Olaudah Equiano

Olaudah Equiano
Born	1745 Essaka, Benin Empire (claimed)
Died	31 March 1797 (aged 51-52) Westminster, London
Other names	Gustavus Vassa, Graves
Occupation(s)	Explorer, writer, merchant, slave, abolitionist
Known for	Influence over British abolitionists; his autobiography
Spouse	Susannah Cullen
Children	Joanna Vassa and Anna Maria Vassa

Olaudah Equiano (c. 1745 – 31 March 1797) also known as Gustavus Vassa or Graves, was an important African involved in the British movement for the abolition of the slave trade. He was made a slave when he was a child but was later able to buy his freedom. He worked as an author, merchant, and explorer in South America, the Caribbean, the Arctic, the American colonies, and the United Kingdom, where he settled by 1792. In his autobiography, The Interesting Narrative of the Life of Olaudah Equiano, he wrote about the horrors of slavery. This influenced the passing of the Slave Trade Act of 1807.