Olaudah Equiano’s biography, Olaudah Equiano: The life of Olaudah Equiano, or Gustavus Vassa, The African, is about Olaudah’s Journey from royalty and freedom, to Captivity and slavery, then back to freedom and religion. Born in Nigeria, Olaudah describes many accounts he has seen of Europeans trading slaves with his people and also kidnapping of his people to become slaves. All of this is told by his point of view up until he is kidnapped and made into a slave, too.
In Stephen Fender’s writing, Journal Of American Studies, he gives notice to the fact that Olaudah includes “spiritual conversion” to illustrate the conversion theme. Many African slaves converted to Catholicism as Olaudah did as safe haven or something to believe in. What makes Olaudah’s biography so useful is that he uses his experiences as a young free boy and his experiences as a captive slave to show us how his transition from no religion at all turns into his conversion to Catholicism from his master.
Olaudah’s writing is significant to American Culture today because it was one of the major components into abolishing the slave trade. His experiences were spread all over Britain and the British lawmakers were swayed into ending the slave trade almost 10 years after Olaudah’s death.
"Olaudah Equiano." Encyclopædia Britannica. 2009. Encyclopædia Britannica Online. 14 Sep. 2009 <http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/190722/Olaudah-Equiano>.
Stephen Fender. Journal of American Studies, Vol. 37, No. 3 (Dec., 2003), pp. 478-479Published by: Cambridge University Press on behalf of the British Association for American Studies
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Equiano autobiography influence abolitionism in Europe and further America. His story resembles what later would become a common theme when slavery is abolish in the U.S.
ReplyDeleteI was wondering if Equiano converted to Catholocism because he wanted to find a safe haven due to the religion or because he truly admired his master and wanted to please him? Although religion does tend to offer people salvation and peace, Equiano is a slave and may not be able to encounter that on a daily basis. Might that also strengthen his religion?
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