The Island of Hispaniola in the Western hemisphere is divided into two countries: the western one third of the island is Haiti, while the Eastern side is the Dominican Republic. The aboriginal people of Haiti, who were known as the Arawak, lived under Spanish rule. Their numbers dwindled, leading to their near extinction. After Spanish rule came French occupation and African slave labor. In 1804, after a decade of revolt, Haiti became the first independent Black nation. But after two centuries of independence, Haiti is in desperate need, with her people the most devastated by AIDS in the Western hemisphere.
The last time I read about Haiti before the current earthquake disaster, Haiti was in the headlines because the citizens were said to be eating "mud cakes," for lack of money to buy real food. According to the article, mud cakes were first "consumed by impoverished pregnant women seeking calcium." Later, it became a national staple, because of extreme poverty. Haiti doesn't lack food; the people are just too poor to afford whatever food is available on the market (1-3).
So why are the people too poor to afford food? Haiti's is a very long story, rooted in the country's colorful history. It started when Haiti's slaves (about a half a million) first rebelled against French colonial enslavement, beginning in 1791. After a decade of insurrection, mainly under Pierre-Dominique Toussaint, Haiti finally triumphed under Jean-Jacques, who named the new republic 'Haiti,' an Arawak name. Haiti's declaration of independence was an embarrassment, not just to the French, but to the Western world in general. This is because it inspired enslaved/ colonized Black peoples globally and had the potential to incite slaves to rebellion and destabilize production in other colonies in the Western hemisphere. Before this, Haitians had endured the worst form of slavery in the Western hemisphere. In fact Haiti had been highly productive because of the brutality of her slave masters.
To avoid influencing other slaves, therefore, Napoleon had tried to suppress the rebellion. Haiti had been France's richest colony, contributing up to 25% (some references cite 50%) of the country's economic wealth. Haiti was their leading producer of sugar, coffee, cocoa, tobacco and cotton among other exotic products. After the addition of ‘value’ (through processing), these products were sold all over Europe, making France very wealthy.
In 1801, Haiti became the first black colony to become a republic. Because of the international community’s boycott of the new republic, Haiti found herself free, but surrounded by hostile neighbors; simple transactions like accessing commercial outlets for her goods proved troublesome. In part, this helped empower the emerging elites as they had the necessary commercial links.
Haiti's elites were made up of two groups of people: mulattos, children of white slave masters (mainly German) and African slave women, and African slaves who had been set free because of "good deeds." This group was allowed to go to school, own property and engage in commerce, just like the French. The elite group quickly learnt to influence both the economy and the governance of the island. In the meantime, the French insisted that they "pay a large indemnity to France (150 million Francs)," for lands previously owned by former slave owners, but now taken by the revolution. Haiti therefore, like many African countries that would follow in her path, started off on a negative economic footing, i.e. with a large foreign debt to clear and an adverse commercial environment. But Haitians, I have read, are a proud industrious people, and they were determined to succeed after tasting their freedom.
Apart from the French debt, the decade long insurrection had wrecked the economy. In addition, leadership wrangles emerged soon after independence. Haiti's economy, was now dominated by the light-skinned mulattos, who were determined to preserve their privileges (many Germans had married Black women, in part to gain access to Haiti land, because the law limited ownership of Haiti lands and industries by foreigners). They also had a large influence on the politics of the island. Disputes with their neighbors were also quite common. There followed a succession of dictators who, together with the ruling elites did not have the interests of the people at heart. By the end of the 19th century, Haiti was declared bankrupt, prompting the USA to move in and declare "custom receivership from 1905-1941." This stabilized the situation somewhat, although there are those who believe that "by the time the US pulled out in 1934, Haiti's own governance institutions had atrophied."
Haiti continued to underperform under a series of dictators. Between 1957 and 1986, the Duvaliers, starting with Francois Duvalier (Papa Doc) ruled Haiti. He died in 1971, giving way to his son, Baby Doc. It was during this reign that Haiti became one of the first countries in the Western hemisphere to be devastated by AIDS. There followed a collapse of the tourist industry, and Baby Doc had to flee in 1986. In 1986, Baby Doc fled Haiti due to social unrest. Jean Aristide was installed in 1994, but stayed for only 9 months... When the earthquake hit, he made requests to be allowed back in the country.
Prior to the 1980s, Haiti had been relatively self sufficient in food. Haitians had become efficient at growing their "West African Rice," which they had done for two hundred years, among other starchy foods like maize and cassava. Decline had set in during the later years because of loss of soil fertility, soil erosion, deforestation etc. Food aid to help feed the poor had pushed Haitian farmers out of business, worsening the agricultural decline. Professionals started leaving as did foreign investments (1-5).
In the early 1980s, when the HIV/AIDS epidemic was documented in the USA among young homosexual men, the other group found to be at risk was that of new Haitian immigrants, because of their underlying malnutrition. In fact, this came to be known as "The Haitian connection": "The health status of the new immigrants mirrored their poor economic conditions; TB, parasite infections, salmonellosis, malaria and malnutrition were common." A look at Haitian society on the island helps explain why: "90% of the population is made up of powerless farmers... The Haitian farmer... is one of the poorest in the world... Wealth lives adjacent to abject poverty... voodoo thrives amidst Catholicism." Haiti has the highest HIV/AIDS rates in the Western Hemisphere. According to the UN, 6% of the population is infected with HIV. And the government "will not be able to provide the resources to educate the nations next generation" (6).
By many indicators, SSA is readily comparable to Haiti. HIV/AIDS rates are much higher, especially in the Eastern and South African regions, as are infant mortality rates and maternal deaths. Food scarcity has become a problem, just as it is in Haiti. Medical services are also scarce in both regions. Kenyan women (and, I suspect, other sub-Saharan African women) also eat "stones" in order to get the antenatal minerals that their diets no longer provide. This is because the traditional cereals like the millets and sorghum, which they no longer eat as much, were better sources of minerals, including calcium, than the current dietary staple of white hybrid maize. Sub-Saharan Africa's infant mortality, malnutrition and AIDS rates are among the highest in the world, just like Haiti's. But at least Haiti has been independent for far longer than SSA countries. So what does the future hold for the continent's peoples (6-7)?
Haitians have tried, considering their humble beginnings. But they need to do more, in order to truly free themselves. Like in sub-Saharan Africa, leadership remains the main problem. When Hurricane Jean hit, 2,400 people perished. The earthquake that hit Haiti recently has been described as the worst in its 200 year history. Her neighbor, the Dominican Republic, has remained largely untouched by the extremes of weather. And there is a very good reason: "Deforestation and soil erosion worsen the impact of hurricanes... (flying over the island), you can see the green forest stop, and it’s barren on the Haitian side." Haiti, like SSA needs leaders that respect the population enough to initiate real changes that can help integrate them into the international community (4).
Selected References
1. Haiti: infoplease.com.
2. Roy Carroll: 'Haiti: Mud cakes become staple diet as cost of food soars beyond a family's reach.' The Guardian, 29th July, 2008.
3. Haiti: People to People Incl. The Haiti Project Newsletter, 1986.
4. Karen Fragola:' Haiti: A Historical Perspective.' Newsweek, 16th January 2010.
5. Josiane George: 'Trade and Disappearance of Haitian Rice.' Ted Lase Studies, Number 725, June 2009.
6. K Kahil: The AIDS Epidemic. Hutchinson Co. Publishers, 1984.
7. The Haiti Micah Project - available on the internet
8. Gathura N: 'City Women Eating Tonnes of stones per week'. Daily Nation.
9. IPS: ‘The Second Scramble for Africa Starts New form of investment reminiscent of colonialism.' 26th September, 2009.
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