EQUIANO RUM

Over 250 years ago, life was very different to what we know now. Often we hear stories of plight, treachery and overcoming adversity, but through turmoil it can shape a person, it can create beliefs, spread love and ultimately help others. None is more true than the defining journey of a man who stood for what he believed in – equality.

In 1745, Olaudah Equiano was born. His life began in Africa, but before reaching his teens, he was kidnapped and sold into slavery. Growing as a boy into a man, his experiences shaped him. During his early years he voyaged across the Atlantic Ocean to the Caribbean where he was enslaved for many years. Eventually he crossed the seas once more and landed in the United Kingdom. Tenacious and determined, he traded in rum on the side, selling a puncheon of rum at a time. In just a matter of years he managed to save forty pounds, paving his way to liberation. Equiano was free!