Was Olaudah Equiano African born or American born?
The Interesting Narrative of the Life of Olaudah Equiano is a harrowing read written by Equiano himself recounting his life as a slave (and then a freed slave) living in Europe and the Americas in the middle and late eighteenth century. As the reader is a taken back in time to a place of enslavement and subjugation of Africans- human beings, it is a sobering illumination of one African’s life in particular, before the abolitionist movement really gained ground in England in the nineteenth century. Since Equiano’s book has been published and republished, it has been theorized that he may in fact have been lying when he writes he was a boy born of the Igbo tribe in Nigeria, Africa in the year 1745. In 1999, heading up this new theory, Professor Vincent Carretta concluded from baptism and boat records Equiano was in fact born in South Carolina. Since the launch of this claim of deceit, there have been studies made as to which is true. Was Equiano born in Africa as he says, or was he born in South Carolina? At the conclusion of reading Equiano’s autobiography I can only surmise that he was in fact born in Africa as he has written. I believe Equiano because, his is a story meant to edify his readers and appeal to the moral fiber in all of us. To lie in his book would absolutely discredit him and therefore, his mission.
There is a sound argument made on behalf of both sides of the argument regarding the birthplace Equiano. As Carretta found, there is even written evidence to support the theory he was born in South Carolina. A Royal Navy muster roll from Constantine Phipp’s Arctic expedition of 1773 says that Equiano was born in South Carolina.[1] Equiano’s baptismal record also states he was born not in Africa, but in South Carolina. However, is this enough to prove that Equiano was as a matter of fact born in America? Those two pieces of documents are all the written evidence to support Carretta’s theory.
In contrast there is evidence to prove the contrary as well. For example, Equiano threatened legal action against those who took out a newspaper ad defaming Equiano by claiming he was born in America. Equiano thereby produced witnesses who could verify that he had arrived in England thirty years earlier, unable to speak any language other than “that of Africa.”[2] Equiano further describes himself as African in passages like this, “ Now the Ethiopian was willing to be saved by Jesus Christ, the sinner’s only surety.”[3]
Equiano not only gives descriptions of his homeland, he also mixes the descriptions with sentiment; it is this sentimental memory of his family and life before abduction that leads me to side with him rather than the arguments made by Vincent Carretta. Equiano describes his youth writing, “As the youngest of sons, I became, of course, the greatest favorite of my mother and was always with her; and she used to take particular pains to form my mind.” He goes on, “My daily exercise was shooting and throwing javelins; and my mother adorned me with emblems, after the manner of our greatest warriors.”[4]
Throughout his book, we see Equiano plays up this quest and exemplification of virtue and morality; it is only normal to want to shed oneself in the best possible light. So it is not withstanding that it is plausible he was not as virtuous as he would have the reader believe. However, he gains credence with me when he recounts an experience of doing something that is abnormal for him and his temperament. After being chided and then physically hit by a slave belonging to a white man in Savannah, Equiano engages in a fight for the first time in his life and admits to the reader he had lost his temper. “I knew there was little or no law for a free Negro here; but the fellow, instead of taking my advice, persevered in his insults, and even struck me.” He wrote, “At this, I lost my temper and I fell on him and beat him soundly.”[5] It is not so much that this was a pivotal event, but that Equiano allowed the reader to see he was not always as controlled, as perhaps, he would have liked to have been. He was honest enough to include this in his narrative.
After reading the narrative written by Equiano himself, one may deduce this is a man of much substance and strength. Not just a man who wants to merely survive the heinous crimes taken place against him, but to come out the other side a humbled spiritual and religious enthusiast. It is my observation that Equiano seeks this enlightenment through virtue. Therefore, based on the portrayal of his character, I do not believe he would set out to deceive the whole of his readership by lying about his birthplace.
[1] Brycchan Carey, 2003-2010
[2] Robert J. Allison, The Interesting Narrative of the life of Olaudah Equiano: Introduction (Boston: Bedford/St. Martin’s, 2007), 25.
[3] Olaudah Equiano, The Interesting Narrative of the life of Olaudah Equiano: (Boston: Bedford/St. Martin’s, 2007), 177.
[4]Olaudah Equiano, The Interesting Narrative of the life of Olaudah Equiano: Introduction (Boston: Bedford/St. Martin’s, 2007), 57.
[5] Olaudah Equiano, The Interesting Narrative of the life of Olaudah Equiano: Introduction (Boston: Bedford/St. Martin’s, 2007), 137.
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