Olaudah Equiano (16 October 1745 – 31 March 1797)

I believe it is difficult for those who publish their own memoirs to escape the imputation of vanity; nor is this the only disadvantage under which they labour: “

Equiano

In order to attain accuracy one must have an intention sustained long enough for us to even begin to find the target. I can see the parallels that this infers in both archery and writing.
Our ancestor Equiano undoubtedly had an idea of who he was targeting when he wrote, and also the reason why he decided to write. Here he makes it plain that it wasn’t about vanity even though that was how most people would discribe his efforts.

Today it’s the same, people think “who do you think you are ?” Or “your not a scholar I’m Dr so and so from Washington”. With arrogants and the self delusion of attempting to rashionalise a qualification (a peice of paper) based on another person’s interpretation of how you should use your God given skill set.

This is played out negroisum. Think of how Equiano was classified by the socialites of his day. Was he revered as he is today, or was he seen as a oddity?An oddity is to say the least. I imagined him ridiculed despised and more.

In life great works are only hit with first, great intention. The results or proceeds coming from your great intention may never benefit you the individual today, but your offspring rather long into the future and beyond as Equiano’s did will benefit.

Equiano wrote out these aspects of his life holding on to the tenets of truth and facts, reguarless of what people thought.

We thank God he did so, otherwise we wouldn’t have a good picture of what actually happened back then from the family prospective.

Incredibly important. So important I suspect this was near to his core intention. That we his offspring can reference his work and utilise the facts thereof for our own benefit. We thank Allah that he had this incite the vision the intention and the ability.

Shouldn’t we all be intuned to this accord? I think so. I think its a duty especially for the diasporian in residence of Africa. We are at a time that folds up the chapter of service to others and creates a time of doing for our own and self. We are also an oddity in that we have moved back to Africa. Not just visiting or doing business in Africa but committing ourselves and our children to live here with all the benefits and disadvantages. Just because we are ordinary people who do not hold some aloofness in titles mixing with the aristocratic figure heads doesn’t mean we are not able to document the actual everyday realities of returning to and understanding of the motherland. Most of our people talk about Africa some study about Africa but we live Africa.

Will H Muhammad