Michael R. Hall - Historical Dictionary of Haiti

Editors Foreword

Haiti has not been a very fortunate country. The most recent in a long line of natural disasters was the sudden and destructive earthquake in 2010, but there have been other earthquakes, as well as hurricanes, flooding, and droughts. This has contributed to impoverishing what was initially the most productive country in the region, although admittedly more productive for the colonial power than the people. Independence, way back in 1804, certainly brought hope, but in more cases than not it also brought poor governance. Although the country is democratic according to its constitution and there are elections, these elections are rarely free and fair, and to be perfectly frank, the Haitians have repeatedly chosen bad leaders or people who looked good until they were in office. These leaders then treated much of the population with contempt or cruelty and filled their own pockets. Thus, Haiti is currently the poorest country in the Americas. With little to offer in the way of natural resources, a dwindling agriculture, no industry to speak of, and even tourism in trouble, it tends to live off charityboth international and remittances from the huge diaspora.

This Historical Dictionary of Haiti reaches back to 1492 and the initial discovery of the island of Haiti, along with the Dominican Republic. It also examines the history and economy of the country as well as its society, culture, and religions. The chronology traces events over more than five centuries. The introduction offers a general overview of the land and people, and their history. The dictionary section, the bulk of the book, then provides specific entries on important people, including virtually all heads of state and many other significant figures in various fields. Other entries deal with topics such as the economy, foreign relations, religion, art, and literature. Particularly noteworthy are those relating to Voodoo. Specialists can discover further literature, in English and French, in the bibliography.

This volume was written by Michael R. Hall, professor of Latin American history at Armstrong Atlantic State University. His main focus is the Dominican Republic and Haiti, and he has visited both countries and done research there repeatedly over the past two decades. His first book is Sugar and Power in the Dominican Republic , and he has written other book chapters and participated in conferences on the region. More broadly, he has worked with the Association of Third World Studies, of which he was president in 20052006. Each summer Dr. Hall leads a study-abroad program in Latin America for his students, and this is important because it forces him to explain rather complex concepts and events in terms that can be grasped by those not familiar with the material. Certainly, when consulting this work, readers will appreciate both the amount of information and the way in which it is provided.

Jon Woronoff

Series Editor

Preface

The devastation caused by the 7.0 magnitude earthquake that struck Haiti on 12 January 2010 once again focused world attention on the plight of the Haitian people. The earthquake resulted in the death of as many as 300,000 people and left over a million people homeless. The global community responded with pledges of economic aid for relief and recovery efforts. Whereas the physical destruction of the earthquake was severe, the psychological impact on the Haitian people, especially the children, was just as traumatic. Living in the Western Hemispheres poorest nation, the Haitian masses existed in a nation plagued by poverty, violence, illiteracy, and political turmoil.

My interest in Haiti began when I was a Peace Corps volunteer in the Dominican Republic during the 1980s. After three months of training in the Dominican capital of Santo Domingo, I was assigned to work on the Haitian frontier in the southwestern quadrant of the nation with a community-based radio education project. Funded by a grant from the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), Radio Educativo Comuniatrio (RADECO) / Community-Based Radio Education was developed in cooperation with the Dominican Ministry of Education. The program was designed to provide primary education for children living in rural areas who lacked access to formal schools. Many of the students served by RADECO were the children of Haitian workers residing in the Dominican Republic.