PARIS — French President Emmanuel Macron has called for the repeal of the Code Noir, a collection of colonial-era laws that once governed the enslavement of Africans and their descendants across France’s overseas territories. He described the legislation as incompatible with the values France claims to uphold today.
The Code Noir, first introduced in 1685 under King Louis XIV, codified the conditions of slavery and the status of enslaved people across French colonial territories. Though slavery was abolished in 1848, critics have long argued that remnants of its legal framework were never fully dismantled.
Macron acknowledged that France must speak honestly about slavery — its violence, its pain, and the structural disadvantages it produced for Black communities and former colonial states. On reparations, however, he urged caution, warning against promises that cannot be kept in practice.
In a notable gesture toward continental partnership, Macron also announced a joint research initiative with Ghana to study the long-term social, economic, and cultural effects of the transatlantic slave trade on affected populations.
For Africa, the announcement carries weight beyond its immediate political context. The Code Noir was a transnational instrument of exploitation whose consequences remain visible in the economic disparities and cultural dislocations that still define France’s relationship with its former colonies.
Whether Macron’s words will translate into legislative action and meaningful reparative policy remains to be seen. Africa has heard declarations before. What is now required is a framework — credible, consultative, and co-designed with African voices at the centre.
The France-Ghana research partnership could offer a starting point. But studying the wound is not the same as treating it.
ACALAN Newsdesk