France paid tribute to the abolition of slavery on Wednesday, but the first national day to commemorate this dark chapter of history was marred by fresh questions over the country's colonial legacy.
Marking the adoption of a 2001 law recognising the trade as a crime against humanity, President Jacques Chirac unveiled an exhibition in a Paris park, museums were to run special shows and children across France were to discuss slavery at school.
"Let's look our past in the face, it's one of the keys to our national cohesion. It's an extra force for our future," Chirac said at a speech to mark the day, which is also being celebrated in France's overseas territories and former colonies. "This first commemoration isn't the end, it's a beginning. It's the necessary affirmation of the memory of slavery shared by all French people, whatever their origin."
He announced the new memorial day in January, in the midst of a heated debate about a law that urged teachers to stress the "positive role of the French presence overseas".