Poet refuses OBE

SuperMike! · 27th November 2003, 07:51 PM

It's all here

Benjamin Zephaniah rejected the offer of an OBE because he claims it stands for colonial brutality and slavery.

SuperMike! · 27th November 2003, 11:31 PM

Here's more fae the man himself! No sure where it's from tho...

Angry: Benjamin Zephaniah

I woke up on the morning of November 13 wondering how the government could be overthrown and what could replace it, and then I noticed a letter from the prime minister's office. It said: "The prime minister has asked me to inform you, in strict confidence, that he has in mind, on the occasion of the forthcoming list of New Year's honours to submit your name to the Queen with a recommendation that Her Majesty may be graciously pleased to approve that you be appointed an officer of the Order of the British Empire."

Me? I thought, OBE me? Up yours, I thought. I get angry when I hear that word "empire"; it reminds me of slavery, it reminds of thousands of years of brutality, it reminds me of how my foremothers were raped and my forefathers brutalised. It is because of this concept of empire that my British education led me to believe that the history of black people started with slavery and that we were born slaves, and should therefore be grateful that we were given freedom by our caring white masters. It is because of this idea of empire that black people like myself don't even know our true names or our true historical culture. I am not one of those who are obsessed with their roots, and I'm certainly not suffering from a crisis of identity; my obsession is about the future and the political rights of all people. Benjamin Zephaniah OBE - no way Mr Blair, no way Mrs Queen. I am profoundly anti-empire.

There's something very strange about receiving a letter from Tony Blair's office asking me if I want to accept this award. In the past couple of months I've been on Blair's doorstep a few times. I have begged him to come out and meet me; I have been longing for a conversation with him, but he won't come out, and now here he is asking me to meet him at the palace! I was there with a million people on February 15, and the last time I was there was just a couple of weeks ago. My cousin, Michael Powell, was arrested and taken to Thornhill Road police station in Birmingham where he died. Now, I know how he died. The whole of Birmingham knows how he died, but in order to get this article published and to be politically (or journalistically) correct, I have to say that he died in suspicious circumstances. The police will not give us any answers. We have not seen or heard anything of all the reports and investigations we were told were going to take place. Now, all that my family can do is join with all the other families who have lost members while in custody because no one in power is listening to us. Come on Mr Blair, I'll meet you anytime. Let's talk about your Home Office, let's talk about being tough on crime.

This OBE thing is supposed to be for my services to literature, but there are a whole lot of writers who are better than me, and they're not involved in the things that I'm involved in. All they do is write; I spend most of my time doing other things. If they want to give me one of these empire things, why can't they give me one for my work in animal rights? Why can't they give me one for my struggle against racism? What about giving me one for all the letters I write to innocent people in prisons who have been framed? I may just consider accepting some kind of award for my services on behalf of the millions of people who have stood up against the war in Iraq. It's such hard work - much harder than writing poems.

And hey, if Her Majesty may be graciously pleased to lay all that empire stuff on me, why can't she write to me herself. Let's cut out the middleman - she knows me. The last time we met, it was at a concert I was hosting. She came backstage to meet me. That didn't bother me; lots of people visit my dressing room after performances. Me and the South African performers I was working with that night thought it rather funny that we had a royal groupie. She's a bit stiff but she's a nice old lady. Let me make it clear: I have nothing against her or the royal family. It is the institution of the monarchy that I loathe so very much, the monarchy that still refuses to apologise for sanctioning slavery.

There is a part of me that hopes that after writing this article I shall never be considered as a Poet Laureate or an OBE sucker again. Let this put an end to it. This may lose me some of my writing friends; some people may never want to work with me again, but the truth is I think OBEs compromise writers and poets, and laureates suddenly go soft - in the past I've even written a poem, Bought and Sold, saying that.

There are many black writers who love OBEs, it makes them feel like they have made it. When it suits them, they embrace the struggle against the ruling class and the oppression they visit upon us, but then they join the oppressors' club. They are so easily seduced into the great house of Babylon known as the palace. For them, a wonderful time is meeting the Queen and bowing before her presence.

I was shocked to see how many of my fellow writers jumped at the opportunity to go to Buckingham Palace when the Queen had her "meet the writers day" on July 9 2002, and I laughed at the pathetic excuses writers gave for going. "I did it for my mum"; "I did it for my kids"; "I did it for the school"; "I did it for the people", etc. I have even heard black writers who have collected OBEs saying that it is "symbolic of how far we have come". Oh yes, I say, we've struggled so hard just to get a minute with the Queen and we are so very grateful - not.

I've never heard of a holder of the OBE openly criticising the monarchy. They are officially friends, and that's what this cool Britannia project is about. It gives OBEs to cool rock stars, successful businesswomen and blacks who would be militant in order to give the impression that it is inclusive. Then these rock stars, successful women, and ex-militants write to me with the OBE after their name as if I should be impressed. I'm not. Quite the opposite - you've been had.

Writers and artists who see themselves as working outside the establishment are constantly being accused of selling out as soon as they have any kind of success. I've been called a sell-out for selling too many books, for writing books for children, for performing at the Royal Albert Hall, for going on Desert Island Discs, and for appearing on the Parkinson show. But I want to reach as many people as possible without compromising the content of my work.

What continues to be my biggest deal with the establishment must be my work with the British Council, of which, ironically, the Queen is patron. I have no problem with this. It has never told me what to say, or what not to say. I have always been free to criticise the government and even the council itself. This is what being a poet is about. Most importantly, through my work with the council I am able to show the world what Britain is really about in terms of our arts, and I am able to partake in the type of political and cultural intercourse which is not possible in the mainstream political arena. I have no problem representing the reality of our multiculturalism, which may sometimes mean speaking about the way my cousin Michael died in a police station. But then, I am also at ease letting people know that our music scene is more than what they hear in the charts, and that British poetry is more than Wordsworth, or even Motion. I have no problem with all of this because this is about us and what we do. It is about what happens on the streets of our country and not in the palace or at No 10.

Me, OBE? Whoever is behind this offer can never have read any of my work. Why don't they just give me some of those great African works of art that were taken in the name of the empire and let me return them to their rightful place? You can't fool me, Mr Blair. You want to privatise us all; you want to send us to war. You stay silent when we need you to speak for us, preferring to be the voice of the US. You have lied to us, and you continue to lie to us, and you have poured the working-class dream of a fair, compassionate, caring society down the dirty drain of empire. Stick it, Mr Blair - and Mrs Queen, stop going on about the empire. Let's do something else.

AlanG · 28th November 2003, 08:53 AM

It was from an article in the Guardian. Hes a fantastic poet by the way, the BBC article on this included one from his last book which I'd recommend to everyone

ianb · 28th November 2003, 10:48 AM

I'd never thought about the name being a problem until now. But i suppose it would be offensive, it's totally outdated anyway.
When I saw it, I assumed that it was rejected on the grounds that it was handed out by the queen, and he was objecting to that. That thought made me smile.

Godsick · 28th November 2003, 04:18 PM

A pity he didnt use the opportunity to confront her in person and refuse it to her face ,that would have made intersting viewing .

AlanG · 28th November 2003, 04:30 PM

as he was then marched to the Tower of London and beheaded for treason...

Godsick · 28th November 2003, 05:04 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Alan G

as he was then marched to the Tower of London and beheaded for treason...

Heh ,does verbal assault count as treason ,even the man who fired the starting pistol at her got off lightly (I think)

SuperMike! · 28th November 2003, 05:45 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Alan G

It was from an article in the Guardian. Hes a fantastic poet by the way, the BBC article on this included one from his last book which I'd recommend to everyone

Yeah, i've heard bits of his stuff and liked it. Just thought it would be of interest!

Becca Bomb · 9th December 2003, 02:00 PM

Quite right. I can't imagine why anyone would accept one. Its downright insulting! Its seen as an honour to be recognised by the royal family but no ones seems to question why, they were born into riches - full stop. Id be prouder to get an award from a tramp who admired my poems than to have to bow down to the fucking queen. I have no respect for any of them.

Talcum · 9th December 2003, 02:21 PM

I have the same respect for the queen as I do for any other human being. If she(or whoever actually decides these things) wanted to honour me or my achievements I'd accept it same as I'd accept a compliment from anyone else. Bowing down doesn't come into it for me.

Becca Bomb · 9th December 2003, 02:24 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Talcum

I have the same respect for the queen as I do for any other human being. If she(or whoever actually decides these things) wanted to honour me or my achievements I'd accept it same as I'd accept a compliment from anyone else. Bowing down doesn't come into it for me.

but its the law to bow to the queen when you accept it or if you meet her. Thats not treating humans equally but represents that she is greater than us.

Talcum · 9th December 2003, 02:27 PM

Really? Is it only law when you are getting an obe? I'm sure I've seen folk on tv meet the queen and not bow.

Talcum · 9th December 2003, 02:28 PM

Jamie Oliver for one, that punk ass renegade didn't even wear a tie. hehe

Becca Bomb · 9th December 2003, 02:34 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Talcum

Jamie Oliver for one, that punk ass renegade didn't even wear a tie. hehe

haha

ye

27th November 2003, 07:51 PM	#1 (permalink)
SuperMike! Senior Member Join Date: Sep 2003 Location: Dundee Posts: 3,270 Band: The A Forest. Kaput.	Poet refuses OBE It's all here Benjamin Zephaniah rejected the offer of an OBE because he claims it stands for colonial brutality and slavery.

28th November 2003, 08:53 AM	#3 (permalink)
AlanG ModSword +5 of Editing Join Date: Mar 2002 Location: Dundee Posts: 3,369	It was from an article in the Guardian. Hes a fantastic poet by the way, the BBC article on this included one from his last book which I'd recommend to everyone __________________ Ernie Ross - "I'm not a rent-a-quote MP" 10 Sep 04 Ernie Ross being a rent-a-quote MP 23 Jul 04

28th November 2003, 04:30 PM	#6 (permalink)
AlanG ModSword +5 of Editing Join Date: Mar 2002 Location: Dundee Posts: 3,369	as he was then marched to the Tower of London and beheaded for treason... __________________ Ernie Ross - "I'm not a rent-a-quote MP" 10 Sep 04 Ernie Ross being a rent-a-quote MP 23 Jul 04

27th November 2003, 11:31 PM	#2 (permalink)
SuperMike! Senior Member Join Date: Sep 2003 Location: Dundee Posts: 3,270 Band: The A Forest. Kaput.	Here's more fae the man himself! No sure where it's from tho... Angry: Benjamin Zephaniah I woke up on the morning of November 13 wondering how the government could be overthrown and what could replace it, and then I noticed a letter from the prime minister's office. It said: "The prime minister has asked me to inform you, in strict confidence, that he has in mind, on the occasion of the forthcoming list of New Year's honours to submit your name to the Queen with a recommendation that Her Majesty may be graciously pleased to approve that you be appointed an officer of the Order of the British Empire." Me? I thought, OBE me? Up yours, I thought. I get angry when I hear that word "empire"; it reminds me of slavery, it reminds of thousands of years of brutality, it reminds me of how my foremothers were raped and my forefathers brutalised. It is because of this concept of empire that my British education led me to believe that the history of black people started with slavery and that we were born slaves, and should therefore be grateful that we were given freedom by our caring white masters. It is because of this idea of empire that black people like myself don't even know our true names or our true historical culture. I am not one of those who are obsessed with their roots, and I'm certainly not suffering from a crisis of identity; my obsession is about the future and the political rights of all people. Benjamin Zephaniah OBE - no way Mr Blair, no way Mrs Queen. I am profoundly anti-empire. There's something very strange about receiving a letter from Tony Blair's office asking me if I want to accept this award. In the past couple of months I've been on Blair's doorstep a few times. I have begged him to come out and meet me; I have been longing for a conversation with him, but he won't come out, and now here he is asking me to meet him at the palace! I was there with a million people on February 15, and the last time I was there was just a couple of weeks ago. My cousin, Michael Powell, was arrested and taken to Thornhill Road police station in Birmingham where he died. Now, I know how he died. The whole of Birmingham knows how he died, but in order to get this article published and to be politically (or journalistically) correct, I have to say that he died in suspicious circumstances. The police will not give us any answers. We have not seen or heard anything of all the reports and investigations we were told were going to take place. Now, all that my family can do is join with all the other families who have lost members while in custody because no one in power is listening to us. Come on Mr Blair, I'll meet you anytime. Let's talk about your Home Office, let's talk about being tough on crime. This OBE thing is supposed to be for my services to literature, but there are a whole lot of writers who are better than me, and they're not involved in the things that I'm involved in. All they do is write; I spend most of my time doing other things. If they want to give me one of these empire things, why can't they give me one for my work in animal rights? Why can't they give me one for my struggle against racism? What about giving me one for all the letters I write to innocent people in prisons who have been framed? I may just consider accepting some kind of award for my services on behalf of the millions of people who have stood up against the war in Iraq. It's such hard work - much harder than writing poems. And hey, if Her Majesty may be graciously pleased to lay all that empire stuff on me, why can't she write to me herself. Let's cut out the middleman - she knows me. The last time we met, it was at a concert I was hosting. She came backstage to meet me. That didn't bother me; lots of people visit my dressing room after performances. Me and the South African performers I was working with that night thought it rather funny that we had a royal groupie. She's a bit stiff but she's a nice old lady. Let me make it clear: I have nothing against her or the royal family. It is the institution of the monarchy that I loathe so very much, the monarchy that still refuses to apologise for sanctioning slavery. There is a part of me that hopes that after writing this article I shall never be considered as a Poet Laureate or an OBE sucker again. Let this put an end to it. This may lose me some of my writing friends; some people may never want to work with me again, but the truth is I think OBEs compromise writers and poets, and laureates suddenly go soft - in the past I've even written a poem, Bought and Sold, saying that. There are many black writers who love OBEs, it makes them feel like they have made it. When it suits them, they embrace the struggle against the ruling class and the oppression they visit upon us, but then they join the oppressors' club. They are so easily seduced into the great house of Babylon known as the palace. For them, a wonderful time is meeting the Queen and bowing before her presence. I was shocked to see how many of my fellow writers jumped at the opportunity to go to Buckingham Palace when the Queen had her "meet the writers day" on July 9 2002, and I laughed at the pathetic excuses writers gave for going. "I did it for my mum"; "I did it for my kids"; "I did it for the school"; "I did it for the people", etc. I have even heard black writers who have collected OBEs saying that it is "symbolic of how far we have come". Oh yes, I say, we've struggled so hard just to get a minute with the Queen and we are so very grateful - not. I've never heard of a holder of the OBE openly criticising the monarchy. They are officially friends, and that's what this cool Britannia project is about. It gives OBEs to cool rock stars, successful businesswomen and blacks who would be militant in order to give the impression that it is inclusive. Then these rock stars, successful women, and ex-militants write to me with the OBE after their name as if I should be impressed. I'm not. Quite the opposite - you've been had. Writers and artists who see themselves as working outside the establishment are constantly being accused of selling out as soon as they have any kind of success. I've been called a sell-out for selling too many books, for writing books for children, for performing at the Royal Albert Hall, for going on Desert Island Discs, and for appearing on the Parkinson show. But I want to reach as many people as possible without compromising the content of my work. What continues to be my biggest deal with the establishment must be my work with the British Council, of which, ironically, the Queen is patron. I have no problem with this. It has never told me what to say, or what not to say. I have always been free to criticise the government and even the council itself. This is what being a poet is about. Most importantly, through my work with the council I am able to show the world what Britain is really about in terms of our arts, and I am able to partake in the type of political and cultural intercourse which is not possible in the mainstream political arena. I have no problem representing the reality of our multiculturalism, which may sometimes mean speaking about the way my cousin Michael died in a police station. But then, I am also at ease letting people know that our music scene is more than what they hear in the charts, and that British poetry is more than Wordsworth, or even Motion. I have no problem with all of this because this is about us and what we do. It is about what happens on the streets of our country and not in the palace or at No 10. Me, OBE? Whoever is behind this offer can never have read any of my work. Why don't they just give me some of those great African works of art that were taken in the name of the empire and let me return them to their rightful place? You can't fool me, Mr Blair. You want to privatise us all; you want to send us to war. You stay silent when we need you to speak for us, preferring to be the voice of the US. You have lied to us, and you continue to lie to us, and you have poured the working-class dream of a fair, compassionate, caring society down the dirty drain of empire. Stick it, Mr Blair - and Mrs Queen, stop going on about the empire. Let's do something else.

28th November 2003, 10:48 AM	#4 (permalink)
ianb Registered User Join Date: Mar 2003 Location: Monifieth Posts: 359	I'd never thought about the name being a problem until now. But i suppose it would be offensive, it's totally outdated anyway. When I saw it, I assumed that it was rejected on the grounds that it was handed out by the queen, and he was objecting to that. That thought made me smile.

28th November 2003, 04:18 PM	#5 (permalink)
Godsick Registered User Join Date: Aug 2003 Location: Dumpdee Posts: 396	A pity he didnt use the opportunity to confront her in person and refuse it to her face ,that would have made intersting viewing .

9th December 2003, 02:00 PM	#9 (permalink)
Becca Bomb Senior Member Join Date: May 2003 Location: the ghost train Posts: 3,738 Band: The Leatherettes	Quite right. I can't imagine why anyone would accept one. Its downright insulting! Its seen as an honour to be recognised by the royal family but no ones seems to question why, they were born into riches - full stop. Id be prouder to get an award from a tramp who admired my poems than to have to bow down to the fucking queen. I have no respect for any of them.

9th December 2003, 02:21 PM	#10 (permalink)
Talcum Senior Member Join Date: Jan 2003 Location: wherever makes me c00l, dickhead. Posts: 1,129	I have the same respect for the queen as I do for any other human being. If she(or whoever actually decides these things) wanted to honour me or my achievements I'd accept it same as I'd accept a compliment from anyone else. Bowing down doesn't come into it for me.

9th December 2003, 02:27 PM	#12 (permalink)
Talcum Senior Member Join Date: Jan 2003 Location: wherever makes me c00l, dickhead. Posts: 1,129	Really? Is it only law when you are getting an obe? I'm sure I've seen folk on tv meet the queen and not bow.

9th December 2003, 02:28 PM	#13 (permalink)
Talcum Senior Member Join Date: Jan 2003 Location: wherever makes me c00l, dickhead. Posts: 1,129	Jamie Oliver for one, that punk ass renegade didn't even wear a tie. hehe