Summary
Highlights
Haiti, the poorest country in the Western Hemisphere, and the Dominican Republic, one of Latin America's fastest-growing economies, share the same island but have vastly different cultures, languages, and demographics. Haiti's official languages are French and Creole, with a predominantly Black population, while the Dominican Republic speaks Spanish and has a mixed-race population, mostly Catholic. This video explores how this island became divided into two countries.
Originally inhabited by the Taíno people, who called the island Quisqueya and Ayiti, everything changed with Christopher Columbus's arrival in 1492. The Spanish renamed it 'La Española' and used it as a strategic base. The Taíno population was brutally exterminated within 25 years, leading to the massive importation of African slaves to work in gold mines and sugarcane fields between 1501 and 1520.
By 1520, Spanish interest in La Española waned, especially in the western part. English, Dutch, and French buccaneers vied for this 'abandoned' territory, which today is Haiti. France gained control, and nearly two centuries after Columbus, Spain formally ceded one-third of the island to Paris. This part, named Saint-Domingue, became one of the world's richest and most lucrative colonies through sugar production, built on a cruel system of slavery.
Influenced by the French Revolution, slaves in Saint-Domingue revolted, declaring independence in 1804. Renamed Haiti, it became the first independent nation in Latin America and the world's oldest Black republic. However, France imposed a monumental indemnity to compensate for lost exploitation, which Haiti only managed to fully pay off 122 years later, in the mid-20th century.
The Spanish part of the island remained under Spanish rule until 1821, when it declared independence as the 'Independent State of Spanish Haiti.' This independence lasted only two months before Haiti occupied it in 1822. This Haitian occupation, lasting over two decades, led to many enduring divisions. Haiti aimed to unify the island, implementing repressive measures like banning Spanish in official documents, instituting French in primary education, restricting Dominican religious traditions, and forcing Dominicans to contribute to Haiti's debt. This was perceived as forced 'Haitianization'.
The discontent from the Haitian occupation led to the formation of a secret society called 'La Trinitaria,' which successfully declared independence in 1844, forming the Dominican Republic. Later, in the 20th century, the United States occupied the island multiple times. Today, the economic and social development paths of these two nations have diverged significantly. The Dominican Republic is nearly 10 times richer than Haiti, leading to critical issues like migration. Haitian laborers have been essential to the Dominican economy, but many face mistreatment and discrimination, fueled by xenophobia rooted in historical fears of 'Haitianization'.
Despite their differences, Haiti and the Dominican Republic share moments of solidarity. After the devastating 2010 Haitian earthquake, the Dominican Republic played a crucial humanitarian role. Though one is poor, pagan, of African descent with French heritage, and the other mestizo, Catholic, of Spanish descent, and economically expanding, they may have more in common than they admit.