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| Olauda Equiano |
Biafra Choice Writers
Culled from Emeka Ijere
The Igbos of Africa are one of a kind. With a
population of over 50 million people, each generation produces one leader who
was like the other. Hence, Nnamdi Kanu and IPOB could be said to be the
reincarnation of the 16th century history of the Black man's struggle for
freedom. (Read on).
In 1745 an Igbo son who later shocked the world was
born in a remote Igbo settlement. His name is Olauda Equiano. At 11 years of
age, he was kidnapped, taken to the coast and sold into slavery to European
merchants. (His slave name was Gustavus Vassa). He was taken across the Atlantic ocean to West Indies where he
worked and later sold out again to England.
As a slave, Olauda Equiano went into careful trading
and savings until he bought himself out of slavery at the cost of 40 pounds. He
gained freedom for himself. Just as his name Ola-uda (Gold-tone) meaning
'Golden Voice'; Olauda Equiano became a very vocal abolitionist and the voice
of all black slaves in the world.
He founded a movement in London called "Sons of
Africa" and led the group to fighting for the freedom of other African
slaves. He and his group started the agitation for the resettlement of freed
African slaves in Sierra Leone on the coast of West Africa.
The Zong Massacre: In 1781, about 133 black slaves
on route to Jamaica were thrown off the slave ship into the Atlantic ocean to
save drinking water for the others. Olauda Equiano took the case up and worked
very hard to have the ship's crew prosecuted for murder. By his golden voice,
he achieved much publicity for the massacre. This later led to the
establishment of Slave Trade Act of 1807 in England which abolished African
slave trade.
In 1789 Olauda Equiano published his autobiography
in England and he achieved instant celebrity. He became the wealthiest black
man in the world. He was so well off that he dabbed into the business of money
lending to English people.
10 years after Equiano's death, Britain abolished
SLAVERY. He died a fulfilled Christian and an IGBO FREEDOM FIGHTER.
In great respect for a true Igbo son, I humbly urge
Governor Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi and Enugu state government to hasten the completion
of Enugu International Conference Centre and rename it "OLAUDA EQUIANO
FREEDOM CENTRE".
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| Kanu |
Igbos are the same everywhere, all times and in all
generations. Like Olauda Equiano... like Nnamdi Kanu. Igbos are not good in
slavery.
They prefer dangerous freedom over peaceful slavery
(---Thomas Jefferson).
Igbos deserve BIAFRA.
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