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Olaudah Equiano

Anti Slavery Activist

Igboland

March 31, 1797 Middlesex

Susannah Cullen

Olaudah Equiano was a prominent Black activist who worked hard to put an end to slave trade in Britain and its colonies. Once a slave himself, Equiano personally experienced the hardship, turmoil, and forbidding treatment meted out to slaves by the Britain’s upper class. The experience left a deep impact on the enslaved Equiano, who even lost his identity to his master as he universally became known as Gustavus Vassa rather than Olaudah Equiano. However, unlike other slaves, Equiano did not participate in field work and rather served his masters personally. Furthermore, his masters were benevolent enough to enable him to learn to read and write. Being an educated slave, Equiano made the most of his knowledge by penning an autobiography, ‘The Interesting Narrative of the Life of Olaudah Equiano’ which depicted the horror of slavery. The book was an instant bestseller and soon gained a cult status amongst the reading class. It led to the creation of a new literary genre that expounded the brutality and inhumanity faced by the slaves. Banking on the popularity gained through the book, Equiano became an activist and worked hard to improve the economic, social and educational conditions in Africa. He was a leading figure of the black group, Sons of Africa that opposed slave trade. He actively contributed in the anti-slavery movement of the 1780s

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