Olaudah Equiano Essay, Research Paper

Question: What is Equiano’s argument against the charge of African

inferiority?(Hint: think about Hume’s criteria for inferiority)

Many non-African’s believed that Africans were inferior to other races and

cultures. A famous person to have a belief of the inferiority of Africans was David

Hume. In fact, Hume wrote a famous essay which included his reasons for

African inferiority. Although many people agreed with him, people of African

descent obviously did not. One African, Olaudah Equiano, wrote about his

experiences with slavery and also spoke against other races, especially whites’,

negative views toward the African race.

David Hume wrote about many ways in which Africans were inferior to

other races, and one of his reasons for inferiority was for the Africans’ “lack of

arts”. Equiano begged to differ. In his writing, Equiano gave examples of how

Africans did, actually, have involvemnet with the arts. During a celebration, for

example, Equiano wrote of how song and dance played an important role in the

celebration. Both song and dance are forms of art.

Other races looked down as Africans as unintelligent and unskillful, when

in fact many Africans(in their home land) were skillful and intelligent. Equiano

spoke of priests and magicians who also acted as doctors and helped people get

better if they were ill, as well as advise them if they had a problem. If those

African priests and magicians did not have any intelligence, then they would not

have the ability to help people as they did. Therefore, Africans did, in fact have

intelligence, although they were accused of not having intelligence.

In his writing, Equiano proved to the public that Africans were not inferior

to other races and he gave valid examples to back up what he had to say.