Felix Darfour

Félix Darfour or Darfur (died 1822) was a Haitian journalist and newspaper editor. Born in Africa and educated in France, Darfour moved to Haiti with his wife in 1818 and shortly after founded his newspaper L’Avertisseur haytien. He used the paper to criticize government policies, which he described as discriminating against Black Haitians, and racism in both the world at large and Haitian society. In August 1822, he addressed the Chambre des Communes with a petition calling for reform and criticizing president Jean-Pierre Boyer and his government. In response, the Boyer government accused him of sedition and had Darfour arrested, tried, and executed by firing squad within days of his address. The incident became known as the Darfour affair.

Early life Originally from Darfur, Félix Darfour moved to France as a child, where he was raised and educated. According to Beaubrun Ardouin, Darfour was married to a French woman who moved with him to Haiti; French historian Robert Cornevin believes that Darfour was likely a well-read man who may have had experience working in the French newspaper industry. Darfour referred to Haitians as "Africans" in the early editions of his paper and was critical of the Haitian government. A few months into printing L’Eclaireur haytien, at the end of 1818 or in January 1819, Darfour changed the paper's name to L’Avertisseur haytien and became even more critical of the government and various aspects of Haitian society. Darfour believed that the Mulatto Haitians were treated as elite in Haitian society and condemned the government for not putting Black Haitians in positions of power.

Darfour also argued against racism in general: he described the belief that Africans were inferior as a political invention by Europeans who wished to justify the practice of slavery. An article he published on the subject in 1818 drew attention from wider Haitian society; that and his sparring with opponent Jules Solime Milscent over government policies

Execution On 30 August 1822, and opposed what he viewed as European reach in Haiti. He called for reforms; namely, proposals to integrate Black Haitians in government and prevent discrimination against them. he was arrested by Boyer's government for sedition and tried before a military tribunal the following day. Boyer's domestic image was harmed, and enemies he made during the incident continued to work against him in the 1830s. Haiti's image abroad was also hurt; American abolitionist Benjamin Lundy, though he said the Haitian government acted improperly in the affair, described American newspaper coverage as overly critical of the Haitian government and racist.