The discussion got heated in this very studio last week when we asked about the French president commemorating the bicentenary of the death of Napoléon, a reformer but also a tyrant who restored slavery. This Monday, the same Emmanuel Macron took part in ceremonies for the 15th annual national day of commemoration of enslavement and its abolition.
We ask about the civics and politics of remembrance, particularly when a nation is one year away from a presidential election and Macron's main rival, from the far right, clamours against so-called political correctness.
Yet it is about more than how a nation deals with its past and its identity. Slavery and indentured service still exist today. They've adapted surprisingly well to globalisation. The migrant crisis reveals the routes and networks of human trafficking. How are we unwittingly contributing to the enslavement of others and what can be done to stop it?
Produced by Alessandro Xenos, Juliette Laurain and Imen Mellaz.
