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Judi Lynn

(161,925 posts)
Wed Jun 28, 2023, 12:53 AM Jun 2023

Going to the Dominican Republic Showed Me How Dark Haiti Is

JUNE 27, 2023

Country:
DOMINICAN REPUBLIC HAITI

The Dominican flag waving at an army base in Elias Piña, a town near Haiti's Central Department. Image by Marvens Compère/The Haitian Times. Dominican Republic.
SANTO DOMINGO, Dominican Republic — I started fighting back tears again.

This time, it wasn’t while I was doing a phone interview as usual, like the one with the lady whose 14-year-old daughter was fatally shot in June 2020.

This time, it was while I was on my way back from the Dominican Republic to Haiti after reporting for this project in January 2023.

The streets in Cap-Haitien were so dark as I looked outside the window of the Caribe Tour bus. Like you really had to squint your eyes to see the houses. But in the Dominican Republic, there were street lights. That country wasn’t in the dark.

Cap-Haitien’s darkness reminded me of how lost Haiti is: The president was assassinated; people are struggling to eat; there’s no electricity; the healthcare system is in crisis; there’s gang violence and so many other problems. About everything that can go wrong in a country is happening in Haiti.

More:
https://pulitzercenter.org/stories/going-dominican-republic-showed-me-how-dark-haiti

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Going to the Dominican Republic Showed Me How Dark Haiti Is (Original Post) Judi Lynn Jun 2023 OP
South Africa is headed the same direction from a more prosperous plateau. Frasier Balzov Jun 2023 #1
Didn't know that. Thanks for the comment. Judi Lynn Jun 2023 #2
And let's put the blame squarely where it belongs: France, US and to a good degree - Dominican. marble falls Jun 2023 #3

marble falls

(60,200 posts)
3. And let's put the blame squarely where it belongs: France, US and to a good degree - Dominican.
Wed Jun 28, 2023, 08:02 AM
Jun 2023

France was still being paid "reparations" into the late mid 1960s, Haiti literally paid millions to 'buy' Haitian slaves back.

The US intervention: Prior to the intervention of the United States, Haiti's large debt was 80 percent of its annual revenue, though it was able to meet financial obligations, especially when compared to Ecuador, Honduras and Mexico at that time.[9][16] In the twentieth century, the United States had become Haiti's largest trade partner, replacing France, with American businesses expanding their presence in Haiti.[9] Due to the influence of Germans within Haiti, they were regarded as a threat to American financial interests,[27] with businesses ultimately advocating for policies of invading Haiti.[9] Haitian authorities in 1903 began to accuse the National Bank of Haiti of fraud and by 1908, Haitian Minister of Finance Frédéric Marcelin pushed for the bank to work on the behalf of Haitians, though French officials began to devise plans to reorganize their financial interests.[28] French envoy to Haiti Pierre Carteron wrote following Marcelin's objections that "It is of the highest importance that we study how to set up a new French credit establishment in Port-au-Prince ... Without any close link to the Haitian government."[29]

WIKI

Dominican: Relations have long been hostile due to the substantial ethnic and cultural differences between the two nations and their sharing of the island of Hispaniola, part of the Greater Antilles archipelago in the Caribbean region. Living standards in the Dominican Republic are considerably higher than those in Haiti. The economy of the Dominican Republic is ten times larger than that of Haiti.[1] The migration of impoverished Haitians and deep-set cultural differences have contributed to long-standing conflicts.

Tension arose on the island. This laid the foundation for the tension between the countries that subsequently became present-day Haiti and the Dominican Republic. Historical events led to Dominicans and Haitians becoming culturally and ethnically different groups; however, both groups are considered to be both Latin American and Caribbean countries. After Haiti established its independence on January 1, 1804, as the First Empire of Haiti, ambitions to control the whole island accumulated amongst many Haitian rulers, which led to a 22-year military occupation of the east (1822–1844) and a series of invasions (1805–1857). Thus since 1804 many wars, border disputes, and stand-offs have occurred between the two countries. Notable events included the Haitian Invasion of 1822[2] and the Parsley Massacre in 1937.[3] In the 21st century, illegal Haitian immigration into the Dominican Republic keeps tensions high.[citation needed] Many Haitians migrate due to poverty and unrest in their own country.[citation needed]

Wiki

Dominican - Relations have long been hostile due to the substantial ethnic and cultural differences between the two nations and their sharing of the island of Hispaniola, part of the Greater Antilles archipelago in the Caribbean region. Living standards in the Dominican Republic are considerably higher than those in Haiti. The economy of the Dominican Republic is ten times larger than that of Haiti.[1] The migration of impoverished Haitians and deep-set cultural differences have contributed to long-standing conflicts.

Tension arose on the island. This laid the foundation for the tension between the countries that subsequently became present-day Haiti and the Dominican Republic. Historical events led to Dominicans and Haitians becoming culturally and ethnically different groups; however, both groups are considered to be both Latin American and Caribbean countries. After Haiti established its independence on January 1, 1804, as the First Empire of Haiti, ambitions to control the whole island accumulated amongst many Haitian rulers, which led to a 22-year military occupation of the east (1822–1844) and a series of invasions (1805–1857). Thus since 1804 many wars, border disputes, and stand-offs have occurred between the two countries. Notable events included the Haitian Invasion of 1822[2] and the Parsley Massacre in 1937.[3] In the 21st century, illegal Haitian immigration into the Dominican Republic keeps tensions high.[citation needed] Many Haitians migrate due to poverty and unrest in their own country.[citation needed]

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dominican_Republic%E2%80%93Haiti_relations


This history if anything shows the strength of the Haitian people. Even humanitarian aid brought misery to Haiti unintentionally:

https://www.npr.org › sections › thetwo-way › 2016 › 08 › 18 › 490468640 › u-n-admits-role-in-haiti-cholera-outbreak-that-has-killed-thousands
U.N. Admits Role In Haiti Cholera Outbreak That Has Killed Thousands - NPR
Aug 18, 2016In 2010, months after Haiti's devastating quake, a catastrophic cholera epidemic began. Scientists traced the outbreak to U.N. peacekeepers. Nearly six years later, the U.N. has acknowledged a role.


Haiti has a lot less to with it's situation than others.



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