Haiti, one of the only countries I know to have a perennial adjunct attached to it. You know the one I’m talking about right? When not being widely described as the poorest country in the Western Hemisphere, the fantasy of Haiti is painted through reports of crippling natural disasters, violent political unrest, widespread illnesses and of course, Vodou. All we see is the pollution derided shantytowns and starving orphans crying on broken streets, compliments of the Western media of course. It’s understandable that when we think of Haiti, these are the things that automatically come to mind. These are after all, the only images and stories that we are fed. This is not done by pure chance; there is a vested interest in maintaining a poverty stricken and corrupt perception of Haiti.
For a large part of my life, the perception I had of Haiti was a negative one. It was never a bucket list country for me. A lot of this changed after 2015. As part of a cultural immersion French course at the University of Guyana, a group of us travelled to Haiti. During the time, two major things were happening there. They were in the midst of a presidential electoral process and also preparing for CARIFESTA XII. At the opening ceremony of CARIFESTA, then President Michel Martelly asked that we do away with the vision of the Haiti CNN projects and focus on the Haiti known by the people who live and experience it. I kept that recommendation at the back of my mind throughout the trip. At the end, I tried to reconcile the images I had known of the country before with the reality of the streets of Port-au-Prince, the sprawling mountainsides of Chaîne de la Selle and the cultural treasures of Jacmel. I came to the conclusion that while a few of the reports had elements of truth, the majority of the things I had previously learnt about Haiti were false.
If you have been following the Guyana Times and Kaieteur News recently, chances are that you came across some stories on the “missing Haitians.” Citing concerns over health, national security and human trafficking, these two dailies in their thinly masked racism driven xenophobia, have been loud in their clarion call for persons and the government to reject and restrict the movement of Haitians in and out of the country. Haiti is one of the 15 full member states of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM). While they previously required visas to travel to other CARICOM countries, this was changed in July 2018. A unanimous decision by CARICOM Heads of Government at their 39th Summit saw the travel restriction being removed and Haitians being allowed an automatic six-month stay in all CARICOM Member States. Haitians are well within their right to travel to and transit through Guyana. We must reject yellow journalism and not fall prey to the agenda of select politically aligned media houses that stoke fear and negative feelings towards Haitians. Xenophobia is not patriotism.
Election year always seems to bring out the silliness that resides in each of us. With truth in short supply, politics is usually a zero sum game of manipulation and mudslinging. So it is not surprising that Opposition politicians have been using the influx of Haitians into Guyana as an excuse to peddle untruths in an attempt to sway or influence the public. It is no coincidence that Haitians are being targeted so viciously. They are after all, poor and black in a country where racism grows like seeds. Prophets of doom tell tales of widespread human trafficking and of Haitians being legally registered as citizens as part of a plan to pad coalition votes. So far as investigations go, while it is confirmed that Haitians are being smuggled, there is no evidence of human trafficking. We would all do well to educate ourselves on the fundamental differences between the two. When it comes to the issue of Haitians being used to pad votes, I must ask, how daft are you to really believe this? Before becoming citizens, any migrant must first satisfy residency requirements. Adding to the fact that many Haitians are using Guyana mainly as a stepping-stone to other countries, it can be concluded that allegations of election rigging are meant to elicit feelings of mistrust and open old wounds in our checkered history.
Thankfully, there have been many responses to combat the harmful fictions and stereotypes being peddled in the media and other sections of society. In our protection and defence of Haitian migrants however, we must desist from tarnishing and being xenophobic towards other migrants, particularly Venezuelans. Fleeing poverty, violence, hunger and persecution in their home countries, migrants seek a better life for themselves and their families. With Guyana possessing one of the highest migration rates that sees us having over twice as much Guyanese living abroad than in our home country, I believe that we need to be more understanding and accepting when it comes to migrants.
Overcoming negative perceptions and ideologies regarding groups of people can be hard, but it is necessary. The only way in which we will grow as a people is to challenge harmful ideas and misrepresentations, and to reject those who aim to spread them. The public needs to recognize that the divisions between different races and Caribbean countries only benefits corrupt politicians and imperialist countries with neocolonialist agendas. We must never be slaves to disunity. Ayibobo.
Akola Thompson is a writer and social activist. You can send comments to akolathompson@gmail.com
