Cap-Haitien
Haitian President Jean-Bertrand Aristide demanded this week that France return $21.7 billion, the equivalent of the sum that his country paid nearly two centuries ago for formal recognition of its independence. Haiti won its freedom in 1804 after a slave revolt, but France threatened to reclaim its former colony by force. Haiti paid the massive indemnity to end the dispute. “The main reason we’re so poor today is that we had to pay France that money,” said Leslie Voltaire, a member of Aristide’s cabinet. The government has launched TV and radio ads touting the public works it could do with the money. Laennec Hurbon, a Haitian sociologist, said that Aristide was making France “a scapegoat for his own ineptitude and corruption.”
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
-
Quiz of The Week: 15 – 21 NovemberQuiz Have you been paying attention to The Week’s news?
-
Can the UK do more on climate change?Today's Big Question Labour has shown leadership in the face of fraying international consensus, but must show the public their green mission is ‘a net benefit, not a net cost’
-
The Week Unwrapped: Will US Catholics rebel against the Pope?Podcast Plus what are the ethics of freezing your late partner?
