| Benjamin Zephaniah |
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EARLY LIFE Benjamin Zephaniah spent part of his childhood in Jamaica . He spent 2 years in prison as a young man for charges related to fighting {Link without Title} . However some sources state that Zephaniah was born in Black River, Jamaica (part of the British Empire until August 1962) PUBLICATIONS Zephaniah published his first book of poems, ''Pen Rhythm'', in 1980 . It was so well received that three editions were published. His album ''Rasta'', which featured The Wailers ' first recording since the death of Bob Marley as well as a tribute to Nelson Mandela , gained him international prestige The Brighton Magazine and topped the and soon-to-be South Africa n president, and in 1996, Mandela requested that Zephaniah host the president's Two Nations Concert at London 's Royal Albert Hall . REJECTION OF OBE In November 2003, Zephaniah wrote in '' (OBE) award from Queen Elizabeth II since it reminded him of ''"how my foremothers were raped and my forefathers brutalised"''. He continued to say ''"Stick it, Mr. Blair and Mrs. Queen, stop going on about empire."'' It was unusual to do so publicly, since the convention for rejecting the award is to do so privately. PERSONAL LIFE Zephaniah currently lives in East Ham , in East London and is a self-described passionate vegan. He is also the patron of the east London based anti-racist organisation Newham Monitoring Project . Benjamin is also a fan of Aston Villa Football Club. ACHIEVEMENTS Zephaniah has been awarded honorary doctorates by the University Of North London (in 1998), the University Of Central England (in 1999), Staffordshire University (in 2002), London South Bank University (in 2003), the University Of Exeter and the University Of Westminster (in 2006). DISCOGRAPHY
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