“Haiti, that’s in Africa, right?” Wrong...time to study.

“Haiti, that’s in Africa, right?” Wrong...

PBS.org

When I shared my summer trip to Haiti with my students, one brave soul raised their hand and said, “That’s in Africa, right?” That comment was met with snickers from classmates, but most of them admit to not knowing much more about Haiti than its location in the Caribbean Sea. A few students knew that it shared an island with the Dominican Republic, since they vacation there with their families.Two students have actually visited Haiti while they were on a Caribbean cruise last year. Everyone knew that Haiti was really poor.  

How is it that we know so little about a country in our own neighborhood?

To be honest, even as a history teacher my knowledge of Haiti is limited to geography, Toussaint Louverture, the Revolution, and recent natural disasters. Out of curiosity I looked through several history textbooks at school and there are less than 4 pages where Haiti is even mentioned. My adult friends are not much more informed than my students- although they have heard about the corruption, the mud cookies and Papa Doc. Haiti is less than 700 miles from Miami, Florida and yet all we know about it has been news pulled from disastrous headlines.

Common Street Scene by Rob Irwin

Haiti is located on tropical island with gorgeous natural scenery and beaches. Why isn't it a vacation d

The Beach by Rob Irwin

estination like its neighbor the Dominican Republic? Check out these two photos from our 2011 visit.


How does a country with seemingly so many natural resources end up so poor and corrupt? This is a common question we explore in school. Government is usually a big part of the answer.

-Study Time-

My favorite fun spot for learning about history is Crash Course World History with John Green on YouTube. The episode on the Haitian Revolution is informative and entertaining. This quirky video explains how Haitian society and culture was formed through the French sugar plantations and slave trade. This video hints at the social structure that was established and remains today. Anytime there is a small minority that holds the wealth and power, there will be conflict.

How did that proud history of independence with Toussaint Louverture lead to the corrupt, poor country we know today?

The BBC Online has great country profile sections. This is their summary:

Haiti became the world's first black-led republic and the first independent Caribbean state when it threw off French colonial control and slavery in a series of wars in the early 19th century.However, decades of poverty, environmental degradation, violence, instability and dictatorship have left it as the poorest nation in the Americas.A mostly mountainous country with a tropical climate, Haiti's location, history and culture - epitomized by voodoo - once made it a potential tourist hot spot, but instability and violence, especially since the 1980s, have severely dented that prospect.

BBC’s timeline feature begins with Columbus landing on the island and walks us through the revolution, several wars, dictators, and two recent, controversial leaders. Add a few hurricanes and earthquakes to the human history and you have recipe for disaster.

The Biggest Question in my head is, "how do the people of Haiti stay so positive and hopeful with all that surrounds them?" I expect that I will learn more from them than they can from me.