 The so-called defenders of democracy and human rights, France and the USA, are the worst nations to give that title. Again and again, from the past to present, we continue to see how these nations will do anything, even going as far as to subject other nations to the worst situations ever, just to protect their so-called interests. They claim to fight for democracy, yet they are the ones who would resort to calling any leader who stands against them dictators and warning other nations not to partner with them. Any nation that is a threat to them is sanctioned and isolated. How do they then qualify as defenders of democracy and human rights? It's baffling why we continue to give them power over us, especially in Africa. History is filled with the atrocious acts of France and the USA in crimes against humanity, but these acts are covered up by their seemingly good acts. So much hypocrisy. France and Britain are usually lauded as the first nations to abolish slavery, but that is a big lie. That honour goes to Haiti. Though not an African country, most of its people come from African descent. Today, Haiti is one of the poorest nations in the world. Most of its citizens have tried to flee the country to the USA, desperate for a better life and because the country is a disaster zone prone to natural disasters such as earthquakes. In 2021, when thousands of refugees from Haiti attempted to flee to the USA, they were disappointed because the Biden administration sent them back. The situation even resulted in the resignation of the US special envoy to Haiti, Ambassador Daniel Foote, who said he would not be associated with the United States in humane, counterproductive decision to deport thousands of Haitian refugees. However, today we are not focused on why the USA sent these refugees back. Our focus instead is why this country that was the first nation in the world to abolish slavery is the way it is today. Prior to winning its independence in 1804, Haiti was formerly a French colony known as Saint-Domingue. It was the crown jewel of the French Empire and arguably the most lucrative colony in the world. French planters forced African slaves to produce sugar, coffee and other cash crops for the global market. This inhumane system seemed to work so well and produced massive profits for France until the French and American Revolution which inspired what became the world's largest and most successful slave revolt in 1791. Led by former slave Toussaint Louverture, Haiti succeeded in pushing out the French and British forces who arrived in 1793 to conquer the colony. By 1802, the Haitian Revolution had outlasted the French Revolution, which had been its inspiration and on January 1st 1804, desolines declared the nation independent and renamed it Haiti. However, as the first black nation to become independent, Haiti was not welcomed with open hands by the existing world powers at the time, the USA and France. Instead, the country was seen as a threat to the existing system because, at the time Haiti won its independence, the invention and spread of the cotton gin made slavery a much more lucrative business. And slave holders in the United States, France and other countries wanted to cling to and expand this inhumane means of production. To curb the so-called threat, President Thomas Jefferson, the US President at the time, worked to isolate Haiti diplomatically and strangle it economically, fearing that the success of Haiti would inspire slave revolts back home. Not only that, the US refused to recognize Haiti as a country until 1862 when slavery began to be abolished. Interestingly, France was the first nation to acknowledge the independence of Haiti, but it came at a price. A price that has made Haiti what it is today. Two decades after Haiti's independence, the French King Charles X sent an armed flotilla of warships to Haiti with a message. The message stated that Haiti had to secure its independence with the sum of 150 million francs or suffer the consequences. In today's equivalent, the money is about 20 billion dollars to 30 billion dollars. Literally, at gunpoint, Haiti caved to France's demands to secure its independence. The sum was too large for the new country to pay in full, so it had to take out loans with high interest rates from a French bank. This meant that Haiti was not only paying the 150 million francs but also paying high interest rates on the debt. It's no wonder Haiti took 122 years to pay for their freedom. Imagine if that money was used in Haiti to develop the country. Reporters for the New York Times documented each payment Haiti made over the years that followed and concluded that the country paid nearly 560 million dollars in today's money to satisfy the ransom and the loans they were compelled to borrow to pay it. For centuries, Haiti's profits were used to service its double debt, depriving its people of schools, hospitals, and basic infrastructure and plunging the country into a cycle of debt, poverty, and underdevelopment that continues to this day. Had that money stayed in the Haitian economy over the last 200 years, it would have added at least 21 billion dollars over time. If Haiti had not been forced to pay the people who had enslaved its citizens, its per capita income in 2018 could have been almost six times as large. And yet, France calls itself a staunch defender of democracy and human rights. Meanwhile, the millions of dollars gotten from Haiti were used to fuel the nascent French banking system and build the Eiffel Tower as well as other French structures. Such wickedness. Isn't this a crime against humans in Haiti? Yet, the U.S. and other world powers have turned a blind eye because they too are profiting from the system. U.S. banks also extracted a large amount of wealth from Haiti. After National Citibank, Citigroup's predecessor, and other Wall Street banks lobbied hard for the U.S. to invade Haiti, the U.S. invaded in 1915, took over the National Bank and installed a puppet government, dissolved parliament at gunpoint, entrenched segregation, forced Haitians to build roads for no pay, Haitians' constitution, allowing foreigners to own property for the first time since independence, according to the Times. Not surprisingly, Haiti is not the only country in which France's actions led to the current state they are in. Just like Haiti, 14 African countries have been paying colonial debts to France since they gained independence. Not only do they pay colonial debt, but they also signed a colonial pact with France in which the only benefit these African countries got was their independence. The colonial pact maintained French control over the African state's economies. It took possession of their foreign currency reserves. It controlled the country's strategic raw materials. It stationed troops in the country with free passage. It demanded that all military equipment be acquired from France. It took over the training of the African police and army, and it required that French businesses be allowed to maintain monopoly enterprises in key areas such as water, electricity, ports, transport and energy. These treaties, as inhumane as they are, are still in force and operational. In fact, France forced its former colonies to deposit 65% of their foreign currency reserves in the French treasury, plus another 20% for financial liabilities, leaving them with only 15% of their own money. And if they require additional funds, they must borrow from France at market rates. Thus, these African republics are French taxpayers, but their populations are not French and do not have access to the public goods and services that their money helps to fund. It's no surprise that France is so developed because it funds itself with money from Africa. One major question is, do French people realize they have been living off the wealth of African countries for over a half century? And if they do know, do they care at all? Aside from that, France has the first right to purchase any natural resources discovered on the territory of its former colonies. African countries are also not free to seek other partners because French interests and enterprises are given preference in public procurement. They have the final say when it comes to natural resources. France also has the sole right to offer military equipment and training to African militaries, as well as to deploy soldiers and intervene in African countries to safeguard France's interests. This means they may violently topple any regime that does not dance to their tune and must only ally with France in times of war or disaster. In addition, France's former colonies are required to use the colonial currency FCFA, the CFA Franc, and to submit an annual balance report to France. The Bank of France issues CFA currency and sets the general framework for economic and monetary policy. As a result, countries that use the CFA Franc have little to no control over domestic inflation rates. As a result, France reserves the right to depreciate the CFA Franc anytime it sees fit, as it did in 1994 when the CFA Franc was devalued from 50 CFA Francs to 100 CFA Francs. By controlling this currency, France keeps its ex-colonies, mostly in Western and Sahel Africa, in constant debt, enticing them to borrow more and more. So how do you expect African countries to truly develop when they're busy using all the money they generate for the past 50 years to pay a so-called colonial debt? Both Haiti and these Francophone countries have suffered greatly at the hands of France, the US, and other Western powers. While nothing can be done to change the past, it is time for the attitude of the West concerning Africa and other underdeveloped countries to change. There seems to be a sort of awakening amongst African leaders of today, and hopefully, over the next decade, we will begin to see dramatic changes across the continent and beyond. What are your thoughts? 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