Posts Tagged Dominican
Birdwatching in the Dominican-Haitian Borderlands
Tucked high in the mountains near the Jimaní-Malpasse border crossing is an ecological campground that caters to birdwatchers. Although this part of the border is very dry and barren, the mountains are lush and green.
In the video below, Kate describes the birds that can be seen in the area:
Why is cross-border commerce such a mess at the Haitian-Dominican border?
Posted by ONeil in History of the Borderlands on November 19th, 2009
The border at Elias Pina-Belladere
Transporting goods across the Dominican-Haitian border is a mess. Large trucks are queued from the border far down the road into the Dominican Republic. There is no clear process to the inspections. Haitian market women stream through the border with goods on their heads. Little documentation is provided to anyone.
Whereas Dominican airports quickly and efficiently process large numbers of people, the border is a mess. This mess and confusion is also a significant source of conflicts. Both Haitian and Dominican exporters complain of arbitrary fees, excessive delays, and expropriation of merchandise. Haitian market women complain of their treatment by Dominican authorities and Dominican exporters complain of their treatment by Haitian ones. The arbitrariness of the treatment stems from the lack of clear rules governing cross-border trade. Although both countries have clear rules for imports, these rules were written for the ports in the main cities and require inspections and approvals that are not available in the border–this is the result in the odd process through which the border went from being a wall to being porous. Without clear policy guidance and in violation of their own laws, each country has developed procedures to allow for goods to flow through their border. These procedures are neither documented nor fixed. This lack of transparency and consistency creates confusion for importers and makes it easy for officials to solicit bribes.
Dominican businesses promoting cooperation with Haiti
Posted by ONeil in Perspectives on November 5th, 2009
New flyer from the mobile telephone company Orange promoting their service to Haiti
Today was an odd day for news on relations between Haiti and the Dominican Republic. On one hand, the reporting of interview that the Secretary General of the OAS, José Miguel Insulza, gave to a local newspaper focused on the “heavy weight” that Haitian migration imposed on the Dominican Republic (link to story in Spanish). On the other hand, Haitian and Dominican business leaders jointly announced a plan to increase binational cooperation.
However, my favorite item of the day was the flyer that the mobile phone company, Orange, is handing out in the Dominican border towns (shown above) that highlights their promotion of cheap phone calls to Haiti–”You can call Haiti for the same price as a local call.” This is quite a change from the normal pricing which has phone calls to Haiti at four times the cost of a local call. Not only is this a great message of solidarity, it is also accompanied by a great image.
The border becomes a wall: 1936-1987
Posted by ONeil in History of the Borderlands on September 29th, 2009
This is part three of a four part series on the history of the Haitian-Dominican border (parts 1,2,3,4)
The border gate at the Dajabon-Ouanaminthe border crossing. Photo: Ciudades y Fronteras
Following the signature of the 1936 border treaty, the Dominican President, Rafael Truijillo, began tightening restrictions on Haitians in the Dominican Republic and stepped up deportations in an effort to reduce the number of Haitians. He visited the border region in August and September 1937, and concluded that his policy was not working. On October 2, 1937, he gave the order that resulted in the massacre of tens of thousands of Haitians in the borderlands (Eric Paul Roorda, The Dictator Next Door: The Good Neighbor Policy and the Trujillo Regime in the Dominican Republic (Durham: Duke University Press, 1998), p. 131). This massacre is brilliantly portrayed in Edwidge Danticat’s haunting fictional narrative, The Farming of Bones. Read the rest of this entry »
The birth of Haitian-Dominican border: 1777-1936
Posted by ONeil in History of the Borderlands on September 22nd, 2009
One of the concrete "bornes" that mark the Haitian-Dominican border
In last week’s post, we looked at how Gold, Cows, and Pirates led to the division of Hispaniola between Haiti and the Dominican Republic. We left off in the story with France building up the economy of its sides of the island through the development of large sugar plantations while the Spanish continued to neglect the eastern side of the island.
Why is Haiti so much poorer than the Dominican Republic?
Posted by ONeil in Economy and Trade, Perspectives on August 28th, 2009
Haitian Woman in Ouanaminthe
One of the fascinating aspects of our activities along the border is the chance to work in both Haiti and the Dominican Republic. This island of Hispaniola (or Quesqueya as the Haitians prefer) is less than half the size of Florida and yet is divided between two very different worlds. Although neither country is well-off by US or European standards, the Dominican Republic is doing dramatically better than its neighbor. Whereas the Dominican Republic’s economy is based on exports and tourism, most Haitians work in subsistence agriculture. Over much of the last forty years, the Dominican Republic has had one of the fastest growing economies in the hemisphere while Haiti has had one of the slowest. In real estate, brokers say that the value of a property is based on three factors: location, location, and location. Yet somehow, Haiti’s location has not helped its value. Read the rest of this entry »
Amarilis Castillo-Caramés: a Leader for the Borderlands
Posted by ONeil in Perspectives, Volunteering on July 5th, 2009
Amarylis Castillo
Amarilis Castillo was born in Las Matas de Fanfan in the Dominican Republic, but had to emigrate to the US as a young woman. She lived 24 years in the U.S.and became a psychologist and social worker. In spite of this success, she remained concerned about the poverty back home in the Dominican borderlands. “I thought constantly of the people who were always empty-handed and wearing the same torn cloths.” Amarylis said. “I always wanted to return home and do something about it. I Worked with senior U.S. officials, including members of the Black Caucus. It has always had a strong belief in people and their ability to affect change.” Read the rest of this entry »
Developing Haiti (and the DR) from the border inwards
Posted by ONeil in Economy and Trade, Perspectives on July 3rd, 2009
We’ve spent nearly six years wrestling with development in the Haitian-Dominican borderlands. We’ve made some big mistakes and had some big successes. As we begin sharing what we know of the borderlands, it seemed appropriate to start with our lessons learned. Read the rest of this entry »
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