# FROM SLAVERY TO FREEDOM  
The Interesting Narrative of Gustavus Vassa, the African (aka Olaudah Equiano)<br>Chika Unigwe  
Gustavus Vassa was born circa 1742 in an Igbo village in the Bight of Biafra, in what is now known as Nigeria. Vassa names his birthplace as Essaka. There have been various unsuccessful attempts by scholars to identify its precise location. A nation, by his account, of rich soil, dancers, musicians and poets. He was named in the hope that he would be a man of importance. In Igbo culture, the name a child is given bears the hopes that the parents place on his shoulders. Names are, in a way, potentially prophetic. A popular Igbo proverb says that a guo onye afa, chi analu, which translates to, 'when a child is named, the gods hear'. The implication is that the gods then lead the child towards a fulfilment of his name. He writes of this, 'our children were named from some event, some circumstance, or fancied foreboding at the time of their birth' (Equiano, 2004, p. 55).  
At birth, he was named Olaudah Equiano. Although scholars have suggested various possible spellings of Equiano, all of them starting with the letter ' $E$ ', I would argue, however, that considering what he says the meaning of his name is and the fact that Vassa consistently uses ' $E$ ' for the Igbo ' $I$ ', for instance, when he writes 'Eboe' for ' $\mathrm{I}(\mathrm{g})$ bo', it is likely to be Ikwueanu: 'when you speak, people will listen'. 'Olaudah', according to him, translates to 'vicissitude or fortunate, also one favoured, and having a loud voice and well spoken' (Equiano, p. 55). His father was a titled man, an Embrenche who had many children, some of whom  
died in childhood. 'Embrenche' is most likely an adulterated spelling of onye (g) buru ichi, that is, one with ichi marks. Vassa was the youngest son.