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Olaudah Equiano

Olaudah Equiano was born 1748 in West Africa. He was sold into slavery while a child and worked in America and in the West indies. He bought his freedom and settled in England. He wrote one book - "The Life of Olaudah Eqiano or Gustavus Cassa the African", published in 1789.

The Life of Olaudah Equiano provides an early account of the West Indies and slavery written from the inside by an ex-slave, an African.

Equiano was sold into slavery as a child. Surviving the perilous crossing from Africa to the West Indies, he worked on an American estate. He served an English naval officer and was resold into slavery in the West Indies. Equiano learned to speak English fluently and became a skilled seamen and was a competent hairdresser. By petty trading in the West Indies he earned enough cash to buy his freedom and settled in England where he published his book.

Equiano presented his book The Life of Olaudah Equiano to the British Parliament as a plea against slavery. His narrative style is simple but effective, describing things and incidents as he saw them. But he looks for meaning, seeking to understand. He describes his attitudes and reactions to new experiences. But Equiano is more than a recorder. He is clever. He asks innocent questions about the appearance of white men and their home. He does not understand why men leave homes and families to take away forcefully others from their native country.