What’s next after scrapping the ‘Black Code’ in France? | Slavery News

The “Code Noir” (or Black Code) is a law many were shocked to discover still existed in France.

It dates back 400 years and outlines the rules that governed slavery in French Caribbean colonies – rules that allowed slave owners to treat their labourers as property that could be bought, sold and inherited; rules that permitted cruel punishment such as beatings – often to death – and hangings.

This week, French MPs voted unanimously to repeal the legislation. But is that enough?

And does it offer reparatory justice to the descendants of the victims of slavery?

Presenter: Tom McRae

Guests:

Liliane Umubyeyi – Cofounder and executive director of the African Futures Lab

Marlene Daut – Professor of French and African diaspora studies at Yale University

Anne Giudicelli – Global relations specialist and former security analyst for the French Foreign Office