Marc Hudson: Born in Hulme, Manchester, Deyika Nzeribe was a poet and and the chair of Commonword, which supports new and aspiring writers. He was also a co-founder of the Northern Police Monitoring Project, which works against police harassment; a trustee of the Manchester Environmental Education Network; and an organiser of the Pan-African PAC45 Foundation conference. While always concerned about environmental matters, Deyika became involved in green politics relatively recently, standing as the Green Party’s candidate in Hulme in various council elections. At the time of his sudden death, Deyika was the Green Party’s candidate for mayor of Greater Manchester.
Dr Tanzil Chowdhury: Rest in Power my dear, dear brother and mentor Deyika Nzeribe.
I can’t understand and believe what has happened. Deyika was the most selfless, tireless campaigner I ever had the pleasure of working with. We organised together over the last six years. Anytime I knew Deyika was a part of something, I always felt so comfortable and confident that it would be a success. People in Manchester may not realise it, but this amazing man was responsible for so much that is positive in the community.
More important than all of this though is that Deyika was an amazing human. He exuded knowledge, love and kindness. He listened to others and genuinely worked to bring people together. I’ve never met anyone in my life who worked so much and so hard.
It is no surprise that my last contact with Deyika was a few days ago when we were chatting about our petition to #FreeTheBlackPanthers.
That was Deyika. ALWAYS putting others before himself. Whether it was raising money for the Duggan family, organising community events for refugees, fighting the government’s Prevent programme, racism or climate change (I could go on for days), Deyika’s natural disposition was to consider others before his own wellbeing. All of the great heroes of history that he admired, you could see in Deyika.
Remembering his legacy is vital, not just to honour and celebrate his life but because it will genuinely inspire the next group of youngsters to achieve fantastic things for their community.
I only hope that he was able to be with us for one more day at least, so that he could see how much he was loved. My love and support to your family. Respect my dear friend. Thank you for everything you’ve done for us. xx
Inna Lillahi Wa Inna Ilayhi Raaji’oo
