I noticed this when I was about to log in to Nairaland. Didn't know anything about him, so I decided to do some research, and I came up with the following info:

His name is Olaudah Equiano (1745 – 31 March 1797), known in his lifetime as Gustavus Vassa. He was a prominent African in London, a freed slave who supported the British movement to end the slave trade. His autobiography, published in 1789, helped in the creation of the Slave Trade Act 1807 which ended the African trade for Britain and its colonies.

He was born in Essaka Nigeria.
He was an explorer, writer, merchant, abolitionist and widely known for Influence over British abolitionists.


In London, Equiano (identifying as Gustavus Vassa during his lifetime) was part of the Sons of Africa, an abolitionist group composed of prominent Africans living in Britain, and he was active among leaders of the anti-slave trade movement in the 1780s.
He published his autobiography, "The Interesting Narrative of the Life of Olaudah Equiano" (1789), which depicted the horrors of slavery. It went through nine editions and aided passage of the British Slave Trade Act of 1807, which abolished the African slave trade.

As a free man, Equiano had a stressful life; he had suffered suicidal thoughts before he became a Protestant Christian and found peace in his faith. After settling in London, Equiano married an English woman named Susannah Cullen in 1792 and they had two daughters, Joanna Vassa and Anna Maria Vassa. He died in 1797 in London, though his gravesite is unknown. Equiano's death was recognized in Britain as well as by American newspapers. Plaques commemorating his life have been placed at buildings where he lived in London.
Since the late 20th century, when his autobiography was published in a new edition, he has been increasingly studied by a range of scholars, including many from his supposed homeland of Nigeria.

Source: Wikipedia

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