Marie Binet's 'Une femme qui ment' uncovers family secrets of slavery

Marie Binet's book 'Une femme qui ment' (A Woman Who Lies) recounts her discovery of her mother's hidden Creole ancestry and family history rooted in slavery. Published in 2026, a pivotal year in France for slavery memory—marking 25 years of the Taubira Law recognizing slavery as a crime against humanity and the official abolition of the 'Code noir'—the work follows Binet's investigation after her mother's death. She found false papers, multiple names, and a half-brother who revealed their mother's Antillean origins. In Martinique, Binet learned her grandfather was Black and her ancestors were enslaved. A viewer of her earlier film 'Noir comment?' sent her the freedom patent of her great-grandfather, providing written proof. Binet notes that everyone she met in Martinique embraced her quest as their own, highlighting a collective need for memory work. She attributes her mother's compulsive lying to a desire to reinvent a normal life, excelling in everything while hiding her past.