The Peabody Award may not trigger the instant recognition and global excitement as the Oscar, Grammy, Emmy, Pulitzer or the Tony, but it is certainly one of the world’s most prestigious honours.
Unlike the Oscar, the premiere award for motion pictures, Grammys for music, Emmys for television, Pulitzer mainly for the written word and the Tony for Broadway theatrical performance, the George Foster Peabody Awards draw national and international attention to works in a variety of cultural areas.
They recognize excellence and distinguished achievement in radio, television and interactive and new media.
That’s why when Asheru, a hip hop artist at night but a high school educator during the day, won a Peabody for his work in creating a special production for the global cartoon cable television network, people bowed their heads in admiration.
You see, Asheru is his stage name but he was christened Gabriel Benn in Washington DC where he was born 37 years ago.
The son of Bajan father Kenwin Benn, formerly of Bank Hall in St Michael, and African American mother Paulette Benn, of South Carolina, the artiste, who once lived in Frere Pilgrim in Christ Church, is a former student of the Foundation School.
He won the hotly contested and highly acclaimed Peabody six years ago and when he discussed his career the other day, the pride in his voice told an important story about an educator and a performer who is using his talent, interest in children and ability with words turned into music to send vital messages about life to audience everywhere.
“I am an artist, an educator and a youth advocate,” especially for young black males “who are often ignored by society for any of a number of reasons, especially their social and economic circumstances,” Benn told the Sunday Sun. “I am also a proud Bajan.”
Asheru (a name of Egyptian origin) or Benn has some impeccable credentials either as an artist on stage or as an educator at the Arts and Tech Academy of the Billou Senior High School in southeast Washington.
Actually he is the director of arts integration at the school and puts his faith in the ability of economically disadvantaged students to learn.
“My parents stressed education and the two to three years I spent at Foundation School in Barbados have stayed with me and helped to make me who I am today,” he explained.
“I enjoy making music and nothing pleases me than using it to reach kids in and out of school. When people hear my music they know that it is uplifting.
“I would love nothing more than to be able to work with kids in Barbados to help keep them focused on their school work. I can use hip hop, classical music, soca, calypso, reggae, you name it, to get to young people.
“I loved being in school in Barbados because of the high level of respect in the classroom for teachers, something you don’t often see in Washington DC schools.”
The roots of hip hop can be traced to urban America and is a genre of musical expression that has spread to countries around the world.
In Benn’s case, the international and national acceptance have come in the form of appearances on stage with Robert Jackson, his musical partner in the Unspoken Word at the Kennedy Centre in Washington, and invitations to be on stage across the United States, Europe, Japan and South Africa.
Unlike many prominent hip hop artistes, Benn’s group doesn’t use foul language. In his appearance at the Kennedy Centre, he was joined by some members of the National Symphony Orchestra in the nation’s capital.
A father who has taken his children to Barbados on a number of occasions so they “learn something about their roots”, Benn was recently featured in the Washington Post, which praised his work, devotion to education and for an album Soon Come, a “classic in independent hip hop circles”.
On stage at night, the Bajan American uses his rhymes and musical notes to stir people up and get them to focus on social issues. At school the next day, he also employs his artistic talent to get students into classes and focused on their work.
“These kids need help understanding,” said the six-foot-plus artiste, a holder of a Bachelor’s degree from the University of Virginia and a Master’s in education from National Louis University in 2004.
His wife is Eritrea and together they are raising their children with many of the values and interests in Africa, Barbados and the United States.
