On April 17, the Assembly of Caribbean People, joined by trade unions and other organizations, submitted a letter to the French Embassy demanding compensation from the French government to Haiti.
David Abdulah, a member of the assembly’s regional executive committee, pointed out that the letter was in French, so the ambassador would have no justification for not comprehending its significance since it was sent to a representative of the French embassy.
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The transfer of authority was made on the 200th anniversary of France’s demand for Haiti’s independence in payment for a debt of 150 million gold francs.
Haiti was obliged to pay a massive indemnity to France 200 years ago, which was a historic injustice, according to French President Emmanuel Macron, who made this statement the same day the letter was delivered.
France “subjected the people of Haiti to a heavy financial indemnity…This decision placed a price on the freedom of a young nation, which was thus confronted with the unjust force of history from its very inception,” according to a media outlet that quoted Macron in a statement.
According to the source, Macron did not specifically address Haiti’s long-standing demands for reparations, but he did announce the establishment of a joint French-Haitian historical commission to “examine our shared past” and evaluate ties.
Speaking at the embassy, Carol Noel, head of the Network of NGOs of Trinidad and Tobago for the Advancement of Women,“Normally on anniversaries we are happy, we are joyful and we look back on all of our achievements. But the people of Haiti cannot rejoice, they are in anguish, they are in pain, they are denied certain privileges, and what is theirs has been denied to them.”
She stated, “They are suffering, not only because of natural disasters, but because of what man has done to them and we need to lend our voice to that situation…They have no shelter and they have a whole nation that owes them money. A debt has to be paid, you incur a debt, it has to be paid.”
She urged all TT residents and everyone in the Caribbean region to join Haiti in calling for justice.
Guyanese poet Martin Carter was mentioned by activist Shabaka Kambon, who was speaking in front of the embassy on behalf of the Caribbean Freedom Project and the Emancipation Support Committee.
“One of his poems is called Looking at Your Hands and in that poem he starts by saying, ‘No I will not still my voice, I have too much to claim.’
“That line really speaks to what we are here for this morning. We are here this morning because we have too much to claim on behalf of our brothers and sisters in Haiti. This morning we stand in solidarity with all those who would hear this call and are in front of embassies and consulates doing the same things that we are this morning.”
Despite its rich history and lively culture, Kambon pointed out that Haiti is still among the poorest countries in the Western Hemisphere, with its people living in some of the most appalling conditions on earth.
“The rich nations of the world have their fingerprints all over this situation in Haiti and France is chief among them.”
Adding, “This issue of the debt that France owes to Haiti has been discussed ad nauseam by the leading legal luminaries of the world. And there is a consensus that if this was really brought to trial in the way that it should, France would have to pay Haiti.”
He claimed that despite the lack of attention from other regional authorities, the local population and civic society continue to commemorate the sacrifices made by Haitian revolutionaries.
Additionally, Kambon told reporters about his travel to Haiti in the early aftermath of the 2010 tragedy.
“The Presidential Palace had semi-collapsed, thousands of people were living in tent cities all around the Negre Marron (Black Maroon) monument and the only place it had running water for a long period was right behind the Presidential Palace and so everyone from those tent cities was going there to shower.”
He said that although he was permitted to take a shower during his trip, the guide instructed him to leave the doors of his car, which held his laptop, bag, and other possessions, open.
“So I thought, boy, if this was Frederick Street all that stuff gone. So I start to calculate my losses one time. We joined the line and it took us about 40 minutes to get to the shower and when we came back, not a thing was touched in our car.”
He claimed that was the first time he had ever felt that Haiti and its people were unique and distinctive.
