University of Sheffield, a Labour member of the House of Lords, and Contributing Editor at Left Foot Forward.

Prem states: “Minister Andy Burnham faces a difficult task in changing the UK’s economic fortunes. The decline is due to the obsession with neoliberalism, which has failed to improve the quality of life for millions. Chancellor John Healey’s first budget offers a chance to improve the purchasing power of the bottom 50% of the population, which in turn will increase people’s disposable incomes, invigorate local economy and fuel economic growth.”

for more go to – https://leftfootforward.org/2026/09/heres-how-the-chancellor-can-raise-the-billions-needed-to-improve-the-quality-of-life-of-millions/

Here’s how the chancellor can raise the billions needed to improve the quality of life of millions