Reuters —
On Saturday, a man in his 80s issued what appears to be the first formal apology by a French person for his family’s role in transatlantic slavery, saying he hoped other countries, including the government, would follow suit.
Pierre Guyon de Princes’ ancestors were ship owners who were based in Nantes, France’s largest transatlantic slave port, transported approximately 4,500 enslaved Africans, and owned plantations in the Caribbean.
Guyon de Princes said other French families must also confront their historical ties to slavery and that the state should go beyond symbolic actions to address the past, including through reparations.
“In the face of rising racism in our society, I felt a responsibility not to erase this past,” the 86-year-old said, adding that he wanted to pass on his family’s history to his grandchildren.
He and Dieudonné Boutrin, a descendant of enslaved people on the Caribbean island of Martinique, made the apology at a rally in Nantes ahead of the inauguration of the 18-meter-tall replica ship’s mast.
The pair work together at Coque Nomad Fraternité, an organization dedicated to “breaking the silence” around slavery, and said the mast would serve as a “lighthouse for humanity.”
“Many families descended from slave traders do not dare to speak out for fear of reopening old wounds and anger,” said Boutrand, 61. “Pierre’s apology is a courageous move.”
At least 12.5 million Africans were abducted between the 15th and 19th centuries, most of them forcibly deported on European ships. France trafficked an estimated 1.3 million people.
Guyon de Princes’ move follows similar formal apologies by some families in Britain and elsewhere, including promises to help repair the damage caused by their ancestors.
France recognized transatlantic slavery as a crime against humanity in 2001, but like most European countries, it has never formally apologized for its role.
During his term, President Emmanuel Macron expanded access to archives about France’s colonial past. Last year, he said he would set up a commission to investigate France and Haiti’s history, without mentioning reparations.
Calls for reparations, ranging from public apologies to financial compensation, are growing around the world as critics argue that countries and institutions should not be held accountable for historic crimes.
Last month, France abstained from an African-led resolution at the United Nations that declared slavery a “grave crime against humanity” and called for reparations.
