Olaudah Equiano Stamp

Royal Mail Group plc is commemorating the abolition of the slave trade with a set of six stamps to be issued on Thursday 22 March. One of the two first class stamps features Olaudah Equiano (CLICK), who was kidnapped and sold into slavery at the age of 11. Despite the trauma of his enslavement, he was extremely fortunate in becoming a seaman and a merchant while still a slave, and by trading with Quakers managed to save £40 to buy his freedom in only ten years. He also gained an education and became a best selling author with his autobiography, which revealed the horrors of the slave trade. His inspirational life makes you wonder. What's worse: being a smart, ambitious slave with an enlightened owner or being a no-hoper in a modern ghetto?