France urged to repay Haiti billions paid for its independence

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A group of international academics and authors has written to Nicolas Sarkozy calling on France to reimburse the crushing "independence debt" it imposed on Haiti nearly 200 years ago.

The open letter to the French president says the debt, now worth more than €17bn (£14bn), would cover the rebuilding of the country after a devastating earthquake that killed more than 250,000 people seven months ago.

Its signatories – including Noam Chomsky, the American linguist, Naomi Klein, the Canadian author and activist, Cornel West, the African-American author and civil rights activist, and several renowned French philosophers – say that if France repays the money it would be a solution to the shortfall in international donations promised following the earthquake.

Despite pledges at an international donors' conference in March of aid totalling £3.4bn, only five countries – Brazil, Norway, Australia, Colombia and Estonia – have sent aid amounting to about £325m.

The letter, published in the French newspaper Libération today says the debt was "patently illegitimate ... and illegal".

The debt dates back to when Haiti, then St Dominique, was France's most profitable colony thanks to slavery. In 1791 the slaves revolted, and in 1804, after defeating Napoleon's forces, they founded the world's first independent black republic.

But after independence, French slave owners demanded compensation. In 1825 the French monarch Charles X demanded Haiti pay an "independence debt" of 150m gold francs – 10 times the fledgling nation's annual revenue. The original sum was reduced but Haiti still paid 90m gold francs – about €17bn today – to France. It was still paying off this debt in 1947.

In 2004, a lawsuit launched by Haiti to recover the money was abandoned when France backed the overthrow of the government.

Campaigners say the debt was illegal even in 1825, because when the original demand for compensation was made slavery was technically outlawed.

Their letter says: "The 'independence debt', which is today valued at well over €17bn ... illegitimately forced a people who had won their independence in a successful slave revolt, to pay again for the freedom.

"In 2003, when the Haitian government demanded repayment of the money France had extorted from Haiti, the French government responded by helping to overthrow that government."

The letter describes France's actions as "inappropriate responses to a demand that is morally, economically, and legally unassailable", adding: "In light of the urgent financial need in the country in the wake of the devastating earthquake of January 12, 2010, we urge you to pay Haiti, the world's first black republic, the restitution it is due."

The letter has also been signed by members of parliament from Europe, Canada and the Philippines, as well as scholars, journalists and activists in France, Haiti, the US, Canada, the UK, Nigeria, Sierra Leone and Germany.

sèk visye Rev mansyone a, pou nou kraze li se ENVESTI pou nou envesti nan REPARE nasyon an. Gen moun k ap pale de "refondasyon". Se pa sa nasyon an bezwen. Pa gen anyen ki mal nan jan nasyon an te fonde a. Sa ki kraze kannkès peyi a, sè ke yo retire li sou fondasyon papa nasyon an te mete li a.

Preyokipasyon Dessalines te geneyen pou nou PATAJE RESOUS peyi a kòmsadwa pou tout pitit nasyon an jwenn sa yo merite, se sa ki dwe bousòl nou pandan n ap chèche remete Ayiti sou fondasyon nòmal li. An rezime, Se pa ni 18 novanm 1803, ni 1 janvye 1804 ki merite defèt, se 17 Oktòb 1806 pou nou korije osnon REPARE.

Sèl solisyon pou Ayiti se REPARASYON!

Jaf

Mwen sekonde sa jaf di ya se pa 1er janvier 1804 ki merite korije se 17 OKtòm 1806 la ki merite korije pou tout resous peyi ya sèvi tout pitit li.neg bliye se Boyer menm ki te sigjere la frans pou li dedomaje kolon yo.Piga moun vinn fè moun konprann ke Boyer se te yon patriyot.

AYITI ke nou genyenjounen jodi a se rezilta zak BWAYE poze.Analfabetism lan ;ti minorite ki konpòte l kòm si li pa t menm moun a gwo majorite popilasyon an ;tout se rezilta politik BWAYE.
Misye defèt tout sa DESSALINES te kite yo.
Se pou wè tou kouman KRISTÒF ak PETYON ak BWAYE TE KONPÒTE YO.
Franse yo te al chita ak PETYON ak BWAYE men lè yo te vle menm rankontre ak KRISTÒF,misye te di yo pa gen sa pyès.
Byen ke KRISTÒF te patisipe lan konplo kont DESSALINES petèt si se misye ki te genyen nou ta ka pa lan petren nou ye jodi an.
Se pou wè ki tèm ki te lan trete BWAYE te siyen ak franse yo.Non sèlman Franse yo pa t preske bezwen peye dwa dwàn machandiz y ap vann AYITI ,ayisyen yo yomenm dwe peyi dwa dwàn an FRANS;epitou bato ayisyen pa t gen dwa vwayaje lan koloni franse yo genyen lan AMERIK.
Se kòm si franse yo te rekolonize peyi an ankò san yo pa tire yon kout fizi.
Konpare ak yon bagay konsa ETAZINI te deklare LANGLETÈ la gè;yon gè ki dire preske 3 zan;ant 1812 ak 1815;li te preferab pase pou BWAYE te aksepte kondisyon sa yo pou l te di la FRANS ,MEN KWA MANMAN W ,MEN KWA PAPA W.

All children between the ages of 5 and 12 have access to an education,'' he said.

The concept is not new, and in fact dates back to Haiti's 1816 Constitution when then-President Alexandre Pétion had it inscribed into the governing document. Years later, Pétion's successor, Jean-Pierre Boyer, would take it a step further, requiring state-financed primary education.

Saa se sa listwa di!
Men sa Joel ak Rod ap mache di sou gouvenman Jean Pierre Boyer a.

Joel di: AYITI ke nou genyenjounen jodi a se rezilta zak BWAYE poze.Analfabetism lan ;ti minorite ki konpòte l kòm si li pa t menm moun a gwo majorite popilasyon an ;tout se rezilta politik BWAYE.
Rod di: neg bliye se Boyer menm ki te sigjere la frans pou li dedomaje kolon yo.Piga moun vinn fè moun konprann ke Boyer se te yon patriyot.

Nap mande Administrate forum nan pou mande tout mond ki bay yon infomasyon sou yon moun ou byen yo dirijan, pou di ki kote yo jwen referans lan.

Joel ak Rod ap mache re-ekwi listwa Dayiti e bay manti san ke yo pa di ki kote ke yo jwen betiz sa yo. Jak fwa ke nou pral di yon betiz fok nou di ke se opinion pa w e mete LOL deye'l pou moun sa we ke se ransé ke nap ransé
Nou te met rayi yon prezidan jan nou vle, bay manti sou gouvernans li pap chanje listwa!
Sispand pale mete la, vini avek referens SVP!!