freed slave Ayuba Suleiman Diallo (1701-1773) had his portrait painted, in Bath in 1733, by William Hoare (1707-1792). It is thought to be the first such portrait in Britain. The painting came up for auction at Christies on 8 December 2009.
Nigerian poet Ben Okri, fascinated with the story of Suleiman Diallo and his relevance today, presents a poem, at the NPG, written in response to the painting. September 2013
see http://www.npg.org.uk/whatson/diallo/home.php?dm_i=ZL4,1SBWX,5CMAUM,6DP7K,1
Angela Allison, Coventry UK
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