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As a result, Haiti agreed to pay the country 150 million gold francs, which were borrowed from a French bank. The amount "owed" was later reduced to 90 million gold francs, which is the equivalent of $17 billion today. The country of Haiti actually made payments on this gangster debt, euphemistically referred to as "independence debt," until it was paid off in 1947.
The petition for reparations for Haiti has been signed by many notables, including 100 artists, scholars and other public figures such as Dr. Cornel West and Naom Chomsky. The open letter to French President Nicolas Sarkozy asking that the reparations be paid has been supported by some of the more liberal politicians in France, but the push for reparations has been recently denied. The Christian Science Monitor reports:
Responding to the petition, foreign ministry spokesperson Christine Fages said France gives Haiti $25 million a year, has given $30 million in humanitarian aid since the earthquake in January that left some 250,000 dead, has erased a $72 million in debt, and plans a total of $420 million more in aid through next year.
French officials did not address the legitimacy of the debt, with analysts saying such an admission could open a flood-gate of former colonial claims. France, for its part, has steadily requested that Moscow recompense a group of French investors that prior to 1917 put vast sums into the Russian rail system. Lenin declared the debt void under Soviet rule. But recently Russian prime minister Vladimir Putin agreed to reopen negotiations.
So it looks like the French government can dish it but they can't take it when it comes to denying monies to people who are rightfully owed.
After the recent earthquake, Haiti still suffers, and the nation can use all the help it can get. According to UN Haitian special envoy Bill Clinton, only 10 percent of the $5.6 billion promised by the United Nations has been delivered to the country. And who knows? If Haiti had not been forced to pay that heinous "independence debt," perhaps the nation would have had more resources over the years to develop itself to the point that the recent earthquake would not have been so devastating.
Conversations about reparations for Haiti opens the door for possible reparations for other wrongs done to groups like African Americans. Some estimate that reparations for slavery in America should be well over one trillion dollars. But, as we don't have a documented dollar amount at hand as Haiti does, the "cost" to us as a people will probably forever be disputed. As France knows exactly what it stole from the Haitian people, and knows what it is like to be denied as a nation monies it is due, it should do the right thing now and pay that money back. It's the least the former colonial power can do at this crucial time in Haiti's history.
Lawrence Watkins is the Founder of Great Black Speakers. He is also the owner of speakers' bureaus dedicated to Hispanic speakers and Christian motivational speakers. His book, "Frame Your Future: 8 Principles to Effectively Focus on the Future and Not Dwell in the Past", will be released in August 2010. If you would like Lawrence's articles delivered directly to your email, please click here.