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From the Code Noir to Cash Reparations: Center for Pan African Issues Blueprint to Counter 341 Years of French Colonial Crimes

May 30, 2026 – On the 341st anniversary of the French Code Noir (1685), the Center for Pan African Studies (CPAS) today issued a comprehensive reparations framework directly countering each article of the infamous decree that legally codified racialized chattel slavery across French colonies.

The Code Noir translated and published by CPAS alongside this release mandated forced baptism, banned African religions, destroyed Black families by decreeing children followed the mother's slave status, prohibited enslaved people from selling goods or testifying in court, and punished a slave who struck their master with death. It remained in force until 1848.

"In 2026, we cannot simply mourn the Code Noir. We must dismantle every pillar it built,". "France today claims liberté, égalité, fraternité – but it has never paid a single euro in reparations for the 341 years its courts enforced this document. That is a debt now compounded beyond calculation."

Key Demands from the CPAS Reparations Framework:

1. Religious & Cultural Reparations
Countering Articles II-V (forced baptism, banning of African religions), CPAS demands the French Catholic Church and French state issue a formal apology, fund Afro-Caribbean religious museums, and repatriate sacred objects held in French collections.

2. Family & Kinship Reparations
To counter Articles IX-XIII (illegitimacy declarations, partus sequitur ventrem), CPAS calls for France to legally annul Article XIII as void from its inception, and to fund free DNA and genealogical research for all descendants.

3. Economic Reparations – Direct Cash Payments
Countering Articles XVIII-XXV (wage theft, forced labor without compensation), CPAS demands a multi-billion dollar reparations fund financed by a percentage of French GDP and a "sugar tax" on corporations that benefited from slave labor. Direct cash transfers would be administered by descendant community trusts.

4. Land Reparations
CPAS demands the redistribution of former plantation lands in Martinique, Guadeloupe, and French Guiana currently owned by the French state and Béké families to descendant cooperatives.

5. Haiti Debt Cancellation
France must immediately cancel the €23 billion "independence debt" (1825-1947) extracted from Haiti in exchange for diplomatic recognition a debt CPAS calls "reparations paid by the enslaved to the enslaver."

6. Crimes Against Humanity Declaration
CPAS calls on the French Parliament to classify the Code Noir regime as a crime against humanity under the 1948 UN Convention and to establish a bilateral truth and reconciliation commission with Haiti and France's overseas departments.

7. Citizenship Reparations
Descendants of Code Noir victims should be granted preferential citizenship and visa-free mobility rights to France reversing the Code's legal non-personhood.

8. Health and Education Reparations
Lifelong free healthcare for descendants (addressing malnutrition under Article XXII) and fully-funded university scholarships named for those executed under Article # # .

"No More Symbolic Gestures"

The Center for Pan African Studies rejected France's current approach of memorials and speeches. In 2020, a French parliamentary report recommended "recognition and reparation" but no binding financial mechanism. In 2024, President Macron called slavery "a crime against humanity" but refused to create a reparations commission.

"Words are cheap. The Code Noir was the law and the law demands a remedy,". "We are not asking for charity. We are demanding that France counters every single article of the Code Noir with a binding, funded, and enforceable reparation. Until then, the French Republic remains an accomplice to its own colonial crimes."

Background Materials

CPAS has made available a full English translation of the 1685 Code Noir (source: Le Code Noir ou recueil des reglements, 1767, translated by John Garrigus), alongside the article-by-article reparation counter-framework.

Togo has officially abolished visa requirements for nationals of all African countries, effective immediately.

With the new directive, any citizen holding a valid passport from an African nation can now enter Togo visa-free for up to 30 days.

Travelers have been provided a platform (⁠voyage.gouv.tg) to fill out an online travel declaration at least 24 hours before arrival to get their entry slip.

Togo has joined the likes of Rwanda, Benin, and Ghana whom have earlier adopted this policy which pulls down artificial borders and restrictive colonial-era visa policies which have over the years frustrated intra-African trade, inflated travel costs for entrepreneurs, and kept Africa divided.

The current discussions between major powers do create a chance to address a larger truth: nations can use diplomacy to reduce danger, but they also need the strength to protect sovereignty when pressure rises.

Strong Nations, Lasting Peace

The world is being reminded that peace is rarely preserved by weakness. It is preserved when nations have the confidence, discipline, and power to defend themselves, negotiate from dignity, and resist coercion. The current discussions among great powers create a valuable opening to address this reality before the world drifts further into instability.

A strong nation is not one that seeks war. It is one that makes war less likely by being prepared for it. That is why countries invest in industry, energy security, strategic alliances, and defense. When a nation is vulnerable, others often test its limits. When a nation is strong, it can protect its interests without surrendering its future.

China’s global position shows how economic weight, strategic planning, and political consistency can give a country leverage in world affairs. The present discussions around Iran, the Strait of Hormuz, and Taiwan show that major powers are already linking energy, trade, and security in one broad contest for influence. That is exactly why nations of color, developing states, and historically marginalized peoples must study power seriously and build the capacity to defend themselves.

Strength is needed at every level. Individuals need discipline. Families need structure. Communities need organization. Nations need deterrence. Without these layers of protection, outside pressure can fracture what people have built. Military strength does not replace peace, but it can help preserve it by warning aggressors that the cost of attack will be too high.

Ancient Kemet understood this principle. Kemet’s teaching of Ma’at emphasized truth, balance, order, and justice, not as abstract ideas but as the foundation of a stable civilization. In Kemetic thought, a ruler had to protect the land, preserve harmony, and prevent chaos from overrunning society. That makes national defense part of moral responsibility, not simply a matter of force for the Pan African nation.

The wisdom of Kemet also teaches balance. Power without justice becomes oppression. Justice without power becomes fragile idealism. A people must therefore build strength with discipline and use it with restraint. That is how a nation protects itself without losing its soul.

The present moment gives the world a chance to learn. Current debates about war, sanctions, energy routes, trade, and strategic rivalry can become a warning and a lesson. Nations should not wait until crisis strikes before preparing. They should strengthen their institutions, secure their resources, and train their people to defend what matters. That is how freedom survives.

Kemetic teaching

Kemet teaches that order must be guarded, not merely desired. Ma’at was the principle that held civilization together, and the enemy of Ma’at was chaos, confusion, and disorder. A people committed to Ma’at must therefore protect truth, defend their households, and preserve the integrity of the nation.

This lesson reaches beyond government. Parents protect children. Elders preserve memory. Leaders defend sovereignty. Communities create support systems that make them harder to divide. In that sense, protection is sacred work.

The lesson for the modern world is simple: peace depends on preparedness. Nations should pursue dialogue, but they must also maintain the strength to resist domination. That is true for states, for communities, and for families.

The current global discussions are not just about politics. They are a reminder that history is still being written, and that nations must decide whether they will be subjects of pressure or architects of their own destiny.

African Mile Valley traditions

“Ma’at is truth, balance, order, and justice.”

“Do not shut your ears to the words of truth.”

“I have never stopped the flow of water of a neighbor.”

“Those who live MAAT will not die.”

“Conquer the enemy because by doing so, Neter may shine forth.”

The Importance of Kemetic Cleansing Ritual

While we no longer have access to temple lakes or formal priesthoods, the principles of Kemetic cleansing removing spiritual “dirt,” banishing chaos, and practicing MAAT can be performed everyday.

1. Daily Ablution with Intention (The “Natron” Bath)

Ancient Kemetics didn’t just wash; they declared their purification. You can do the same.

I bath everyday 2 x a day every am and pm.

How you can practice:
Before your shower or bath, pause. Fill a small bowl with water and add a pinch of sea salt or baking soda (our modern natron equivalents).
· As the water runs over you, speak aloud or silently:
“I am cleansed of falsehood. I wash away chaos. I enter this day in Maat.”
· Focus on releasing specific burdens anger, guilt, fear watching them go down the drain.

This transforms a mundane act into a ritual of renewal.

2. The “Execration” Ritual: Banishing Personal Isfet

The ancients smashed clay pots to destroy evil. You can symbolically destroy what disrupts your balance.

How to practice:

· Write down a negative habit, or identify an intrusive thought, or external conflict on a piece of paper or mentally . (Be specific: “My fear of speaking truth” or “The cycle of revenge I keep replaying.”)
· Read the Coffin Text aloud over it:
“I have not done falsehood in the place of truth… I turn the scale toward justice.” (Coffin Text, 335)
· Destroy the paper safely—burn it (in a fire-safe bowl), tear it into tiny pieces, or dissolve it in water or remove the negativity from your mind.
· As you do, say: “You are Apep. You are consumed. You have no power here.” I am done with you and will
Move to a better place.

This external act helps internal realignment.

3. Purification Before Sacred Moments (The “Wab” Principle)

You don’t need a temple your workspace, meditation corner, or even your car can be sacred. But you must prepare.

How to practice:

· Before prayer to the Neteru in you and the ancestors, meditation, or any important decision, take three slow breaths.
· Wash your hands and face with cold water (a simplified Kemetic priestly act).
· Say:
“Tehuti purifies me. Heru cleanses my mouth. I stand before Maat with empty hands and an open heart.”

This creates a psychological threshold a clear line between chaos and clarity.

4. Nightly Weighing of the Heart

The Pert Em Heru (Book of Coming Forth by Day) describes the heart being weighed against the feather of Maat. You can do this daily.

How to practice:

· Before sleep, review your day. Ask yourself four questions:
1. Did I speak truth today?
2. Did I harm anyone by action or word?
3. Did I act justly when it cost me?
4. Did I contribute to order or to chaos?

Did I move to advance myself, my family and my community?

If you find imbalance, whisper the Negative Confession - Pekka Em Xu
“I have not stolen. I have not killed. I have not lied. I have not made the scales crooked.”
·Commit to one repair tomorrow an apology, a small justice, a withheld lie.

This is not about shame. It is about restoration.

5. Physical Decluttering as Spiritual Cleansing

The Kemetics understood that external chaos breeds internal Isfet. A cluttered home is a cluttered soul.

How to practice:

· Once a week, choose one drawer, shelf, or corner. Remove what you do not need.
· As you discard, chant (silently or aloud):
“I remove that which is not Maat. I make space for truth.”
· Donate or recycle items mindfully do not simply throw into landfill, as the ancients honored disposal rituals. Keep your home, workplace and community clean.

This aligns your physical environment with cosmic balance.

Have a Daily Rhythm

Time Practice Duration
Morning Intention shower + natron salt rinse 2 min
Before work/study Hand and face washing + purification declaration 1 min
After conflict (or during stress) Meditate Pray to the Neteru in you and the ancestors, Execration ritual (write + destroy) 5 min
Evening Weighing of the heart (4 questions) 3 min
Weekly Physical decluttering corner 10 min

A Final Kemetic Reminder

The ancients did not believe purity was a one time event. It was constant vigilance. As the Pyramid Texts say:

“O you who cleanse, cleanse this King. Wash him. Make him live. Remove his evil. Purify him.”

You are now both the priest and the one being cleansed. Every small act of truth, every piece of chaos you consciously release, realigns your scales and, ripple by ripple, contributes to the world’s return to Maat. You lead by example and educate your family, friends, the community and the world.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

The Center for Pan African Studies Demands Global Action Against UAE’s Role in Sudan War and Forced Displacement

Calls for unified international pressure to halt crimes against humanity, including land expropriation and mass displacement of millions

May 13, 2026 – The Center for Pan African Studies (CPAS) today issued an urgent declaration condemning the ongoing war in Sudan, which has displaced over 9 million people and created the world’s largest humanitarian crisis. The Center further calls upon the international community to unite against the United Arab Emirates (UAE) for its documented role in prolonging the conflict, enabling mass atrocities, and orchestrating the forced displacement of Sudanese civilians to seize land and resources constituting crimes against humanity.

Since April 2023, rival generals of the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) have torn the nation apart. Yet, as CPAS documents in its new briefing, “Blood and Sand: The UAE’s Role in Sudan’s Land War,” the conflict is not purely internal. Repeated investigations by the UN, Amnesty International, and regional monitoring bodies have confirmed that the UAE has supplied advanced drones, weapons, and tactical support to the RSF, directly enabling the paramilitary group’s campaign of ethnic cleansing in Darfur, El Gezira, and West Kordofan.

“The UAE is not a neutral actor. It is a belligerent power using Sudan as a laboratory for land-driven depopulation,” . “Millions of Sudanese are being displaced not as a byproduct of war, but as a strategy to empty fertile agricultural zones and mineral-rich territories for Emirati controlled projects. This is a crime against humanity under the Rome Statute.”

Land Dispossession as a Weapon

CPAS’s findings reveal a coordinated pattern: following RSF offensives in areas like Al Jazirah state (Sudan’s breadbasket) and the gold-rich Jebel Amer region, local farming and pastoralist communities have been systematically killed or driven out. Satellite imagery and on-the-ground testimonies indicate that Emirati-linked agricultural corporations and logistics firms have moved into depopulated zones, negotiating long-term leases with RSF commanders for land that no longer holds its original inhabitants.

More than 7 million internally displaced persons (IDPs) and 2 million refugees across Chad, South Sudan, and Egypt are now unable to return—not because of ongoing combat alone, but because their villages, water points, and grazing lands have been absorbed into foreign-backed economic schemes.

Crimes Against Humanity Framework

CPAS submits that the UAE’s conduct, in concert with the RSF, meets the legal threshold for crimes against humanity, including:

· Deportation or forcible transfer of population.
· Persecution against an identifiable civilian group (non-Arab farming communities).
· Other inhumane acts of similar intensity causing great suffering.

The Center calls upon the International Criminal Court (ICC) to expand its current Sudan investigation to include UAE military and political officials who have directed or facilitated these operations. CPAS also urges the African Union (AU) to invoke its Convention on the Protection and Assistance of Internally Displaced Persons (Kampala Convention) and refer the UAE’s conduct to the African Court on Human and Peoples’ Rights.

Global Call to Action

“Silence in the face of this engineered catastrophe is complicity,” added Dr. Suliman. “The world united against apartheid. The world must unite now against those who would empty a nation to fill their own coffers. We demand sanctions on UAE entities fueling the war, an arms embargo on the RSF, and immediate safe passage for humanitarian aid into all displaced communities.”

CPAS urges the UN Security Council to hold an emergency session on foreign interference in Sudan, with a specific focus on the UAE’s role, and to establish an independent commission of inquiry into forced displacement as a weapon of land acquisition.

About the Center for Pan African Studies (CPAS)
CPAS is a pan-African research and advocacy institution dedicated to advancing African unity, self-determination, and justice. Based in Nairobi with partners across the continent, CPAS documents state and non-state crimes against African peoples, promotes restorative justice, and mobilizes policy action against external exploitation.

Center for Pan African Sounds Alarm on French Investment Pledge, Calls for Kenya and Africa to Demand Haiti Reparations First

NAIROBI, KENYA – March 18, 2025 – The Center for Pan African Studies (CPAS) today issued a formal statement in response to French President Emmanuel Macron’s announcement of €23 billion ($27 billion) in investments during the Africa Forward summit in Kenya. While welcoming investment in Africa’s energy transition, agriculture, and artificial intelligence, CPAS urges Kenya and all African nations to exercise extreme caution, citing France’s historical extraction of wealth from Haiti and its ongoing refusal to pay reparations.

President Macron characterized the new financing—€14 billion from French companies and €9 billion from African ones—as a “partnership of equals.” However, CPAS argues that no true equality can exist without first addressing France’s unresolved colonial-era debt to Haiti.

Historical Context: The Haiti Heist
In 1825, France demanded that newly independent Haiti pay an indemnity of 150 million francs (later reduced) to compensate French slaveholders for “lost property”—including enslaved human beings. Haiti was forced to take out crushing loans from French banks to pay this ransom, a debt that took over 120 years to repay. Modern economists, including those at The New York Times and the United Nations, have calculated that this extraction cost Haiti between $21 billion and $115 billion in lost economic growth—a direct transfer of wealth to France.

“France built much of its 19th and 20th century prosperity on the bones of Haiti,” . “The same French banks that financed Macron’s political rise financed the debt that kept Haiti impoverished. To now present a ‘partnership of equals’ without first discussing restitution is not only ahistorical it is predatory.”

Kenya as a Warning Case
CPAS specifically advised the Kenyan government to study Haiti’s experience before committing to binding agreements with French state-owned or private entities. Kenya, already navigating complex debt restructuring and seeking foreign direct investment, must ensure that new French-backed infrastructure, technology, or agricultural projects do not replicate the extractive financial mechanisms used against Haiti such as compulsory currency exchanges, tied aid, or legal clauses that bypass local jurisdiction.

“Kenya should demand, as a precondition to any French investment, the following:
1. A full public audit of all past French-financed projects in Africa to assess hidden costs and conditionality's.
2. A written commitment from France to support United Nations resolutions on reparative justice for Haiti.
3. A binding clause that any dispute arising from French investment in Kenya be adjudicated under African Union legal frameworks, not French or international corporate tribunals.”

Demand for Haiti Reparations
CPAS further calls on the African Union and the East African Community to adopt a unified position: that no new major French investment package will receive Pan African endorsement until France opens formal, good-faith negotiations with Haiti on reparations.

“President Macron speaks of common objectives,” . “Let that common objective begin with justice. France cannot be a partner of equals in Africa while refusing to repay what it stole from Haiti. Kenya has the opportunity to lead on this moral question—not by rejecting investment, but by insisting on truth as the first term of any deal.