In a declaration marking the bicentenary this month of the 1825 recognition by France of the independence of Haiti, when it demanded a crippling ransom in return, which remains a major grievance for the Caribbean country, French President Emmanuel Macron pledged to look at this episode of history “in the face” and announced the creation of a “mixed Franco-Haitian commission tasked with examining our common past” and which is to provide both governments with “recommendations”.