The Untold Story Of Olaudah Equaino

Olaudah Equiano (c. 1745 – 31 March 1797),[4] known in his lifetime as Gustavus Vassa (/ˈvæsə/),[5] was a freed slave of Igbo extraction from the eastern part of present day Nigeria, who supported the British movement to end the slave trade. His autobiography, published in 1789, helped in the creation of the Slave Trade Act 1807 which ended the African slave trade for Britain and its colonies.

Born c. 1745
Essaka, present-day Anambra State, Nigeria[1][2]
Died 31 March 1797 (aged 51)
Middlesex[3]
Other names Gustavus Vassa, Graves
Occupation Explorer, writer, merchant, abolitionist
Known for Influence over British abolitionists; his autobiography
Spouse(s) Susannah Cullen (1792–1796; her death)
Children Joanna Vassa
Anna Maria Vassa.

In London, Equiano (identifying as Gustavus Vassa during his lifetime) was part of the Sons of Africa, an abolitionist group composed of prominent Africans living in Britain, and he was active among leaders of the anti-slave trade movement in the 1780s. He published his autobiography, The Interesting Narrative of the Life of Olaudah Equiano (1789), which depicted the horrors of slavery. It went through nine editions and aided passage of the British Slave Trade Act of 1807, which abolished the African slave trade.[6]

As a freed slave in London, he supported the British movement. Equiano had a stressful life; he had suffered suicidal thoughts before he became a Protestant Christian and found peace in his faith. After settling in London, Equiano married an English woman named Susannah Cullen in 1792 and they had two daughters. He died in 1797 in London; his gravesite is unknown. Equiano's death was recognized in American as well as British newspapers.[7] Plaques commemorating his life have been placed at buildings where he lived in London. Since the late 20th century, when his autobiography was published in a new edition, he has been increasingly studied by a range of scholars, including many from his homeland, Igboland,[1] in the eastern part of Nigeria.