Olaudah Equiano

Olaudah Equiano Listen^ⓘ (/ə.ˈlaʊ.də/; c. 1745 – 31 March 1797), known for most of his life as Gustavus Vassa (/ˈvæ.sə/), was a writer and abolitionist. According to his memoir, he was from the village of Essaka, presumed to be in present-day southern Nigeria. Enslaved as a child in West Africa, he was shipped to the Caribbean and sold to a Royal Navy officer. He was sold twice more before purchasing his freedom in 1766.

As a freedman in London, Equiano supported the British abolitionist movement, becoming one of its leading figures in the 1780s. Equiano was part of the abolitionist group the Sons of Africa, whose members were Africans living in Britain. His 1789 autobiography, The Interesting Narrative of the Life of Olaudah Equiano, sold so well that nine editions were published during his life and helped secure passage of the British Slave Trade Act 1807, which abolished the slave trade in Britain. The Interesting Narrative gained renewed popularity among scholars in the late 20th century and remains a useful primary source.