Restitution of Haiti’s Independence Debt Haiti’s current economic crisis and political turmoil have their roots in the “odious debt” of 150 million gold francs (later reduced to 90 million) which France imposed on the newborn republic with gunboats in 1825. The sum was supposed to compensate French planters for their losses of slaves and property during Haiti’s 1791-1804 revolution, which gave birth to the world’s first slavery-free, and hence truly free, republic. It is the only case in world history where the victor of a major war paid the loser reparations. In fact, French colonial losses were only an estimated 100 million gold francs, if one stoops to placing monetary value on human slaves. It took Haiti 122 years, until 1947, to pay off both the original ransom to France and the tens of millions more in interest payments borrowed from French banks to meet the deadlines. Why couldn’t and shouldn’t the billions now spent on policing, intimidating, and repressing the Haitian people be invested in the Haitian police, agriculture, education, and healthcare? This is what most Haitians ask today. Europe should support, not the sending of UN troops, but the restitution for Haiti’s Independence Debt and just reparations for the crimes of slavery and colonialism. This would allow the Haitian people to rebuild their country as they see fit, not according to the blue-prints drawn up by multinational banks and foundations based in the former colonial and slave-owning nations. In short, restitution would allow self-determination. #HaitianRevolution #Reparations #EuropeanHistory #DoResearch #Educate #Think #ReDefine #1000Network #AfricanHistory #Africa #WorldHistory #BlackHistory #WhatisyourHistory #KnowledgeIsMoney
