Haiti and The Dominican Republic are close, but only in the geographical sense.
The two countries may coexist on the Caribbean island of Hispaniola but historically they
have rarely seen eye to eye.
Tensions due to controversial law changes and the recent hanging of a Haitian man in
The Dominican Republic have experts worried that the island is on the brink of a humanitarian
crisis.
So why do Haiti and The Dominican Republic hate each other?
Well, to understand the conflict we have to go back to 1697, when France and Spain divided
Hispaniola in two after battling for control.
Haiti gained independence from France in 1804 and subsequently took over the Spanish-Dominican
side in an effort to free the entire island of slavery.
Haiti occupied the Dominican side for twenty-two years.
During that time the Spanish-speaking Dominicans were restricted to speaking French and Haitians
enforced oppressive rules on labour and the redistribution of Dominican wealth.
Although The Dominican Republic eventually gained its independence from Haiti, it’s
thought that this period of occupation was where their relationship started to sour.
Since then, several social and economic factors have contributed to deepening divisions.
Today, tensions are largely motivated by racism.
Human rights experts observe that Dominicans openly discriminate against Haitians because
they perceive them to be more black.
Despite both culture’s having African ancestry, Dominicans argue that they have more European
heritage than their Haitian neighbours.
This Anti-Haitian sentiment has endured since 1937 when dictator, Rafael Trujillo, led the
Dominican Republic.
Rafael was obsessed with pale skin and under his rule around 10 to 25,000 dark-skinned
Haitians, living in Dominican border towns, were murdered.
Economically, The Dominican Republic fairs better than Haiti.
Experts suggest that this disparity comes down to the way Hispaniola is divided.
While The Dominican Republic enjoys plentiful rains, the mountains that border the two nations
cut off Haiti’s rainfall.
The semi-arid climate coupled with deforestation problems has meant Haiti’s agricultural
production is more restricted than The Dominican Republic’s.
All that being said, when the 2010 earthquake devastated Haiti, the Dominican Republic was
quick to jump to its aid, providing food, water and rescue workers.
Sadly this feeling of goodwill didn’t last.
So what went wrong?
Well, after the earthquake, more Haitians took refuge in the Dominican Republic.
However, a recent high court ruling, retroactive to 1930, means that refugees can only be granted
Dominican citizenship if at least one of their parents is a legal resident.
According to reports, more than 200,000 Haitians are now stateless.
Following the decision, Haitian-Dominican tensions have escalated into violence with
reports of Dominicans burning the Haitian flag and open calls for the deportation of
all Haitian refugees.
Experts suggest that countries like the United States and other Caribbean nations may have
to get involved if the new ruling continues to perpetuate human rights abuses against
Haitian refugees.
To learn about tensions between other countries, check out this playlist now, including a look
at Why China Hates Japan.
And if there are other country relationships you’d like us to explore, let us know in
the comments below.
Thanks for watching.