Dominican Republic & Haiti

Discussion in 'History & Geography' started by Ed Wilson, Jul 7, 2020.

  1. Ed Wilson

    Ed Wilson Veteran Member
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    I was wondering what relations are like between the two countries of Dominican Republic and Haiti that share the same island of Hispaniola but have a border between them? I wonder who would know?
     
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  2. Martin Alonzo

    Martin Alonzo Supreme Member
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    I live in the Dominican Republic and the border is very porous as they deport Haitians by the thousands only to find them back in the country again. There is a local farm worker who has been here for years without papers he travels back and forth to Haiti probably twice a year. They had thousand or even million Haitians enter the country after the earthquake that hit Puerto Prince. The Dominicans tolerate a lot but when a Haitian murders a Dominican they have a big roundup and send a lot of them back.
     
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  3. Beth Gallagher

    Beth Gallagher Supreme Member
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    Ed, I watched this documentary last year and found it extremely interesting because I know very little about the relationship between the 2 countries. (It's almost an hour long so get yourself a snack.)

     
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  4. Frank Sanoica

    Frank Sanoica Supreme Member
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    @Ed Wilson

    D.R. is said to be highly prosperous, well-run, maintains substantially better living conditions than does Haiti, progressive, educated. The two countries are said to be naturally divided by rugged terrain, I've always heard, which helps maintain division between the two.

    Interestingly, (or perhaps not, depending on one's P.C. preferences), Haiti is 95% black. D.R. is 16% black.

    Frank
     
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  5. Martin Alonzo

    Martin Alonzo Supreme Member
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    @Frank Sanoica
    I think your 16% black might be a little off. The Dominicans are normally dark complexion and even could pass as Haitian but try hard to say they are not black my wife says she is white but look at the avatar. I live near the north coast and a white person is rare.
     
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  6. Frank Sanoica

    Frank Sanoica Supreme Member
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    @Martin Alonzo

    I believe the numbers I saw were taken from known place of origin data for the groups.
    Frank
     
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  7. Martin Alonzo

    Martin Alonzo Supreme Member
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    Haiti ruled over the DR for over twenty years and at that times whites were not allowed to own land. The population are mostly different shades of brown. Now if you look at Obama and Micheal Jackson who claimed they were black. That might explain why the brown people think they are white.
     
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    Last edited: Jul 8, 2020
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  8. Ed Wilson

    Ed Wilson Veteran Member
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    Here in the U.S. our news doesn't give us much perspective when it comes to the issues happening elsewhere unless it has an effect on us. Seems like the issues are the same everywhere. The game is the same but with different players.
     
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  9. Martin Alonzo

    Martin Alonzo Supreme Member
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    @Frank Sanoica
    I know looking up information on the web can be misleading but the basic color of the Dominican people.Here is a picture of my wife's family they look even a bit lighter in the photo. the picture is 30 years old. This is a typical family here.

    Natalies family.jpg
     
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  10. Herb Sutton

    Herb Sutton Very Well-Known Member
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    When I visited DR, they spoke Spanish. I have not been to Haiti but have the impression that they speak a kind of pidgin French.
     
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  11. Hal Pollner

    Hal Pollner Veteran Member
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    I've often wondered if a native of the Dominican Republic is called a "Dominican Republican"?
     
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  12. Martin Alonzo

    Martin Alonzo Supreme Member
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    No Hal just call them friends and neighbors.
     
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  13. Silvia Benoit

    Silvia Benoit Veteran Member
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    They have a border between them because are two countries. The don't like each other at all...and speaking different languages doesn't help. The Dominicans -so I was told- despise the Haitians for "negrifying" their part of the island several centuries ago.
    These two are not the only bordering countries in Latin America that dislike their neighbors; it has a lot to do with the immigration from Europe
     
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  14. Silvia Benoit

    Silvia Benoit Veteran Member
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    I have hundreds of Dominican students...no one of them described him/herself as black.
     
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  15. Martin Alonzo

    Martin Alonzo Supreme Member
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    @Silvia Benoit Yes I live in The Dominican Republic in the countryside and we have hundreds of Haitians working here and some of my friends are Haitian. When my Judo Club was running we had a lot of Haitian students. They do not hate each other but there is a little distrust.
     
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