Celebration Of Benjamin Zephaniah To Headline Poetry International Festival

The Southbank Centre's longest-running festival Poetry International Festival returns (Friday 10 – Sunday 12 July) and includes a celebration of the life and work of the trailblazing poet Benjamin Zephaniah, as well as a celebration of Allen Ginsberg at 100. The festival programme brings together multi-art events, workshops and on-site activity as a key part of the Southbank Centre's 75th anniversary celebrations as the centre marks its creation during the 1951 Festival of Britain. 

Mark Ball, Artistic Director of the Southbank Centre, says: “In our 75th anniversary year this latest edition of Poetry International Festival reminds us of poetry's power to hold a multitude of artistic and social influences, as we look to legendary voices such as Benjamin Zephaniah and Allen Ginsberg whose poetry was infused with music and social activism. At the Southbank Centre we aim to ignite a love for poetry and creativity not just on our site, but across the UK too, and we're delighted that the work of of our brilliant National Poetry Library will engage more than 3,500 school children around the UK with our A Poet in Every Port and the Imagine the Future projects”.

At the heart of this year's festivities, the programme celebrates the powerful life and legacy of the ‘people's poet' Benjamin Zephaniah (Friday 10 July, Royal Festival Hall). A trailblazing force in British culture, Zephaniah's radical spirit remains at the heart of our cultural life, and an ever-present reminder that poetry belongs to everyone. Hosted by BAFTA-nominated poet and broadcaster Lemn Sissay and Pauline Black, Zephaniah's immense contribution to poetry and beyond will be celebrated with an evening of music, readings and recollections from Jackie Kay, the former Scots Makar and awarding-winning author; and Michael Rosen, the former Children's Laureate alongside many others.

Jackie Kay, poet and playwright, says: “It's a pleasure to be a part of the Benjamin Zephaniah celebration as part of the Southbank Centre's Poetry International Festival. Benjamin Zephaniah was a force of nature and an agent of change in the world of poetry. His work will always resonate and continue to impact people's lives. His is a spirit that will never die.”

Qian Zephaniah, the poet's wife, adds: “Benjamin's influence was immense, but it was his deeply genuine connection with people that truly set him apart. Seeing his legacy honoured here, among the voices he inspired, feels profoundly significant. His spirit is carried not just in his words, but in every heart he touched.”

Renowned poet Lemn Sissay leads Imagine the Future, an ongoing national project spanning Birmingham, Manchester and London for over 2,300 schoolchildren, who are invited to share hopes and dreams for the future through poetry and creative writing. For Poetry International, Lambeth schoolchildren will see their words displayed in a site-wide installation, launching on Friday 10 July. Imagine the Future invites schoolchildren in Years 5, 6 and 7 to create their own visual poems, drawing inspiration from the history of the Southbank Centre, the 1951 Festival of Britain and beyond. 

Lemn Sissay said: “The Southbank Centre is Lambeth, and Lambeth is the Southbank Centre. The Southbank Centre is the nation and the nation is the Southbank Centre.  I couldn't be more excited to join these young poets on this journey during the Imagine the Future project. When children put pen to paper to envision tomorrow, they discover the power of their own voices. As this iconic centre celebrates 75 years of inspiring creativity, these students will write the verses that might just shape the world.” 

Poetry International Festival coincides with the London stop of the Southbank Centre's nationwide project, A Poet in Every Port (Sunday 12 July), which sees the National Poetry Library go on tour across the UK, from North Uist in the Outer Hebrides, to Penzance in Cornwall; Bangor in Northern Ireland to Caernarfon in Wales. Joined by the project's ambassador, beloved poet Roger McGough, the mobile National Poetry Library will visit the Southbank Centre for a day of activity; from free public events, workshops to poetry readings.