Historian Watson Denis publishes on Haiti's independence debt

According to Professor Denis, the goal of this project is "to make known the antecedents and corollaries of this double debt and to study its long-term political, economic, financial, and social effects." The Challenges Center had planned to publish Dr. Denis's work in three volumes for the year 2025.

President Jean-Bertrand Aristide officially introduced the issue of restitution during his second term in 2002, while Thomas Madiou had already studied the subject at the very beginning of Haitian history. By accepting the debt imposed by France in 1825, Haiti compromised its prospects for financial autonomy and industrialization.

Historical Context

The agreement signed between Haiti and France in July 1825 is considered a major turning point in the country's political and diplomatic history. The historian Watson Denis emphasizes that this agreement led to a transition of Haitian sovereignty towards a form of suzerainty, thereby compromising the economic and political interests of Haiti.

Elements of the Project

Professor Denis currently works as Secretary General of the Haitian Society of History, Geography, and Geology and as Professor at the Faculty of Human Sciences of the State University of Haiti. His research aims not only to document historical events but also to analyze their repercussions on the economic and social development of the country.