Olaudah Equiano
1745 – 1797 British (born in West Africa) Writer, abolitionist, formerly enslaved man
Formerly enslaved man whose 1789 autobiography became a landmark of the abolition movement.
- Religion
- Christian (Methodist)
- Affiliations
- Sons of Africa
Olaudah Equiano, by his own account, was born in Igboland and seized into the Atlantic slave trade as a child, enduring the Middle Passage before eventually buying his freedom. He settled in Britain, joined the abolition circle known as the Sons of Africa, and in 1789 published his life story, one of the first widely read slave narratives. The book's vivid account of capture and the Middle Passage gave the abolition cause a powerful first-hand voice. Some scholars question whether he was born in Africa or the Americas, but his testimony shaped the movement either way.
Connections
- ally of Granville Sharp — Brought him news of the Zong killings.
- ally of Granville Sharp — Brought him the news of the Zong killings, which Sharp took up.
- associate of Thomas Clarkson — Worked alongside him in the abolition campaign.
- associate of Thomas Clarkson — Worked with him to publicise the trade's horrors.
- associate of William Wilberforce — His narrative aided the parliamentary cause.
- associate of William Wilberforce — The formerly enslaved writer whose testimony aided the cause.
In the timeline
- 1700 The Middle Passage a survivor who described it
- 1787 Society for the Abolition of the Slave Trade founded a Black abolitionist voice of the movement
- 1789 Olaudah Equiano publishes his narrative the author