The poet and activist’s life in verse has chronicled black British history. He talks about remaining hopeful, integrity, and taking 20 years to find his voice
With Darcus Howe at the Race Today office in 1979: ‘In Jamaica, we were schooled to be British, to wave the flag when the Queen came, but when we came here we were othered.’Johnson’s arrival on the British music scene coincided with the birth of post-punk, when groups such as the Pop Group and the Slits were deploying dub-reggae stylings – Bovell produced records for both.
“But that wasn’t me,” he says, firmly. “I took myself seriously as a political activist and that kind of life was not conducive to political activism. Also, I never saw myself predominantly as a reggae artist. For me, it was a way to bring my poetry to a wider audience.” He has also, he says, been offered national honours, which he refused.
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