Equiano was born in Essaka, a small village in Benin, in 1745. His father was an Embrenche, an elder or chief, and oversaw disputes and punishments. He had five brothers and one sister, and was ...

Equiano seemed reluctant to tell his story ... and his contribution to the abolitionist movement. He hoped his book would "promote the interests of humanity." It more than succeeded.

It was the first book written in the English language by an African, and it was called The Interesting Narrative of the Life of Olaudah Equiano. The stories in the book were so powerful that ...

Olaudah Equiano: I was enslaved for many years in the West Indies and America. I bought my freedom in 1766 and settled in Britain. I became friends with many of the British abolitionists such as ...