Haiti, a country with a past marked by the struggle for freedom, faces a significant challenge in its contemporary history today. Known for being the first state to abolish slavery through a successful uprising in 1804, Haiti proclaimed its independence from France in a context of bravery and determination. However, this independence came at a monumental cost that still resonates today. In 1825, the country was forced to accept the payment of an exorbitant indemnity of 150 million gold francs, established by French authorities to compensate planters for the losses they claimed to have suffered with the emancipation of the slaves.
During a recent debate at the United Nations headquarters in New York, journalist and activist Monique Clesca emphasized the paradox of this obligation, highlighting that those who had fought for their freedom were forced to compensate their former oppressors. This burden, dubbed a “freedom tax,” soon became unsustainable for the young republic. As Haiti found itself unable to meet the payments, it lost French support and was forced to borrow from banks, creating what Clesca described as a “double debt.”
By 1914, more than 75% of the national budget was allocated to indemnities, and Haiti only settled its debt with France in 1947. The accumulated sum up to that point would today be equivalent to approximately 560 million dollars, an amount that, according to experts, could have transformed the Haitian economy if it had been invested in the country.
Currently, Haiti is experiencing a devastating crisis, with gang violence dominating in 85% of Port-au-Prince, making it the poorest nation in Latin America and the Caribbean, according to the World Bank. Analysis from the United Nations Permanent Forum for People of African Descent goes even further, suggesting that this situation is a result of the legacies of colonialism, slavery, and the burden of historical and unjust debts.
Amidst these criticisms, French President Emmanuel Macron has proposed setting up a commission of Franco-Haitian historians to assess the repercussions of the indemnity. However, Martin Kimani from the Permanent Forum has warned that the success of this initiative will depend on the willingness to acknowledge the consequences of the imposed debt.
The demand for restitution of the funds has echoed in the international community and among Haitian leaders. Pierre Ericq Pierre, Haiti’s permanent representative to the UN, has stated that the responsibilities of the colonial past must be collectively confronted. The persistent inequalities in Haiti are, in his opinion, a direct result of this oppressive legacy.
The call for restorative justice is becoming increasingly urgent, with calls for the creation of an international reparations fund. Verene Albertha Shepherd, vice-chair of the UN Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination, has emphasized the importance of recognizing the moral debt to the Haitian revolutionaries, who fought for their freedom in a time of brutal oppression. Thus, Haiti’s history, though marked by suffering, becomes a call to memory and action for a justice that remains indispensable more than two centuries after its independence.
via: MiMub in Spanish
