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Olaudah Equiano was born in 1745 in Essaka, Eboe. He had seven siblings and his father was the village chief and one of the province’s elders, who solved disputes.
Equiano was eleven when he was kidnapped with his sister by African slave traders and held in captivity for six months. He was brought to the coast and boarded the slave ship bound for Barbados. He was manhandled aboard the ship and was nearly killed, as the crew persuaded that he had gotten into bad spirits. He was confused with their appearance, their hair, complexions and the languages that they spoke were so much different to what he was used to.
Just after boarding the ship, he saw every single black slave being chained together, and he was just overwhelmed and fainted. Once he boarded the ship, and the whites who thrown him aboard left, he knew there was pretty much no chance for him to return to his native village. He was shocked at the smell of the deck that they were put into. He got very sick from the smell, and did not want to eat. He wanted to die while on the ship, but two whites gave him food. He refused to eat, and was whipped. The cargo deck that they were put into was tiny. The deck was so crowded that people were suffocating due to the incredibly unclean air and made a large amount of people sick and eventually die, and some were not allowed in the upper deck. He was horrified hearing the screaming from women, and moaning of dying people. The crew was so ruthless and cruel. When slaves tried to jump off the ship and kill themselves, one was captured and was flogged with no mercy.
When he arrived in Barbados, he was crammed into a merchant’s yard. After all his fellow slaves were sold, he wasn't, most likely because of his young age, and his inability to work at that point in time. In the midst of the chaotic auctions, he saw the slave’s relatives being forced to split from each other for the rest of their lives. He stayed in Barbados for a few more days until he was put onto a ship bound for Virginia, USA.
On this ship to Virginia, the journey was much smoother, unlike the near un-survivable, and torturous journey prior. They were treated like normal people and were given space to walk around and eat. He arrived at a plantation in Virginia owned by Lieutenant Michael Henry Pascal.
Equiano was eleven when he was kidnapped with his sister by African slave traders and held in captivity for six months. He was brought to the coast and boarded the slave ship bound for Barbados. He was manhandled aboard the ship and was nearly killed, as the crew persuaded that he had gotten into bad spirits. He was confused with their appearance, their hair, complexions and the languages that they spoke were so much different to what he was used to.
Just after boarding the ship, he saw every single black slave being chained together, and he was just overwhelmed and fainted. Once he boarded the ship, and the whites who thrown him aboard left, he knew there was pretty much no chance for him to return to his native village. He was shocked at the smell of the deck that they were put into. He got very sick from the smell, and did not want to eat. He wanted to die while on the ship, but two whites gave him food. He refused to eat, and was whipped. The cargo deck that they were put into was tiny. The deck was so crowded that people were suffocating due to the incredibly unclean air and made a large amount of people sick and eventually die, and some were not allowed in the upper deck. He was horrified hearing the screaming from women, and moaning of dying people. The crew was so ruthless and cruel. When slaves tried to jump off the ship and kill themselves, one was captured and was flogged with no mercy.
When he arrived in Barbados, he was crammed into a merchant’s yard. After all his fellow slaves were sold, he wasn't, most likely because of his young age, and his inability to work at that point in time. In the midst of the chaotic auctions, he saw the slave’s relatives being forced to split from each other for the rest of their lives. He stayed in Barbados for a few more days until he was put onto a ship bound for Virginia, USA.
On this ship to Virginia, the journey was much smoother, unlike the near un-survivable, and torturous journey prior. They were treated like normal people and were given space to walk around and eat. He arrived at a plantation in Virginia owned by Lieutenant Michael Henry Pascal.