Was Olaudah Equiano Born in Africa or Not?

A new biography on perhaps the most famous slave of all time, Olaudah Equiano, is causing controversy. According to a review published by the Mail and Guardian, the book Equiano the African: Biography of a Self-made Man by Vincent Carretta produces evidence that "Equiano may never have set foot in Africa, never mind boarded a slave ship" and that the "narrative of his early life may be pure fiction".

Carretta apparently discovered a baptism record for Equiano dated 9 February 1759 stating he was born in Carolina. Carretta also "tracked down records proving that practically everything else [Equiano] told about his life was factually correct."

A lecturer specialising in the literature of slavery and abolition at the Kingston University in Surrey, Brycchan Carey, has compiled a list of evidence for both sides of the debate of where Equiano was born. Carey says: "Just about the only thing we can say for certain is that, when he was younger, Equiano told people he was from Carolina, but when he was older, he told people he was from Africa." Take a look...