Who is Equiano?

Prior to the first page of the novel, Ward includes three passages that set the tone for the rest of the book. The second and third are straight forward; one tells of the influence of memory on the present, while the other reflects on the undertones of the South. However, the first excerpt requires a second look. A Kwa chant, it tells of the disappearance of an African boy, Equiano. Upon further research, I found that Olaudah Equiano was 11-years old when he was kidnapped from his home and became one of the 10 to 12 million Africans who were sold into slavery from the 15th through the 19th centuries. Equiano was lucky to survive the 1,000 mile trek that merchants forced potential slaves to walk in order to transport them to coastal forts as only half of the people lived through these marches. He later acquired his freedom (in 1789) and wrote one of the first slave narratives published in English, an autobiography titled The Interesting Narrative of the Life of Olaudah Equiano, or Gustavus Vassa, the African. 
As for why Ward decided to include the chant is open for discussion. I personally think it's almost eerie in that the people are seemingly unaware of the changes occurring around them - instead of realizing that Equiano had been kidnapped and forced into slavery, they question wether or not he simply wandered to a stream or to the farm. This holds parallels to the novel as it portrays the idea that many people remain blind to the issues that are still relevant and widespread today. Furthermore, including this chant acknowledges a moment in history that inevitably influences the setting of the story.