PETA Global 2018 Issue 4

Q & A

H O W I T A L L B V E G A N • H O W I T A L L B V E G A N • H O W I T A L L B V E G A N •

Photo: © Adrian Pope

Turkey: © iStock.com/GlobalP

Zephaniah was once asked what he would do if he found himself in a desert with no food in sight, only a cow. He responded, “I’d find out what the cow was eating” and eat that, too. “No blacks. No Irish. No dogs.” In his essay for Ingrid Newkirk’s book One Can Make a Difference, Benjamin Zephaniah recalls seeing that sign on the doors of UK public houses when he was young. He cites it to call attention to the prejudice that humans have had and still have, including against animals who inarguably feel pain, have individual interests, and love one another, just as we do. He writes that witnessing the physical abuse of his mother opened his eyes to women’s rights and later made him realize that he had to stop himself from going down the same path. That experience, in turn, led him to animal rights. PETA UK had the privilege of talking with the “people’s poet laureate,” activist, and author of The Life and Rhymes of Benjamin Zephaniah .

PETA UK : You’re a famous Rastafarian spoken word poet, and you’re vegan. Why? Benjamin: When I was younger, I was around a lot of criminals, and some of them did some bad things. But there was always a law that you never take milk from a baby. It was like a moral code, an unwritten rule. And when I was 13, I read something about why females produce milk, and I realized, they produce it for their babies. So I went vegan for feminist reasons. PETA UK : Do you think people are starting to realize how awful conditions are for animals? Benjamin: The local news had a thing about animal rights protesters invading some farms, and there was this farmer who said, “If they saw the work that we do, they wouldn’t do this. They would see howmuch we care for our animals.” It was great because someone phoned in and said, “You may not remember me, but I worked with you. I sawwhat you did.” They caught her live on air! PETA UK : How do you relate to other animals? Benjamin: The thing that makes me understand how connected to animals I am – and to nature generally – is meditation. The idea of sitting quietly with yourself is not one that interests most people, but when you do that, you have no doubt at all that you are connected to

PETA UK : And you succeeded! Here’s an excerpt from the book of the same name.

the world around you. I don’t understand how people can look into the eyes of an animal and not see that the animal is looking back at you, trying to figure out what you’re thinking. You know, we can all be different but all be equal. Maybe this is just the writer in me – I like the differences. That’s exactly the thing that other people are fighting. If we were all equal, in terms of our rights of course it would be better. PETA UK : You reach a lot of nonvegans, don’t you? Benjamin: I’ve had people say to me, after hearing me read or talk about veganism, that they’re convinced, that they’re going vegan. What I say to them might surprise you. I usually write back and say, “No, don’t be vegan because of me. I might say something that you might not like, and then you’ll go, ‘Oh, I hate Benjamin Zephaniah. I’m not going to be a vegan anymore.’” I want you to know why you’re being vegan. I want you to feel it in your heart. PETA UK : We love your upbeat poem “Talking Turkeys.” Benjamin: I didn’t consciously think about it being a vegan poem. Obviously there’s a lot of animals in it, and I remember at the time, lots of people were writing a lot about fluffy animals, in a Roald Dahl way. I wanted to write about animals with personalities.

Turkeys just wanna play reggae Turkeys just wanna hip-hop Can yu imagine a nice young turkey saying, ‘I cannot wait for de chop’, Turkeys like getting presents, dey wanna watch christmas TV, Turkeys hav brains an turkeys feel pain In many ways like yu an me. … Be nice to yu turkey dis christmas Invite dem indoors fe sum greens Let dem eat cake an let dem partake In a plate of organic grown beans, Be nice to yu turkey dis christmas An spare dem de cut of de knife, Join Turkeys United an dey’ll be delighted An yu will mek new friends ‘FOR LIFE’.

‘Talking

Turkey’ Benjamin Zephaniah With

Global 7

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VERSES WITH PURPOSE