Benjamin Zephaniah.mov

Performance poet and cultural icon, Benjamin Zephaniah was at St Edmund's College Cambridge in June 2011 to present the results of a poetry competition bearing his name. The poetry prize organised by the Cambridge University Political Forum had received more than 60 submissions which drew from a wide range of traditions from medieval lyrics right through to rap. However, the main theme of the event was creative political poetry that propels social change.
In this interview before the event Benjamin Zephaniah talks, amongst other things, about his poetry and politics.
Neighbours
I am the type you are supposed to fear
Black and foreign
Big and dreadlocks
An uneducated grass eater.
I talk in tongues
I chant at night
I appear anywhere,
I sleep with lions
And when the moon gets me
I am a Wailer.
I am moving in
Next door to you
So you can get to know me,
You will see my shadow
In the bathroom window,
My aromas will occupy
Your space,
Our ball will be in your court.
How will you feel?
You should feel good
You have been chosen.
I am the type you are supposed to love
Dark and mysterious
Tall and natural
Thinking, tea total.
I talk in schools
I sing on TV
I am in the papers,
I keep cool cats
And when the sun is shining
I go Carnival