Slave Narrative One -- Olaudah Equiano 1789

Olaudah Equiano 1789

During the course of his life as a slave Olaudah Equiano was sold 10 times enduring three name changes by his various masters. He was baptised as Gustavus Vassa. His life was one of adventurer, entrepreneur, slave owner, merchant, explorer, abolitionist, and seaman.
Olaudah Equiano was born in what is today Nigeria, kidnapped from his African village at the age of eleven, and sold to a Virginia planter. He was later bought by a British naval Officer, Captain Pascal, as a present for his cousins in London.
Equiano bought his freedom after ten years of enslavement throughout the North American continent, where he assisted his merchant slave master and worked as a seaman. Equiano recalls his childhood in Essaka, where he was adorned in the tradition of the "greatest warriors." He is unique in his recollection of traditional African life before the beginning of the European slave trade and detailed accounts of the horrors of the middle Passage.
Equiano was extremely well travelled for his time. He not only travelled throughout the Americas, Turkey and the Mediterranean; but also participated in major naval battles during the French and Indian War (Seven Years' War), as well as in the search for a Northwest passage led by the Philips stores to the expedition to resettle London's poor Blacks in Sierra Leone, a British colony on the west coast of Africa.

Voice Over by Barry "Shabaka" Henley

Voice Over Introduction:
Olaudah Equiano was born in 1745 in what is today Nigeria. As a young boy he and his sister were kidnaped-gagged, tied, and taken from their home. After a few days the children were separated and Equiano was alone. During his life as a slave, Equiano was sold ten times and underwent three name changes. The following passage was taken from his autobiography.

Work Cited:
Museum of the African Diaspora
http://moadsf.org/index.html

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[tmclaughlin125]

Good video. I was very impressed UNTIL I saw the pictures of the KKK, Civil Rights violations of the 50's and 60's and Emmitt Till. I was under the impression this was a video about OLAUDAH EQUIANO. I will have to re-think using this for my 8th graders studying the Middle Passagr. Maybe toward the end of the year if we have time for Civil Rights.

[Leafyboy07]

@tmclaughlin125 Yeah sorry to disappoint you with the truth... what hardship is he referring to? If you can name something other than what black people have actually gone through then I'll change the ending.

[Liberaljamoke]

I am considering using this clip in a unit about the Movement of Peoples in my 8th Grade classroom. One section will be about the movement of Africans into the Western Hemisphere. I plan to have students read a short section in which Equiano described his initial capture, followed by this clip, and then another short reading about reaching Barbadoes.

[Leafyboy07]

@Liberaljamoke That's Fine... I created it for that reason.

[wwjdfouryou]

Nicely done:)

Shalom and Blessings Yacob ,

Georgia

[george7372]

This is so sad but, now we cant blame it on the "White man" because it is our own people (fellow afro-americans) that are tearing each other up, and killing one another. And we dont even care! All these young kids with no respect for anything, is just shamfull. But we keep blaming the "White man". Who's fault is it really.

[tmclaughlin125]

@Leafyboy07 This is a good video but not for the purpose I initially intended. I will use this one to show the Civil Rights atrocities toward the end of the year when we talk about MLK and the Civil Rights Movement. The video clip from Amistad is far better for my students learning about the Middle Passage. Check it out if you teach American History concerning the Middle Passage.

[assqueezer]

any time you study slavery those who kidnapped africans, make up the clan, violate rights, civil, human or moral, will ALL be white people. you cant get around it. and yhy your at it, check out the book entitled...

Thoughts and Sentiments on the Evil and Wicked Traffic of the Slavery and Commerce of the Human Species (Colonial History) [Hardcover], which the for some reason wont show.

[whozur1]

I'm going to use this for my university history course. I try to really focus on the parts of history that many college students haven't been exposed. Can't wait to show this so the students can relate it to their readings of Olaudah!

[Anointed012]

Duet 28.. !

[mercyshalom]

@sabrom yes u re right