island of the apes: on being dominican
Like many first-generation Americans, I’ve had a love-hate relationship with the Dominican Republic since I could remember, or rather, with many of our Dominican elders. On one hand, I love my motherland—our capital, Santo Domingo, is the first city in the New World. Last November, I found myself sitting with my significant other—who is half Haitian—on a bench in the nation’s”first” park, soaking in the sun, and the sensual, sometimes chaotic vibe that is emblematic of this gorgeous city. It felt great to be back in la capital where I lived with my maternal grandparents for several formative years of my life. Dominicans are generally hard-working, tenacious in their ability to survive on almost nada, and kind (unless you’re Haitian, that is). This is the country where the Mirabal sisters were born and, prematurely, died on their feet (as opposed to living on their knees) fighting against our very own Hitler, the dictator Rafael Trujillo. We are also the land who gave birth to the living legend, flautist and Fania records co-founder Johnny Pacheco: the man is a national treasure, he laid down the foundation for salsa music. We have flavor oozing out of our pores.
We are striking people. We’re like ethnically ambiguous futuristic aliens, a reflection of what America will look like sooner than later. Over 90% of us are of products of Columbus‘ fruits of labor in the island of Hispaniola: we are part Spanish courtesy of his invasion; we have only traces of Amerindian blood due to the genocide committed against our indigenous Tainos; we are African because of Transatlantic Slavery; and at some point or another, everyone from the Jews, former North American freed slaves, the Lebanese and Italians, added to our motley crew. Over dinner with my aunt, I learned that my great-great grandmother was from Vietnam! My uncle confirmed that my grandfather’s grandfather was from Haiti. The latter genealogical discovery wasn’t such a stretch. To say we are diverse is to make a gross understatement. And our miscegenation shows itself in almost every damn thing in the Dominican Republic—from the way we dance to the way we cook, and a laundry list of things in between—our connection to the African continent is as undeniable. I’ve seen more African retention in Dominican Republic than I’ve seen in the States. I know, I’ve visited West Africa several times. And I made a movie in Sierra Leone.
The other thing that inspired me about going back to Santo Domingo was meeting my peers and other very progressive young people. I was invited to a film festival in the country (curiously, hosted by foreigners…) only to find my screening scheduled on a Sunday at the same time as the closing night ceremonies. But I didn’t care. I wanted to connect with the locals. And sure enough, with a leaky ceiling, no car to take me there (every other filmmaker had transportation to and from their screenings), sans support from the curators, and a series of other unfortunate events, everything turned out better than it could have in my wildest dreams. I mean, I’ve been fortunate: at dozens of screenings, I’ve met Sierra Leoneans who connected to Bling…. But I had never screened or presented any of my work in my country, so this was special. And regardless of how inconsiderate the festival organizers were, I truly appreciate the opportunity to have returned to my country in spite of these circumstances. The theater—the venue was so out of the way, the driver had gotten lost—was overflowing with fantastically engaged people. It was almost midnight and everyone stayed to meet me, ask questions about my journey to this point, and the obstacles I faced making this documentary. Emmanuel Jal had decided to attend the screening and share his experiences as a former child soldier in the Sudan with the audience. Young people in the Dominican Republic are curious about Africa, about our connection to the continent, about exploring the self-hatred our elders have tried to pass down to our generation. And, specifically, we all wanted to discourse about Haitians living in country: why, all these years after the assassination of Trujillo, who supported and sponsored a Haitian massacre, are they still being treated like animals? My question to the audience was, to put it bluntly, “what gives?”
I thought about all of this when I read a recent news report from the Associated Press:
(AP) Dominican police are investigating the decapitation of a migrant from neighboring Haiti.
Police Maj. Jose Llubres says the victim’s body was found Saturday in the Buenos Aires neighborhood of the capital, Santo Domingo. He says residents allege the victim killed a local merchant and police are investigating whether he was slain in revenge.
The Foreign Ministry described the killings as an “incident between individuals” in a statement Tuesday.
Haitian officials have called the migrant’s killing barbarous and questioned whether Dominican police could have prevented it.
About 1 million people of Haitian descent live in the Dominican Republic, often suffering discrimination and violence.
I’m not naive. I know that many crimes against Haitians go unreported. Funny thing is, many Dominicans have Haitian blood running through their veins. Trujillo himself was mixed. Author Michele Wucker wrote, “He wore pancake make-up to lighten the traces of color his Haitian grandmother’s blood had left in his skin.” Today, I’m not sure what exactly is our current President’s stance is on being of mixed ancestry, though his features speak volumes. Thankfully, President Leonel Fernandez is an educated man. I really hope that Barack Obama’s ascension to power in the United States will inspire him to act boldly and deal with this racial ignorance in DR. Our obsession and self-hatred is holding us back from realizing our potential in the global community. It is also holding us back from providing aid and working with our neighbors for a mutually beneficial future.
I live in a predominantly Dominican neighborhood in New York City where I’ve heard very, very dark-hued Dominican men and women talk about “stupid black Haitians.” These people need to go to the 99 cent store on 207th street and purchase a mirror. I’ve read and listened to Dominicans here complain about their neighbors stealing jobs from family members back home, blaming Haitians for stressing out their economy to the breaking point. But, um, hello, Haitians are doing the jobs Dominicans think they’re above doing, like cutting that sugar cane. People need to understand that these so-called “black Haitian savages” delivered us Dominicans from the evils of slavery. I mean, like, they really didn’t have to do that for us.
Today, like true internationalists, many Haitians not only speak Creole, but French and Spanish to boot (I mean, they’ve gotta learn Spanish if they wanna eartin DR, right?) On the other hand, you will rarely meet a Dominican who waxes poetic in Creole or French. And if Haitians are so inferior, why don’t we have a filmmaker like Raoul Peck challenging us rethink the world around us? We Dominicans make ridiculous, buffoon-like comedies that aren’t really funny.
We are deeper than that. Yes, claro, we have the Pulitzer prize-winning Junot Diaz. I loved the nuances and footnotes in The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao so much so, that I spent several weeks slowly reading the last three pages of the book for fear that the experience would end. Junot’s masterful tome illustrates that there is hope for us all to explore our own issues, instead of having someone else do it for us. We may change the way we see ourselves, our neighbors and the way others see us.
Contrary to what the film Sugar might lead one to believe (said flick, incidentally, was the crown jewel of the aforementioned film festival), Dominican girls in the hood aren’t oversexed sluts who wait patiently at home as their men migrate north and lust for all things American—from apple pie, to baseball and cornfed blondies. It’s not cool for Dominican women to be reduced to two-bit whores, be it in films or in real life (have you seen all the American and European men who rent underage girls in D.R.?), and it’s not kosher for us Dominicans to treat Haitians like sub-humans. One island. One blood. We need reexamine our whole selves.
Posted by admin on May 17th, 2009 :: Filed under Dominican-Haitian relations,Features,Opinion,day in pictures,international news
Tags :: abuse, Antonia María Teresa Mirabal, bling: a planet rock, decapitation, discrimination, Dominican, Dominican Republic, Dominican-Haitian conflict, Dominican-Haitian relations, Dominican/Haitian relations, Emmanuel Jal, Haiti, Hispaniola, Johnny Pacheco, Junot Diaz, Latina stereotypes, Leonel Fernandez, María Argentina Minerva Mirabal, Michele Wucker, Mirabal sisters, miscegenation, Patria Mercedes Mirabal, racism, Rafael Trujillo, Raoul Peck, Raquel Cepeda, salsa, Santo Domingo, sierra leone, slavery, Sudan, Sugar, Taino Indians
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May 17th, 2009
Finally someone brave enough to put this into perspective. You hit it on the nail with this article. I’m a first generation Dominican and have Haitian friends. I love hanging with them but there is always this elephant in the room. The issues between our countries. I hear comments made about Haitians at family gatherings and I just sit there shaking my head disagreeing with everything they say.
I want Haitians to know not all Dominicans feel the same way. It’s really sad that all Haitains and Dominicans don’t get along. With the history I could definitely understand why Haitians feel the way they do.
May 17th, 2009
thank you, thank you, thank you. words can’t describe how thankful i am that you were brave enough to talk about this. being of haitian and dominican descent, it seems more often that folk don’t want to talk about it at all. And those of us who were born here and are somewhat disconnected from hispaniola (aside from the love of maduros and mangos), we act as if it doesn’t exist at all. thank you for reminding us that we still have mad work to do.
May 17th, 2009
Yeah I do think it was brave of you to write this , I know how hard it is to speak up against your own …Its similar to how your sitting next to the people complaining about crime in the hood and its them committing it. I remember NY Oil said this once “when a white cop kills one of our own we ready to riot and go crazy…but we are killing each other erryday selling drugs and selling no hope to each other “I say that to say this sometimes we have to speak about the injustices that we commit against each other before we can talk about others…and you have truley hit the nail on the head.
May 18th, 2009
My favorite so far. Re-posting now.
May 18th, 2009
i dont know if the issue is just about haitians vs. dominicans, tho i understand that this is the writer’s point of view coming from dom rep. but this same issue happens in puerto rico, brazil, or any other country where there are lighter-skinned blacks and darker skinned skinned blacks living together. the caste system even happens in haiti. like, really? are we still battling the light-skin/dark-skin thing? aren’t we all just black? originally from africa? i remember talking to a dominican girl and she argued with me that she wasn’t “black” (though she was very dark-skinned) that she was Dominican. I thought one was a race and the other an ethnicity.
May 18th, 2009
THIS COMMENT IS FROM MICHAEL HOLMAN: ARTIST, EDUCATOR, SCREENWRITER, HIP-HOP ICON
Comment: I was a bit surprised, but not too much so, to read about DR racism towards Haitians, people who have such a refined sense of superiority themselves! But it only proves the idea that everyone needs to feel better than somebody, it’s human nature. It’s so prevalent, it’s even the bases of comedy: “laugh at the old banana peel slip.” It occurred to me recently – appropriate to what, I can’t remember – that there are many people in this world who subscribe to the idea of white supremacy, and I was thinking specifically about skinheads, white supremacists, KKK, etc. But what these typically knuckle-dragging types don’t completely understand, is that this supposed “supremacy” is on a strictly case-by-case basis.
It all comes down to Love vs. Fear. Who’s side are you on?
M
May 18th, 2009
THIS COMMENT COMES VIA FACEBOOK, COURTESY WRITER CRISTINA V
Cristina V. at 6:27am May 18 (Facebook)
Awesome essay, Raquel! As an honorary Dominicanyorican [?] of sorts, from The Heights, this Peruana really appreciates the way you’ve laid it all out on the table. FYI, re: Dominicans & race ish, my pet peeve is when Dominican men tell me I look “elegante” – even in sweatpants! It took me yeeeaaars to finally get clued in to that being a coded … Read Morecompliment referencing my “light-skindedness” [spelling intentional, folks.] Either that or telling me I am “a PRETTY Peruvian–not like MOST Peruvians”, which is their ill way of, again, tossing a coded compliment out that I look acceptable because my half-Slovak self doesn’t “look Indian” to them. I get sick hearing that ish, because they actually think that I would be flattered by this. Alas, the darker the man saying it, the sadder I feel. Ugh…
May 18th, 2009
THIS COMMENT WAS SENT TO ME, VIA EMAIL, BY LUIS PEREZ from SANTO DOMINGO.
Hola Raquel,
Vivo dia a dia la furia del dominicano por tener como vecino el negro haitiano y no el rubio del Sur de la Floria, la impotencia del capataz por no entender sus peones negros (todos son iguales, son negros) que hablan patuá y que el no sabe en que momento estan hablando de él o que estan tramando, prefiere mil veces al gringo que le manda, en ingles que el si entiende, a cortar la caoba para sembrar tabaco rubio….el temor de los niños que se portan mal, ya que pronto pasara el prieto que se come los muchachitos…y no el viejo gordo y barbu que trae regalos (Santa Claus) Oigo, los piropos a la rubia anorexica y los insultos a la norema atletica. Saboreo junto a mis hijas el rico McDonald pero nunca me atreveria a ofrecerles desayunar con un rico mais pelao con leche dulce que vende la haitiana en le mercado. Olfateo extasiado el aliento a chiclets de la americana que me acaban de presentar pero saludo con la mano a la negra que se mudo al lado pues los negros tienen un bajo a grajo que no se le quita ni bañandose con jabon de cuaba….En mis sueños eroticos acaricio la venus de tez blanca como la leche y castigo con mi lanza, cual Dios del Olimpo, a la mujer de piel quemada por el sol (Biblia).
Eres valiente al publicar ese articulo y te aseguro que tienes una arcudua labor.
saludos
Luis
ex-edecam voluntario FCSD
May 18th, 2009
“long overdue” is an understatement, cuzzin.
i’d blame it on denial, but our peeps don’t front one iota about their hatred for the neighbors to the West. and hasn’t that been our homeland’s modus operandi for a long time?
(during an Organization of American States conference in the early 60s, the Venezuelan rep replied to the US rep’s call for a league-wide condemnation of the newly empowered “evil” Castro by pointing out that there had been a US-backed monster terrorizing the Dominican Republic AND Haiti for generations.)
to date, no one can deny the legacy of hate that Trujillo left behind. yet they do, by reminding following generations (including ours) of how much “progress” was made during dude’s reign.
multiply that by hundreds of years of race-based slavery and colonization, and we see the results far and wide across DR, not to mention the entire Western Hemisphere. (i’m half Cuban; i know of what i speak… lol)
and still, in 2009, despite communications technology helping to facilitate a genuine global community, Dominicans waste no opp to let off with a “maldito prieto” when in the presence of an African American. shit, don’t let a Haitian step on the block, or it’s on and poppin’.
i mean, damn, imagine my shock during my firebrand idealistic youth when i found out that el 27 de Febrero is a celebration of the island’s liberation from Haiti — NOT SPAIN.
me, i love stirrin’ the pot, rattling cages, STARTIN’ shit. so whenever i see an opening, i hit ‘em with a couple “did you know’s,” just to get things going.
my fave: “what’s the original name of the entire island?”
the usual answer: “La Hispaniola, loco. Que fue?”
no, tiguere. that can’t be it. i’m talking before Columbus and crew. before mu’fuckas spoke Spanish over there, what was it?
and then comes the battle. (one time, it came THIS close to a fight, in fact).
“it’s the name the Arawaks had for it. the name Toussaint chose for HIS country when he blasted the French the fuck outta there, and then did the same to the Spaniards on the other side.”
yes, boys and girls. it’s HAITI.
gotta love the irony, no?
May 18th, 2009
congrats raquel – self loathing transforms 2 self-loving only thru reflection & witness…allbless…
May 18th, 2009
Dear Sister
I am so happy to have read this article and I appreciate your struggle. As an African American I grew up in the 60s NY- Queens- we had black rockers who raged against the white machine while sleeping white- we had James Brown -Im Black and Im Proud and Temps? We’re a Winner- these ideas sustained me-the afro- the Panthers all of this helped me to feel good and analyze what was going on around me with a healthier perspective- til I went to college in the midwest and was treated with arms length disdain and fear by some who had been thru the riots and not quite accepted by the hood folk- different hood..tried a school in the south and found they hadnt gotten over the civil war North vs South yet..oh boy …and finished college back in NY where I learned and made friends with Jews ( Id been to Cath school) and Puerto Ricans who loved salsa and drumming and played on campus every sunny day- Im saying all this to say that I was shocked later
to show a Dominican Sister a picture of Black Virgin and Child ( a symbol found in Spain and Russia and CZech Rep.)and she gasped it was voodoo ..(but to me its the real secret of the nativity lol)thats when I got an idea that the 60s liberation I took for granted hadn’t translated to all of us-You see its an old adage to divide is to conquer and we all gotta shake that thing off -I see you agree and Im proud to read your offerings- btw you know when it is taught we
are all made in Gods image its terribly damaging in a society where finance and possibility of success and culture= lack of blackness in ones genes- Imagine a world of blind folk where your words are the only clue of ones worth. Hope it doesnt have to come to that.I live these peeves
I embrace them and they are my sanity until righteousness steps in . Peace
Kim
May 18th, 2009
that sounds so much like the coloured/black situation here in south africa.everything you wrote in this piece is exactly the same as it occurs in my community.You have to come down and see it for yaself
May 18th, 2009
THIS COMMENT WAS SENT TO THE AUTHOR JOAN MORGAN, VIA FACEBOOK, BY GEORGE BEEZER:
George Beezer at 10:50am May 18
The article posted by Joan Morgan and written by Raquel Cepeda is both emotionally moving and hstorically profound. for there is not other region on this beautiful planet, that exudes and reflect the socio-economics conflicts on race, than in the Caribbean; whether you speak English, French, Spanish, Dutch and/or any of the derivative creole … Read Morelauguages. So, until we as human beings find the courage to free ourselves from mental slavery, thus freeing our mind, body and spirit to embrace a common human origin, we will forever struggle within our existence as human doings…..
May 18th, 2009
[...] This post was Twitted by pattydukesnyc – Real-url.org [...]
May 18th, 2009
Like you, I have a multicultural background: Puerto Rican, Dominican, African-American, etc. etc. (I had my DNA tested it’s roughly 55% African descent and 44% European descent). I’m hardly unique in this respect, yet we still can’t get past this ridiculous issue of skin tone. It’s rife throughout Latin American, but no one wants to talk about it. So thanks for this reminder of our own dirty little secret. What’s really disappointing about it is it pits dark-skinned people against darker-skinned people out of some backward need to feel superior to someone. I’ve never understood it. There’s so much more than unites us than separates us, so why do we persist in segregating ourselves?
May 18th, 2009
THIS COMMENT WAS SENT TO ME, VIA EMAIL, BY CARLOS SOSA, WASHINGTON HEIGHTS, NYC/DOMINICAN REPUBLIC:
I read your blog & I agree we need to step out of the superiority complex we have against Haitians. First of all we’re free from imperialists because of Haiti. Yes, you hear bad stories of life under Haitian rule but RLT had 20,000+ Haitians murdered in one campaign. No comparison at all. You couldn’t have said it any better stating that the country’s President has a unique opportunity of enlightening our blind, narrow minded brethren and bringing them out of the dark. His administration can educate the misinformed. It’s time to stop acting like a “Dumb-in a can” and act like a Dominican (being aware of the multitude of cultures that coarse through our veins).
Carlos Sosa
May 18th, 2009
Good article, but I saw Suger and I did not think that Dominican women were being portrayed as “oversexed sluts”…a character in a movie doesn’t mean that the movie is making statement that all people who have similarities are like that…t was just a story.
FROM RAQUEL CEPEDA:
Dear “C”;
I respectfully disagree with your comment. Sugar did, in fact, objectify Dominican women. I am a Dominican woman and most of my girlfriends agree. Now, my male friends, who are stoked about mainstream America making an “Independent” film about unrealized baseball wet dreams, disagree with me about the objectification. I can tell you, at the premiere in the Dominican Republic, this is what I witnessed: Dominican make baseball players yelling out, in front of me, “Yeah, hit that,” in Spanish, as the protagonist screwed his young girlfriend. Dominican and Latino men are so used to see their female counterparts being reduced to a piece of meat, that they can’t see what is playing itself on the big screen…thanks, Raquel Cepeda
May 18th, 2009
Hey Raquel! This article is without a shadow of a doubt amazing, informative, and inundated with deep, rich history of the Dominican Republic. Great job! Daniel Elijah Urena
May 18th, 2009
Raquel, thanks for the detailed reminder that we have not overcome those things we sweep under the rug to pretend we live in a “developed world”. Although this same story has been repeated throughout history around the globe; it isn’t history. Interestingly, all these stories involve some colonizer, oppressor, tyrant/puppet. Sometimes there are glimpses of hope when we meet people who are working towards change. Yet there is a sense of hopelessness and helplessness when we see many of our school aged children who carry on without a strong value system or none at all. Yikes! What will our world be 20 years from now? I hope those of us that work towards change are able to outnumbers those who chose not to…. BTW I here President Clinton is being named special envoy to Haiti
May 18th, 2009
Someone emailed me this piece, and a former student’s mom posted it on her FB page… I re-posted on mine, and immediately a couple of my high school friends posted comments and are spreading it to their networks – starting/continuing really interesting/important conversations with their peers –
“This is strong. Wow neva took it like that and I’m Haitian. It was a beautiful read and it really informed me bout Haitians moving to DR and why they were moving.”
“im reading island of the apes. and im really digging the last paragraph! power to this woman
i want to see her films!
two thumbs up!”
“I totally agree. I don’t understand why Dominicans treat Haitians like shit when we’re all Black. They degrade them so much its absurd!”
Powerful stuff!!! I work with young people & it’s never easy letting a Cuban, Puerto Rican, or Dominican kid know they’re part of this thing called the diaspora. I remember my own pre-pubescent shock!
Much love to you.
May 19th, 2009
THIS WAS POSTED ON MY FACEBOOK PAGE BY ORLANDO RODRIGUEZ:
Orlando Rodriguez at 1:31am May 18 via Facebook Mobile
Its all continued mental colonization and identification with your opressor. “Dominican” is after all the name of the order that led the Spanish Inquisition against the Moors and the Jews. As long as people identify with euro-centriccolonized terms “rich port”, christopher “Columbian”, “Latino”, we will have these problems.
May 19th, 2009
Wow, this is a really impressive piece of work. Intensive and touching… Just so you know, I felt the same with Junot’s book.
May 19th, 2009
One of the thing´s that we dominicans do not like to acknowledge is that what haitians are doing, thousands of dominican are doing all around the world and to threat them like we do, just push of back in history. The surprising thing is that we also are dark skin.
What is really embarrasing is hear young people berated the haitians, blaming them for a problem that the goverment and us has dominicans haven´t being able to control.
This is a far larger subject than the great lines of Raquel can contain (hopefully she has more under her sleeves) but the slavery concerning the sugar cane is real, the slaughter is also real but the sickness of an audience enjoying this is far worst, we need a change and we need it urgent.
ORSAN: THANK YOU FOR YOUR COMMENT! I HAVE A QUESTION. ARE THERE ANY ORGANIZATIONS IN THE DOMINICAN REPUBLIC THAT YOU KNOW OF THAT PROTECT SUGAR CANE WORKERS? I’VE ALSO BEEN WONDERING…TO YOUR KNOWLEDGE, HAS THERE BEEN ANY CRIME COMMITTED (OR SHALL I SAY, REPORTED) AGAINST A HAITIAN AND/OR A DOMINICAN/HAITIAN AT THE HANDS OF A WOMAN?
May 19th, 2009
Awesome write up – in a nutshell. It’s racism in racism…abusing bc u were abused. Ignorance is bliss. Hopefully our generation will break the chains.
May 19th, 2009
p.s. you should publish this article in “El Diario” or any Ny spanish metro paper to expose this taboo…
May 19th, 2009
Excellent article. I will recommend this to my students.
May 19th, 2009
Thanks Raquel for this unbashedly honest piece. As a Haitian growing up in the concentrated haitian community of flatbush 80s, I grew up thinking that if people grew up on the same land, they were the same people…I should say that I was quickly informed that was not the case by my Dominican friend in Williamsburg, however who at the same effect would show me the same “replicas” of shops and markets I found in my flatbush in her williamsburg…hmmm.
Thanks Michael Holman on bringing up the issue of “supremacy”, but it in fact reminded me of the color supremacy that hit me in the face when I visited Haiti in 96. Practically all of upper-class folk were of light skin and I was consistently reminded that I barely passed enough to interact with them…wanting to feel better than somebody happens on so many levels…
May 19th, 2009
It’s a shame that most of the times only the outsiders can get this sort of perspective, back in the island everybody just follows blindly the heartless group thinking.
It’s very common to see or hear what you mention. Voicing this situation might help, too bad it is written in English and the people who need to read this perspective the most won’t understand it.
It’s funny that you mention the objectification in Sugar and talk so well about Díaz. I wonder if you fell the same way when you read his novel. Most of the female characters are objectified there. The prototypical whore appears all over la novela, the same thing can be seen in some of his short stories.
Bueno, nada, I’m glad I came accross this blog, I liked what I’ve seen so far.
Take care
THANK YOU FOR YOUR POST. FEEL FREE TO TRANSLATE IT. AN OVERWHELMING MAJORITY OF THE PEOPLE I KNOW, HAVE MET, AM RELATED TOO, HAVE WORKED WITH, INTERACTED AND DEBATED WITH IN THE D.R., UNDERSTAND ENGLISH PERFECTLY.
RE JUNOT’S BOOK, I THINK HE CAUGHT THE NUANCES OF DOMINICAN LIFE AND CULTURE VERY WELL AND WITH AN AUTHENTIC VOICE. ALL HIS CHARACTERS–SINNERS OR SAINTS–WERE COMPLICATED. IN SUGAR, I DIDN’T SEE ANY OF THIS. IN HIS BOOK, IF I READ ABOUT A PROMISCUOUS DOMINICAN WOMAN OR A “COUGAR” (I HEAR THAT THERE WILL BE A HOLLYWOOD ADAPTATION OF JUNOT’S BOOK. I AM, ADMITTEDLY, VERY, VERY SCARED AS TO HOW THIS WILL TRANSLATE), I DON’T SEE IT AS AN OBJECTIFICATION IF WE SEE OTHER SIDES TO HER PERSONALITY. LET’S KEEP IT REAL: WE ALL KNOW PROMISCUOUS WOMEN, WE ALL KNOW BOYS WHO HAVE DREAMED OF MAKING IT BIG IN THE FIELD OF SPORTS, ETC. BUT WHEN THIS IS ALL WE SEE, LIKE I DID IN SUGAR–AND WITH SUCH A WHITE, SAINTLY GIRL IN JUXTAPOSITION–IT IS OFFENSIVE. IT TAKES MANY CHARACTERS TO MAKE THE WORLD GO ROUND. THESE CHARACTERS, MAKE LIFE WORTH LIVING. BUT THE BEST CHARACTERS ARE NEVER PROVERBIALLY BLACK OR WHITE: LIKE DOMINICANS, THE BEST CHARACTERS ARE A MIXTURE OF BOTH.
May 19th, 2009
thanks for always making me think, raquel. i watched SUGAR but not with a critical eye like the one you rewarded me with above. i was happy to see a film themed about latinos that didn’t revolve around violence or crime, though.
May 19th, 2009
This was good. As a Haitian / Dominican (moreso the later due to upbringing), I can relate to what you’re saying. As I tweeted to you earlier, it’s funny how Dominicans celebrate their independence from Haiti and not Spanish / French rule. That definitely points to a very skewed vision of what Haiti represents.
Yet, people like Wilfredo Vargas can take whole zouk songs and make them into instant merengue classics. And when I hang with my Haitian family, they’ll blare the stuff from their cells and cars, and I’ll jam, too, and even with the language difference, it’s really hard to deny that Dominicans and Haitians have such a huge difference in culture.
Even my father recalls how he took my mom to Haitian parties and everyone would talk to her in Creole thinking she spoke it. When they were surprised she didn’t, I’m sure at least a few of the people at the party were educated on some level. When I visit Los Mina down in Santo Domingo, I mostly see Black folk, most of whom aren’t in denial about their blackness. What’s unusual is that I only see the ignorance about Haitians in the “campo,” like San Francisco de Macoris.
Wow, this made me think a lot, Raq. Really. Thanks.
Jose
p.s. – I learned a long time ago to stop referring to the island that houses Dominican Republic and Haiti as “Hispaniola.” After their independence, it’s important for us to call it Quisqueya, an indigenous term for that island. Just saying.
May 19th, 2009
Hi Raquel, like I told you on twitter, thanks for putting this out there…
I comment on this subject matter quite frequently at work with my fellow Dominicans, or with friends both from the motherland or here in NYC…and it’s eyeopening that while many of them don’t approve of the situation, they get shocked when I suggest that there will come a day where Haitians SHOULD be able to have a Haitian parade in El Malecón, just like Dominicans have parades all over NYC…Or that they SHOULD be able to have a Haitian neighborhood, just like the Chinese do everywhere they go – Including in DR; The one in La Duarte en La Capital it’s legit, with the entrances, the statues and all.
I honestly think that not only should be this commented, or agreed upon anymore, and that it’s a matter from us Dominicans in this side of the river to take matters in our hands and start a dialog that will transcend blogs, emails, and newsletters. I’ve been suggesting an open forum where leaders from both nations will debate how can both groups should be educated in order to diminish the hate that continues since Trujillo’s days. – I chuckle and the fact that wherever I’ve raised that suggestion people look away and eyes roll in disbelief, but I keep reminding people that for every piece of news like the one above published, dozens go unreported…and they will continue to occur unless this is addressed from the outside since the ones living in the island seem to be OK with it.
Great post…
Harold.
May 19th, 2009
[...] Raquel Cepeda linked me to a post about Dominican-Haitian relations that she wrote on her blog, and for those of you who know me, you know I had to jump on that quickly. Most of you know my [...]
May 19th, 2009
i don’t know if i can write here in spanish but anyways, i will.
Voy contigo en lo que escribes y expresas, asi somos los dominicanos, una mezcla, un pastelón de razas y pasado. Desde nuestro encuentro con el viejo mundo hasta el dia de hoy, nuestra isla ha sido protagonista de una historia muy peculiar.
Ahora, en lo que no estoy de acuerdo es en las ultimas lineas, digo, excusame el ingles, pero el termino one island no lo apoyo (pido excusa por creer que quieres dejar dicho que somos o debemos ser un solo pueblo, sorry, no agarre el punto). Ahora, si , eso si, debemos revisarnos como pueblo y preguntarnos como diablos hemos llegado nosotros a los niveles de racismo contra los haitianos.
Creo que eso, al igual que celebrar la noche de brujas, o cualquiera costumbre extranjera, lo hemos aprendido de otro pais. Como es posible que aqui existan clubs que no dejen entrar personas de “color”, eso no es desde ahora, demos gracias a Dios que no vivimos como en termino de los ochentas y en los noventas donde un “moreno” devolvia a cualquiera por no tener una apariencia blanca europea como la gran “mayoria” de nuestros habitantes.
Para emitir las palabras que escribiste requiere un buen puñado de vivencias, salir un poco de nuestras cuatro paredes, no todo el mundo puede tener esa apertura, no hay nada mejor que culpar al otro de nuestros males, pero nada, es un asunto que esta enlatado, una manzana podrida que no hemos querido retirar de nuestra canasta.
May 19th, 2009
Wow this was really intense. I think all of us African-descended people need to reevaluate our relationships…with ourselves. So many are carrying around so much shame and we take it out on each other when we should be lifting each other up.
May 20th, 2009
Anything depicted in Sugar–or any other piece of art, film, music, literature, etc–not only cannot be deemed as the be-all-end-all of the Dominican experience, but it shouldn’t have to bear that responsibility, either.
I totally agree with Dominicans needing to re-examine themselves vis-a-vis self-loathing and Haitian hatred. Absolutely. But the case of the decapitated Haitian also brings to light a surging vigilante mentality brought about by a population exasperated by an escalating, often violent, and seemingly unstoppable crime wave, and what appears to be an indifferent reaction from inept and/or corrupt authorities.
When a dear friend, recently visiting his grandma in Sto Dgo, had to plead with an angry mob not kill a thief they had captured in the act, only to have the authorities, upon their arrival, shrug and suggest they should have killed him because “that way he doesn’t do it again; problem solved”, I knew that things had taken a very bad turn for the worse in the DR.
May 20th, 2009
THIS COMMENT WAS SENT TO ME, VIA EMAIL, BY HENRY CHALFANT, DIRECTOR of “FROM MAMBO TO HIP-HOP”:
Dominicans and others from the african diaspora are such a wonderful, rich mix and thankfully this stream continues to flow into the ongoing melting pot of america. It’s very good you are challenging the prejudices and racism that persist in the DR. We have so far to go to overcome the wounds of centuries of euro centric power and white supremacy.
May 20th, 2009
Haiti sure had a lot of hell to pay for being the first free slave nation. Lots of native Caribbean peoples on a whole are still behind the rest of the hemisphere in terms of cultural advancements like higher education, cultural blending and knowledge of self, which gives them a special brand of that “white is right” self-hate that colonialism behind. Mixed with abject poverty, it can bring out the worst ignorance in people.
Old hate tends to be set in its ways, and this ignorance may be here until it dies out with the generation. I can’t speak much for those in DR, but the sentiment travels here to the US for all dark skin peoples of the Diaspora. I tend to believe at times that some of this behavior is bred from the overt national pride many harbor, especially when they don’t embody the consciousness to embrace and/or assimilate into the culture they live in. Without real language and (menial) employment barriers, many don’t seize the opportunity to grow beyond their familiar. Hopefully the upcoming younger generation will get it right sooner than later.
May 21st, 2009
I’m not much for words, but that was a powerful message. You’re my hero and the truth must be told. Outstanding job!!
May 22nd, 2009
i’m Haitian 35yrs old i was reading your article my son was in the room and he say to me Daddy why are you cying ? that was so powerfull i don’t know what to say to him, i just give him a big hug thank you and thank you to let your heart talk . I got another sister in my familly.You are bless …,thanks.
May 23rd, 2009
I think the reason many Dominicans hold much dislike toward Haiti is because of the history of the island. Lets be honest, both of these countries did not have the best relationship from the get go. I’m glad you pointed out some good things Haitians have done in your article although I’m afraid many of their actions from the past have contributed to the animosity between DR. Dominican Republic had finally gained independence from Spain only to be invaded by Haiti for 22 years. During these 22 years, Dominicans put up a big fight to keep their identity, their culture which was under threat from the invaders who desperately tried to eliminate it. I do believe your article isn’t telling the whole story. I’m sure there are Dominicans who are whilling to work the fields and build those fancy towers in santo domingo. The problem is, they aren’t given a chance to because it’s more profitable to use haitian labor than to hire a dominican. This inturn pushes those poorer dominicans to find better opportunities else where such as in Puerto Rico, Spain, or USA. Don’t try and block the sun with one finger. Haitian imigration in the DR is getting out of control, remember DR is no USA. Poor DR does not have the resources to deal with the huge influx of foreigners as the USA. While I’m not justifying the hatred/dislike many Dominicans have toward Haitains, I definitely can see where it’s coming from and it makes sense. Domincans have fought so hard to have a better country so that those who have let their own country crumble can come and take it away. Until Haiti rebuilds itself, I don’t see the relationship with DR getting any better.
May 31st, 2009
Excellent piece! I’m Haitian American and the more I learn about the history of the relationship between Haitians and Dominicans the more convinced I am that it all relates back to colonialism. Trujillo was a cruel, cruel man and tried to commit genocide but why are we continuing this cycle? Crimes against Haitians at the border still go on and dark skinned Dominicans are ashamed of their complexion. Sad.
I LOVE JUNOT DIAZ! I totally feel you on savoring the ending of Oscar Wao. Dope read.
June 4th, 2009
Hispañiola; Atlantic crystal…
I think we Dominican-Americans can offer something to this discourse, just as I think the native Dominicans have something to offer us if we really study our story. It is a story that bears the marks of all the hurricanes and vicissitudes that came wit…
July 2nd, 2009
estoy interesado enser miembro de ustedes tienes mi email vivo en california soy pintor dominicano preferible mandame un email robertmaja@hotmail.com
August 2nd, 2009
Great article
I like the dialouge this article opened. I was also very impressed that it did not turn into a hate filled dissing session. I think in the future relationships will improve between the two countries considerably. We call New York a great melting pot of tolerance. It didn’t become like that because of love. It evolved into a tolerant state because of great hardships immagrants had to endure when they got here. I gaurentee one day the situation on the island is going to be so difficult for both countries that they will be force to alter their status, views, and reasoning to become better neigbors. I think that era is already here. I don’t think anyone is handing the island of Hispaniola a stimulus package. The current mentalities of hanging onto distortions and brain washing will only accelerate deteriorations that has been going onfor a very long time.
I have met so many Hatians who I thought were Dominicans, And My God I have seen so many Dominican baseball players who I just thought were
Hatians or had a lest one Hatian parent(David Ortiz, Vladimer Guerro, Sammy Sosa, Alphonso Serrano and many more) With some players now sporting dread-locks they look even more Hatian or African. It would be very naive for anyone to say with100% accuracy who is unmixed on on island where all you have to do is walk a few feet and you are across the border. Be for real.
It would benefit both countries to find a common ground and build from it. As painful as it may be to let go of the past, the time has come and I feel bad that at different periods in their respected history both countries suffered at the hands of dictators. Devastation was done to both masses. I don’t think either of the devastations were worse. People had suffered in both eras. It is time to heal and this post offers a good opportunity.
October 23rd, 2009
It’s funny how you mentioned having visited Africa and yet you put down the DR for of all things racism. The clasist/racist attitude is found in every country where people are not completely homogenous. Then again you are American first, then Dominican, its a lot easier to bash a society that you are not really 100% part of. Here in NYC racism is alive and well among African Americans and every other black person that’s not from here. But you would never bite the hand that feeds you. Self promotion by selling out the land of your forefathers is not honorable. Please re-examine yourself mon cherie..
From Cepeda:
Dear JP,
Thank you for your comment. Your ignorance is smashing. You are very uninformed and sound as if you are one of my poor compadres who are self-loathing and anti-Haitian. Anybody who even skimmed this piece could have noted that I love being Dominican–not an outsider as I am the first person in my family born in NYC and I have lived in D.R. and have maintained strong roots there throughout my life. As a matter of fact, I love my “forefathers” so much so that I am encouraging self-reflection, albeit through humor. There is a big problem not only in D.R. but with Dominican descendants here to reject anything that is not white or Anglo. I see this story struck a chord with you…perhaps you should re-examine yourself.
October 31st, 2009
Mirabal:
We have a difference of opinion on race relations in D.R. You are the real “Vende Patria” or sell out as you’ve written about me. You are ignorant and by the tone of your email, likely self-loathing. Learn to look at things from different angles and also how to disagree and present your points in a well thought out fashion. We can all have a different opinions and exist in the same space. But by the Trujillo-like single-mindedness in your email, I can tell you are incapable. This is my blog. My reaction to violence/racism towards Haitians, and if you want to pretend like you live in some utopia over there, then you are as crazy as you’re coming off in your post…I am posting this because your stupidity will continue to serve as a reminder that people like you still exist on the island. PS: My Haitian husband agrees.
In DR, unlike a lot of other slave societies, the institution of slavery broke down fairly early due to poor economic conditions that prevented the colonizers from maintaining the enormous social gap between slave and master we saw in other places like Haiti. , many whites became poor, or at least a lot poorer, than their counterparts in other less neglected colonies, and ended being much closer socially to the slave population and their offspring, many of whom they fathered. Long story short,you eventually had a society of mostly freed people of mixed race who owned land were not slaves. The word negro in particular was more associated with slaves and slavery in particular and so this term didn’t serve as a proper way for the “black” and mixed race majority to identify themselves-they were free, a different part of society.HEY RAQUEL I THINK ITS YOU THAT HAS IGNORANCE YOU VENDE PATRIA!
October 31st, 2009
From Raquel Cepeda: I am not going to entertain your stupidity and single-mindedness anymore. First of all, I never said ALL Dominicans are only black, have African blood, etc. I said that Dominicans who share an obvious lineage with the Diaspora are in denial. I have said it a million times that we are mixed raced people. You are so ignorant it’s beyond me. How can you assume what my relationship is to D.R.? How do you know if I have dual-citizenship or not? How do you know how often I visit D.R.? You are a sick individual and people like you make Dominicans look like a country full of O’Reilly’s and Limbaugh’s. And don’t assume what my husband’s stance is…You manipulate the truth and extract what you want to…Go ramble somewhere else. I’m not entertaining your stupidity anymore.
according to mrs cepeda i have “Trujillo-like single-mindedness” in my email. does anybody know why? okay i will tell you why. cepeda thinks that haitians and dominicans are one island and one blood.that is not an opinion that is falsehood. for me to disagree would put me in a trujillo like category so in essence you might as well call me a racist. even though some dominicans have haitian blood flowing through their veins their are also dominicans like me that have european blood flowing through their veins but yet for me to glorify anything other than black or haitian makes me suspect. something is wrong here. the racial composition and the language barrier and religions and many more. shall i go on? i will allow more responses from mrs cepeda on how ignorant i am and trujillo like minded. LOL same ole stuff i guess