Haiti and Dominican Republic Border

Border Dividing Two Worlds

The border between Haiti and the Dominican Republic marks a striking contrast in living conditions. Statistics highlight this disparity:

Infant mortality: Haitian babies are 2.5 times more likely to die than those born in the Dominican Republic.
Poverty: Haitians are almost ten times poorer.
Life expectancy: Haitians have a significantly shorter life expectancy.

The exploration of this divide seeks to understand how two countries sharing one island can have such different realities, with Haiti facing political instability and poverty, while the Dominican Republic enjoys relative stability and wealth.

Informal International Trade

In a southern Haitian beach village, merchants, predominantly women, undertake nighttime boat rides to cross the border into the Dominican Republic. Their purpose is to participate in Dominican markets, engaging in buying and selling activities before returning to their villages.

This represents a form of informal international trade, necessitated by the challenging mountain range that makes land travel nearly impossible. The repetitive, bi-weekly journeys in worn-out wooden boats highlight the chaotic and unorganized nature of this trade.

The effort expended to transport goods, which in many countries would be efficiently shipped in bulk, underscores the challenges faced by Haitian merchants.

Border Market Disparity

Upon arrival at the border market around 4 AM after a seven-hour journey, the intended partnership between Haiti and the Dominican Republic, designed to provide equal opportunities for vendors, is revealed to be imbalanced.

Dominican vendors are observed setting up their stalls before their Haitian counterparts are allowed to cross the border. Haitian merchants face delays caused by border guards, hindering their ability to secure prime market spots. This creates a sense of frustration and injustice among the Haitian traders, who endure arduous journeys only to face discrimination.

The guards delaying the Haitian women from crossing exacerbate the tension. This discrimination embodies the asymmetry that exists on the island, raising questions about the historical factors contributing to this disparity.

Historical Context: Colonialism

Understanding the divergence between Haiti and the Dominican Republic requires examining the island's colonial past under French and Spanish rule. Christopher Columbus established the first colony in the New World here around 1490.

France and Spain divided the island, leading to distinct colonial approaches. The Spanish colony was named Santo Domingo, and the French colony was called Saint-Domingue. The treatment of these colonial possessions by imperial powers is key to understanding the present-day situation.

France focused on economic exploitation, importing large numbers of slaves to cultivate resources like sugar and coffee, leading to soil degradation and a resentful slave population. Spain, in contrast, shifted its focus to extracting resources in Mexico and Peru, resulting in fewer slaves on the island. The Spanish integrated with the indigenous population, recognizing native leaders and intermarrying with locals.

The consequences included a smaller, more racially mixed population with a sustainable economy and political system, contrasting sharply with the conditions in the French colony.

Independence and Its Aftermath

In the early 1800s, Haiti declared independence, becoming the first black former slave republic. However, it lacked a solid societal and governmental framework, coupled with land degradation from continuous cultivation.

Isolation from the world, including non-recognition from the United States due to fears of a slave empire seeking revenge, further hampered Haiti's development.

France demanded a debt for assets lost during Haiti's independence, crippling the nation's progress. This historical context helps explain the subsequent dictatorships and corruption that plagued Haiti. The combination of embargoes, independence debt, and the absence of governmental institutions contributed to Haiti's challenges since its inception.