100 Gourdes Independence

Haiti's bicentennial fell in January 2004 — two hundred years since the declaration of independence made it the first Black republic in history and the first nation born from a successful slave revolt. This note was issued to mark that moment, though the political timing was brutal: President Jean-Bertrand Aristide was forced from power that same February, and the country entered a prolonged period of UN stabilization mission governance. The commemorative purpose and the immediate political collapse coexisted without resolution.

Thomas De La Rue supplied the security package, including optically variable ink — a feature that remained relatively expensive for Caribbean issuers at the time and signals the Banque de la République d'Haïti's deliberate investment in anti-counterfeiting for a high-denomination note intended for long circulation.