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The Haitian government celebrated the 221st anniversary of the country’s independence on Monday, January 1, 2025.
The ceremony took place in Port-au-Prince with high-ranking officials such as Prime Minister Alix Didier Fils-Aimé and the coordinator of the Transitional Presidential Council, Leslie Voltaire, in attendance.
In his speech, Leslie Voltaire called for peace in the country so the people could find relief from the ongoing violence. He stated that the government was at war with gangs causing chaos and forcing thousands to flee their homes.
Voltaire also said his patience was running out and urged France to repay Haiti’s independence debt and provide reparations for slavery.
Haiti was forced to pay France approximately 150 million francs (around $21 billion in today’s value when adjusted for inflation and interest) as reparations for its independence. This debt was imposed in 1825 by King Charles X of France as compensation for the loss of French slaveholders’ property, including enslaved people, after Haiti’s successful revolution.
The payments took over a century to complete, crippling Haiti’s economy as the country had to take out loans from French and foreign banks to meet the demands, contributing significantly to long-term poverty and underdevelopment.
The government did not visit the island of Gonaïves, the city of independence, for the traditional tribute to ancestors and independence commemoration.
The event was held in the capital, Port-au-Prince.
Source: VOA.
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