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Black Republic of Letters

Benito Sylvain

Benito Sylvain (1868-1915) was naval officer from Port-de-Paix in northern Haiti. He settled in Paris in the 1880s and began studying law. In 1890, he founded the first Haitian newspaper in Paris, La Fraternité. He went on to be a major figure in early Pan-Africanism. In 1900, he helped organize the first Pan-African Conference in London. He visited Ethiopia multiple times beginning in 1897, making him perhaps the first Haitian to travel to Africa.

In addition to creating La Fraternité as a cultural hub in the city, he was also involved in many other community and intellectual activities in Paris. He established groups for international students, including the Black Youth Organization, and was an active member of the Ethnological Society, where he gave many public presentations on European colonialism and African cultures.

Publications by Benito Sylvain:

Du sort des indigènes dans les colonies d’exploitation. Doctoral thesis, Université de Paris, Faculté de Droit, 1901.

Articles by Benito Sylvain:

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In brief: Elections in Brazil – Missionary arrived in France – Shipwreck in Japan – President on vacation – Fundraiser for disaster victims – Dispute over a theatre box – Toasts at the anti-slavery congress – Monetary conference in Washington – Charles Canivet is improving – Spanish popular support for Portuguese sovereignty – New talent at the Colonial School – Support from a Guadeloupean senator – Copyright news in Switzerland – A new English ship – Statue of Berlioz – Company that helps the superstitious – Beards on magistrates – Obituaries

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Benito Sylvain