Voice 1
Hello, I’m Ruby Jones.
Voice 2
And I’m Rachel Hobson. Welcome to Spotlight. This programme uses a special English method of broadcasting. It is easier for people to understand, no matter where in the world they live.
Voice 3
“We arrived at the coast. The first thing I saw was the sea. And then a ship for carrying slaves. The slave ship was waiting for the sailors to load goods onto it. What I saw filled me with great surprise. This surprise soon changed to terror. I cannot truly describe the feelings of my mind. Soon, I was carried onto the ship. Immediately, some of the sailors started to throw me around. They wanted to examine my physical state. I felt sure that I was in a world of bad spirits. I thought they were going to kill me.”
Voice 1
A man called Olaudah Equiano, wrote these words. They are from the book he wrote about his life: “The Interesting Narrative of the Life of Olaudah Equiano”. Today, we tell his amazing story.
Voice 2
Equiano was born in the 1740s. History experts argue about where Equiano was born. But they are sure he was of West African origin. Equiano wrote that his father was a tribal chief in Nigeria. One day, Equiano and his sister were playing near their home. Some slave traders passed by. They kidnapped the two children and took them to a slave ship. When the ship was full, it sailed across the Atlantic Ocean. Slave ships took African people to the West Indies. There, the slave traders sold the people who had survived the crossing. It was a terrible experience for the African people stored on the ships. Equiano wrote:
Voice 3
“The smallness of the place. The heat of the climate. The number of people in the ship — all these things almost prevented us from breathing. Women cried out. Dying people groaned quietly. The level of suffering was hard to believe... I soon became very sick. So the sailors kept me on the ship’s deck. There on the top, I could breathe in fresh air. My health could improve. But I wished for death. I considered those slaves who had drowned to be happier than me. At least now they were free.”
Voice 1
After many weeks, the ship arrived in the West Indies. But that was not the end of Equiano’s travels. Traders moved him to a British colony in North America. There, a man called Michael Pascal bought Equiano. Pascal was an officer in the British Navy. He decided to send Equiano to school in England. There, the young man learned to read and write. But often his master would take him away from school to serve on his ship. At that time, Britain was at war with France. And the British navy needed as many sailors as it could find.
Voice 2
At last, Britain defeated the French. Each ship’s captain received prize money. The captains were supposed to share this money among all the sailors. Equiano believed that he would receive some prize money too. He wanted to save to buy his freedom. But he did not receive any money. And, things got worse. Pascal sold Equiano to another sea—captain.
Voice 1
Once again, Equiano went to the West Indies. This time, a sea trader called Robert King bought him at the slave market. King took Equiano to work on his ships. He did not want to waste Equiano’s reading and writing skills. So, King made Equiano responsible for controlling the quality of his goods. Equiano was pleased to have this work. But during this time he saw how terribly other slaves suffered. He firmly decided to save enough money to buy his freedom. He did this by trading his own goods privately. It took him three years. And in 1766, the great day came. Equiano wrote:
Voice 3
“In the morning, I had been a slave. I had obeyed the will of another person. But now, I was my own master — I was completely free! This was the happiest day that I had ever experienced.”
Voice 2
Equiano returned to England. He tried a number of jobs. But soon, he went back to sea — this time, as a free man. Over the next twenty [20] years, he travelled to many different places. During his travels he experienced many dangers: storms, sickness, almost drowning. He began to fear he would die at sea. And he wondered what would happen to him when he died.
Voice 1
Back in England, Equiano could not get the thoughts of death from his mind. He was worried. What happens to people when they die? Would he, Equiano, go to heaven? How was it possible for someone to reach heaven? Did he just have to live a good life? Equiano studied the Christian Bible to find some answers. And, he attended many churches. He asked religious people about their faith. But they all seemed to tell him something different. Equiano was very troubled. He could find no peace in his heart.
Voice 2
Once more, Equiano returned to the sea. He went to work on a ship going to Spain. This is what he wrote about his experience at that time:
Voice 3
“One evening, I was reading the Bible. I thought about my past acts. And, I wondered if I had been good enough to enter heaven. Was good behaviour the way to heaven? Or was entry into heaven a gift from God? And if it was a gift, how could I receive it? Suddenly, the Lord was pleased to break into my thoughts. It was like a light from Heaven, shining in my mind. Then I saw things clearly. I saw that I had broken God’s law. But it was Jesus Christ who had died instead of me. I felt a huge change. The weight of my wrong behaviour and the fears of death — they lost their power over me. I had never experienced such joy.”
Voice 2
Equiano’s faith in God became very important to him. He became more concerned for people who were still slaves. In the 1780s he joined a group of men in London. They were trying to persuade the government to pass a new law. This law would stop the slave trade in all British colonies. It was then that Equiano wrote the book about his life. He sold many copies around England. People were shocked by what they read. And many of them supported the anti—slave trade group.
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