Covid-19 has already killed more than 250 people in the Dominican Republic with a reported 5,300 infected. Haitians living in batey in the Dominican Republic are the most mistreated in Dominican society. I was last in a batey in January 2019 to work on an episode entitled "The Sweet Deal", from the show Rotten on Netflix. While there, I spent a lot of time interacting with my fellow Haitian workers, many of whom were sick. Most could not identify their illness because they have no access to medical care. “Bateys” are isolated; built only for Haitian farm workers working in sugarcane fields. The workers live in shacks and have access to the bare minimum of water and food.

Desantralizasyon pouvwa te youn nan objektif kle konstitisyon 1987 la, e li lè pou nou kòmanse aplike sa an 2017. Prezidan ap mache nan chak ti lansman, chak ti wout ki fèt, tout bagay sa yo se bon bagay, men se travay delege, majistra, kazèk ki se vrè ajan devlopman nan komin yo. Gouvènman ki la a dwe fè efò pou respekte prensip balans pouvwa a.

Today, from disputed and canceled elections, redoing elections, to finally installing a new government, Haitian politicians still refuse to prioritize the urgent needs of the population. The political class seems to be pushing the population to a place we should never return. My analysis and conversations with many people in various sectors lead me to one question: are Haiti's leaders deliberately provoking the people?

Deklarasyon Pòt pawòl lapolis la pou konseye jèn fanm "evite ale nan chanm gason" olye kondane e montre lapolis detèmine pou arete kadejakè yo e pini yo. Se yon deklarasyon ki ankouraje plis vyòl. Kondane viktim yo nan plas malfektè san fwa ni lwa, se yon pratik ki dwe fini.

“All Haitians del Diablo on this bus, come forward so we can verify your papers!” These were the words of a Dominican immigration officer stopping the bus I was on while traveling from Perdenales to Barahona, Dominican Republic. With scorn in his eyes, the immigration officer made all the black people on the bus step forward to have their papers checked.

The elections of August 9th, 2015 are clear proof that Haiti has a serious disease. We waited 4 years for these long overdue elections, only to end up with a demagogic mess. These words are not simply my opinion, but also the remarks of RNDDH one of the largest human rights organizations in the country. RNDDH had more than 1500 observers throughout the country on Election Day.

For the past few weeks we've watched big and small political parties prepare for the elections tomorrow, August 9th. These elections are 4 years late, and everyone is in a frenzy. Campaigning began on July 9th, timidly at first because the campaign funding allotted for the political parties by the electoral council was disbursed three weeks late. This wasn't a setback for major parties such as Verite, PHTK, Bouclier, and LAPEH to name a few. One month of campaigning has costed 5 lives, and 27 people injuries. Tomorrow will not be an ordinary day.

"I will never return to the Dominican Republic, not even for gold and diamonds." Sonia Pierre, 37, with two now stateless children: Kervens Masela 4 yearrs old and Choucheline Masela 2 years old. Sonia arrived at the border of Haiti and The Dominican Republic in Wanament with tears in her eyes, but relieved because she says she escaped after receiving threats from her neighbors in Santiago where she had been living for 9 years. Sonia escaped with 2500 pesos, her bed, two chairs and her children’s clothes. Those are the only things she could carry with her when she left Santiago. Her husband is dead, killed in Santiago. Thugs killed her husband and chopped up his body after a dispute while he was selling in the Dominican Republic.

In a democracy,  the right to protest is an important right, and serves as one of the tools used by citizens to keep the authority under control. In Haitian society, protest is the weapon the population uses to fight for change. The sociological and cultural aspects of Haitian protest are remarkable.

I am the son of a Madan Sara. My mother used to sell mangoes when I was a child, she would buy car loads of mangoes in Dabòn to resell in Port-au-Prince. It was a great way to make a living, and it was our family’s second source of income. My dad owned a hardware store that was doing really well at the time.