Olaudah Equiano

How far back can Africans/African Americans trace back their greatness? Far. Although, oppression for blacks around the world has been constant it may interest the average reader to know that even during the most oppresive eras that Africans and their descendants still looked life in the eye.

One such person to perfectly exemplify this fact would be Olaudah Equiano. As a black man living in America, this writer seemed to have flourished as any writer of today, in general. From the African village of Essaka which is now part of Eastern Nigeria, Equiano was captured as a child and sold into slavery.

His second name, given to him by his first purchaser, was Gustavus Vasa. In 1766 he finally gained his freedom.

With an entreprenurial mind, Equiano travedled extensively and established several successful business ventures.

He is most noted for his autobiography entitled, The Interesting Narrative of the Life of Olandah Equiano, or Gustav Vasa, the African, Written by Himself. This piece was written in 1789. This African, previously a slave, had written a highly touted autobiography that became an influential text in the abolitionist movement. In fact, thirty six editions of this particular work was published between 1789 and 1857. Equiano passed away in London in 1797.

In his autobiography he tells of the village he is from in Africa, describing his country of Guinea as a nation of dancers, musicians and poets.

Equiano was captured at the age of nine, forty plus years later upon the release of the autobiography, the accounts of his capture, ocean voyage upon a slave ship and life in this country have obviously and with just cause made a permenant outline within himself.

Equiano's first introduction to his fate goes as so:

"When I looked round the ship too and saw a large furnace or copper boiling, and a multitude of black people of every description chained together, every one of their countenances expressing dejection and sorrow, I no longer doubted of my fate; and, quite overpowered with horror and anguish, I fell motionless on the deck and fainted. When I recovered a little I found some black people about me, who I believed were some of those who had brought me on board, and had been receiving their pay; they talked to me in order to cheer me, but all in vain. I asked them if we were not to be eaten by those white men with horrible looks, red faces, and long hair. They told me I was not; and one of the crew brought me a small portion of spirituous liquor in a wine-glass; but being afraid of him, I would not take it out of his hand."

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