By Marlene L. Daut | The Conversation

This article is republished from The Conversation, an independent and nonprofit source of news, analysis and commentary from academic experts. Marlene L. Daut is a Professor of French and African American Studies, Yale University

In 2002, Haiti’s former president Jean-Bertrand Aristide argued that France should pay his country $US21 billion.

The reason? In 1825, France extracted a huge indemnity from the young nation, in exchange for recognition of its independence.

April 17, 2025, marks the 200th anniversary of that indemnity agreement. On Jan. 1 of this year, the now-former president of Haiti’s Transitional Presidential Council, Leslie Voltaire, reminded France of this call when he requested that France “repay the debt of independence and reparations for slavery.” In March, tennis star Naomi Osaka, who is of Haitian descent, added her voice to the chorus in a tweet wondering when France would pay Haiti back.

This story was originally produced by WLRN, South Florida’s only public radio station at 91.3 FM, as part of a content sharing partnership with MIA Media Group. Read more at WLRN.org