The world’s eyes are now on Haiti as the horror which has been bestowed upon that Caribbean island has once again reminded us of the unpredictable but yet powerful forces of nature.
However, even though many of us look down on that nation, whether it may be with eyes of sorrow or disgust, many of us know very little about Haiti.
An island and people rich in tradition, the history of Haiti is one of struggle, rebellion, tenacity and yes, even turmoil. As the first republic in the new world, Haiti showed the entire world that it was a force to reckon with, over two hundred years ago.
The St. Domange revolution led by the late great Toussaint L’ouverture and the Black Jacobins, ended slavery on that island and secured independence for Haiti from its then colonial masters, France.
However, with the securing of independence for Haiti many European nations tried to invade the island and colonize it or recapture it in the place of France. It must be noted that Toussaint L’ouverture was a former slave, but he was an educated black man.
He, along with the help of other former slaves fought off and defeated many European powers. Toussaint and his group even defeated the great Napoleon Bonaparte.
The spirit of revolution in Haiti served as a catalyst for many revolts in the Caribbean, in which slaves began to fight back against the unfair system of slavery. Haiti ignited the torch, which lead the rest of the world to liberty.
Besides having a rich history and being the first black republic in the new world, the nation of Haiti has been victim to many social and economic ills.
Today, Haiti has the highest rate of HIV/AIDS in this region. Additionally, the health care system of the island is in shambles, there are many instances where the people of the nation are too poor to even afford basic health care. This has led to the death of many people who could have been cured of simple infections.
Additionally, with one of the highest rates of HIV/AIDS per capita ratio, Haiti does not provide free Antiretroviral drugs to its citizens. This is due to the fact that the country plain and simple cannot afford to provide that service for free and many other services pertaining to health.
Besides the health sector of the island, Haiti is the poorest nation in the Western Hemisphere. Once the Pearl of the Antilles, as it was called during slavery, due to it being the most profitable island, is now a dented pearl and a true example of neglect by the international community. With very little economic power Haiti has been plagued by many issues, one of the main issues being its inability to educate its citizens, something many parts of the world takes for granted.
This has led to more than half of Haiti’s population being illiterate.
Thus, while the present may look bleak for that nation, the future also seems extremely grim. Another major spin off from Haiti’s economy being in shambles is the poverty.
Over half of Haiti’s population lives on less than two United State’s dollars a day.
Yes many of them live in abject poverty. In many instances, purchasing a door is a luxury for the poor of Haiti.
The many luxuries which we are born with, that we just expect to be part of our lives are not even known by the majority of the people of live in Haiti. The infrastructure of that nation is extremely underdeveloped and with the occurrence of this devastating earthquake it is literally nonexistent.
Improper roads and drains have hampered communication, transportation, etc. It has also led to mass flooding on the island.
Within the last three years Haiti has also been battered by four hurricanes. It seems as if the island has been taking a pounding from Mother Nature on many fronts.
However it is extremely shocking and would many times make one marvel at the tenacity of the people of Haiti and their ability to overcome. From slavery to revolution, the environmental and economic destruction, lack of opportunities and the list can go on but in the end the people of Haiti have continued to toil and survive.
Amadu Wiltshire can be reached at awiltshire@ut.edu.