Olaudah Equiano was born in Isseke, in Africa. Then he was captured and sailed to America. Finally he went to England. ## De la capture au passage du milieu Il est dans son village avec sa soeur, ses parents sont absent lorsque deux personnes les capturent et les emmènent. Une fois à bord du navire ils vont faire l'experience du Middle Passage. Il y verra les punitions faites aux esclaves qui tentent de s'enfuir. Il y verra aussi les conditions effroyables dans lesquelles les esclaves font la traversée. (Maladie, air irrespirable...). Il arrive dans les Caraïbes. ## La longue voie vers la liberté Il est considéré par ses maitres comme un "esclave à talents". Il est acheté par un officier anglais, Michael Henri Pascal qui l'emmène en Angleterre. Il bénéficie de beaucoup d'avantages, il est correctement habillé, nourri et logé. Il observe les hommes de bord et copie leurs manières, il apprend donc à parler anglais. Il a la chance d'aller à l'école. Durant son parcours, il devra prendre part au conflit opposant l'Angleterre et ses alliés à une coalition dirigée par la France. Après ce combat il s'attend à être affranchi mais finalement son maître le revend à Robert King, un quaker de Philadelphie. Là-bas il apprend à faire des transactions et amasse assez d'argent pour racheter sa liberté. ## Rebapti Son maître le rebapti "Gustavus Vassa" pour montrer qu'il a tout pouvoirs sur lui et lui faire perdre son identité, son âme. ## Libre pour combattre Il est très heureux d'être libre et commence le combat pour la liberté des autres esclaves. Mais avant de pouvoir faire entendre sa voix en Angleterre, il doit être riche sinon il ne sera pas écouté. Il décide donc de faire des expéditions aventurières autour du monde, nottament pour tenter de trouver, en passant par le pôle Nord, une nouvelle voie vers les Indes. Il se rapproche du mouvement abolitionniste et 10 ans après sa mort l'esclavage est interdit en Angleterre. ## Comment faire changer la loi Speaking to the Parliement - Jouer sur la religion - Montrer l'inhumanité Utiliser l'exemple du capitaine de navire négrier qui a jeté par dessus bord environ 132 esclaves pour toucber l'assurance valant le fait que c'était des animaux. Good morning, Members of Parliament. Today we are here to talk about slavery. I am going to tell about my life as a slave. Firstly, my life as a slave started with my sister, we were in our parents' house, alone. But two people came and captured us. We travelled to a boat and were separated. Then I sailed to America, through the Middle Passage. It was horrible, we were stored at the bottom of the boat. There were diseases and the air was unbreathable. Once three people tried to escape from the boat, two of them sank but the third one came back on the boat. The masters punished him so much that he died from his injuries. After this trip, I arrived in the Caribbean and my masters sold me to another master, Michael Henri Pascal. Thank God he saw me as a talented slave and treated me differently. I was dressed differently, fed differently and did not sleep at the bottom of the boat like the other slaves. My master taught me to write and speak English. I fought in a war and my master sold me to Robert King, a Quaker from Philadelphia. He taught me how to start my own business, how to make money to be free. When my master abolished me in exchange for 40 pounds, I felt too good! After all that, when I came to England, some abolitionists asked me to write a book about my life and slavery. So I am here to discuss with you how you treat other humans! Now! Who can say that I am not a human being? That I am an animal! The only difference between you and me is the colour of our skin! Treat Africans like humans and they will be like you, treat Africans like slaves and they will be like slaves. Future generations might see you as a forerunner instead of looking down on you. You could be a symbol of hope, liberation and progress and this would send a strong message to the rest of the world. And do you want the future generations see you as "precurseurs" **Prononciation -> fluidité** **Respect du sujet -> conviction Réalisation des idées du cours -> apport personnel Correction de la langue -> richesse de la langue Réutilisation du vocabulaire -> apport personnel** Dear Members of the English Parliament, I stand before you today as a man who has experienced the horrors of slavery first hand. My name is Olaudah Equiano, and I was born in Isseke, Africa. I was captured and brought to America, where I was forced to endure the Middle Passage and the terrible conditions on slave ships. I saw first hand the punishments meted out to slaves who tried to escape, and I witnessed the unbearable conditions in which slaves were forced to make the crossing. I understand that many of you may not have experienced slavery personally, but I invite you to reflect on the suffering it causes. I was fortunate enough to be considered a "talented slave" by my masters, and I was bought by an English officer who took me to England. There I was treated well and had the opportunity to learn and grow. But even with these advantages, I was not really free. The road to freedom was long and difficult. I had to fight a war and save enough money to buy my own freedom. I am now free, and I am determined to fight for the freedom of all slaves. I invite you to join me in this fight. Slavery is an inhumane practice that robs people of their dignity and rights. It has no place in a civilised society. I implore you to consider the suffering of those who are still trapped in slavery, and to do everything in your power to end this terrible practice. I thank you.