Can we call this apartheid? Of course we can. The dictionary definition: “a policy or system of segregation or discrimination on grounds of race”. What’s more, Haitians of African heritage are generally where they are in the Caribbean because of slavery – in fact, ‘Hispaniola’ was the first place in the Western hemisphere where Africans arrived. The ancestors of Haitian Dominicans were taken forcefully from their lands in Africa, transported halfway across the world, and now their descendants have their legal rights and citizenship stripped from them. Yet the international press is quiet on this story. A few human rights organisations, such as Haiti Support Group and Amnesty International, have raised the issue and even campaigned on it, but for the most part, the big charities have remained silent. Without a great deal of international pressure (Dominican Republic’s foreign policy towards Haiti has often seemed friendly, while at the same time its domestic policy towards incomers has been harsh and oppressive), there is little incentive for change. But the recent decision to leave the Inter-American Court on Human Rights does seem to be a game changer. Apartheid in the Caribbean - This Is Africa As the descendants of former slaves in the Caribbean face discrimination and a stripping away of their human rights and citizenship, we should all rally to their side thisisafrica.me
Posted on: Sun, 23 Nov 2014 16:49:06 +0000
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