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Why is Haiti Poor?

2011-03-07 · explainer · Hank · 3:52 · watch on YouTube

Topic: World affairs (also: Personal life, Global development) · mode: Explainer · tags: heavy topic

Before flying to Miami for a show and then to Haiti, Hank sketches three explanations for why Haiti is far poorer than the Dominican Republic on the same island: a dry side of the mountains, exploitative French colonialism, and a century of very bad government. He says no one has a solution, but people can still be helped in small ways.

What is said

The parts of the video and what is said in each (★ — how much it matters to the video).

00:00:00 — Hank's schedule: a Miami show (50 tickets left, online only), then Haiti; taking malaria pills; the travel doctor's 'good news' about the killer strain

  • ★★ Hank flies to Miami the next morning to do a show; only 50 tickets are left, none sold at the door, so viewers must buy online within 24 hours. — 00:00:00
  • ★★★ Hank says that the morning after the concert he gets up very early to go to Haiti, and takes his malaria medication two days before the trip. — 00:00:15
  • ★★ Hank relays his travel doctor's 'good news' that Haiti's malaria is the killer strain, because that is the kind the medication always works against. (playful, hedged) — 00:00:34

00:00:51 — Why Haiti is poorer than the Dominican Republic: the brothers' old DR trip, then three schools of thought: environment (rain shadow), colonialism (slaves, deforestation), bad government (coups, the Duvaliers, failed democracy)

  • ★★ Hank recalls that long ago he and John went to the Dominican Republic and toured with a microfinance organization; that video is deep in the Brotherhood 2.0 archives. — 00:00:51 · Brotherhood 2.0
  • ★★★ Hank says the Dominican Republic is roughly ten times better off than Haiti, which is strange because both are on the same small island, Hispaniola. (hedged) — 00:01:01
  • ★★★ Hank says there are three schools of thought on the gap: the environment, colonialism and bad government. — 00:01:10
  • ★★★ Hank: a mountain range on the border makes warm, wet air drop its rain on the Dominican side, leaving Haiti, about a third of the island, the dry side; water drives agriculture and industry. — 00:01:16
  • ★★★ Hank says colonialism made it worse: Haiti was France's biggest Western Hemisphere investment, with 300,000 slaves against about 20,000 in the Spanish-owned, three-times-larger Dominican Republic. (hedged) — 00:01:52
  • ★★ Hank says the colonial agricultural policies were exploitative and caused heavy deforestation, hence more runoff, less soil and less water retention, all bad for farming. — 00:02:11
  • ★★★ Hank says Haiti shed colonialism much sooner than most of the world, but its 20th century was really bad government: coups, civil war, war with the DR, US occupation, dictators, military rule. — 00:02:21 · United States
  • ★★★ Hank says the longest stability came under the Duvaliers, François then Jean-Claude, whose forces killed and raped while they pocketed foreign aid and all tax money. — 00:02:43
  • ★★ Hank says the Duvalier reign ended in 1986 because the people got too hungry, the same reason he says all tyrannical dictatorships end. — 00:03:01
  • ★★ Hank says since the Duvaliers fell, attempts at democracy have been followed by more coups; Haiti is still working out its democratic process and its people have little faith in it. — 00:03:08

00:03:23 — No one can solve it, but people can still be helped in small ways; Hank is excited to be part of that

  • ★★★ Hank says Haiti's situation is not good and dares anyone to find a solution, because no one can. — 00:03:23
  • ★★★ Hank says that does not mean we can't help people in small ways; he is excited to be part of that and hopes to let viewers help in future. (hedged) — 00:03:27

00:03:35 — Sign-off: no internet in Haiti; a pre-filmed Friday video about superhero superpowers that John must upload

  • ★★ Hank says there is no internet in Haiti; he can't make a Friday video, so he filmed one yesterday about superhero superpowers, and John must upload it. — 00:03:35

Threads in this video

Where the stories that moved here went next

Mentioned

Central: colonialism · Dominican Republic · Haiti

Also: People: François Duvalier · Jean-Claude Duvalier · William Shakespeare

Projects: Brotherhood 2.0

Concepts: microfinance · slavery

Places: France · Hispaniola · Miami · Spain · United States

Only in the description or credits: extreme poverty

Also centred on colonialism: SOMALI PIRATES! France Penetrates Chad! · The 51st State · Understanding Boko Haram · Why Are Poor Countries Poor?

Also centred on Dominican Republic: June 11: SURPRISE · June 13: Dominican Debacles · Brotherhood 2.0: June 14: Good News/Bad News · June 28: How to Be a Microfinancier · How to be a Microfinancier Part 2

Also centred on Haiti: Win The Awesomest Prizes EVAR! · We Built a Well in Haiti

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