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

French MPs vote to repeal law that governed slavery in colonies.

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.

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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?

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

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