In Search of Freedom_____________________________

Irene Elmer Scene 1

Scene: The time is 1763. A ship is at harbor. The captain is talking to a young African sailor. Captain Farmer calls the sailor by his English name, Gustavus, but his real name is OlaudahEquiano.

CAPTAIN: What have you there, Gustavus?

EQUIANO: A drinking glass I bought for three pence. (He shows it.) When we get home, I'll sell it for six pence. (He puts the glass carefully in his pocket.) Then I'll buy two glasses with six pence and sell them for twice as much. And someday I will have forty pounds.

CAPTAIN: Forty pounds! What do you want to buy that costs so much?

EQUIANO: My freedom.

CAPTAIN: Mr. King treats you well, Gustavus. Do you want to leave him?

EQUIANO: Mr. King treats me well enough. But I was born free. My father was a leader in Africa. He wanted me to be a leader, not a slave.

CAPTAIN: But there are slaves in Africa, Gustavus.

EQUIANO: In Africa we treated our slaves well. The whites treat their slaves like animals. They sell us by the pound, like chickens or pigs. They brand us. They put chains on us. They beat us. And if a white person kills an African, what happens? He has to pay a fine!

CAPTAIN: Many whites-too many-do those things. But some agree with you, Gustavus. There are people in England who say slavery should be ended.

EQUIANO: Those people are right. When I am free, I'll help end it.

Scene 2

Scene: About three years later, Equiano had kept on buying and selling things as he sailed around the British West Indies on Mr. King's ship. He had seen many examples of the white peoples' bad treatment of slaves. Now he was about to feel it.

Equiano and an old African are standing in the road outside a white person's house. They have spent all their money on three bags of fruit that they planned to sell in the market. But some white people have taken the fruit away and refuse to pay for it. The police refuse to help. Instead, they say they might beat the Africans.

EQUIANO: (very angry) I'd like to beat them. (He clenches his fists.) I wish - I wish lightning would strike that house!

OLD AFRICAN: No lightning will strike that house, Olaudah. (Equiano goes up to the door.) Don't knock. They'll only beat us if you ask again.

EQUIANO: I will ask again. I won't give up. (He knocks. A young white man opens the door.)

WHITE MAN: It's that slave again. (To Equiano, angrily) Didn't I tell you not to come back?

EQUIANO: Sir, the fruit you took belongs to us.

WHITE MAN: (swearing at him) Get out. Get out, or I'll shoot you first and pay afterwards.

EQUIANO: (angry but very polite) We spent all we had to buy that fruit. Are you going to rob us of everything we own?

ANOTHER WHITE MAN: That slave is brave to keep asking for his fruit. What if we gave him some of it? (To Equiano) Here. We'll give you two bags and keep only one. You see how generous we are? Now get out. (He slams the door.)

EQUIANO: (to the Old African) They kept your bag. I'll give you one-third of the fruit in mine.

OLD AFRICAN: (gratefully) Thank you. Olaudah.

EQUIANO: They treat us Africans like animals. That doesn't mean we can't behave like human beings.