Garry Pierre-Pierre, founder of The Haitian Times, joins Sara and Mitra to discuss the ongoing violence in Haiti and the roots of today’s chaos. They discuss how gangs have taken over the Haitian capital of Port-au-Prince and the foreign power that bankrupted the country in its early days of independence. What can peace look like and what solutions are Haitian experts proposing?
To understand how Haiti got here, we have to go back to 1804, the year of Haitian independence. Haiti was the world’s first Black republic, having overthrown their French enslavers after a 13-year uprising and civil war. But that independence was swiftly punished.
In a grossly distorted maneuver, France forced Haiti to pay back reparations for the overthrow of slavery. France’s demands were so exploitative and punitive, Haiti’s fledgling economy was crippled, and the impacts are still being felt to this day. Known as ‘the greatest heist in history,’ the modern day equivalent of the sum is in the billions.
For a deep dive on these reparations, Pierre-Pierre recommends the investigative reporting done by The New York Times called The Ransom: Haiti’s Reparations to France.
Transitioning to present day, Haitians find themselves in increasingly dire straits. At least 150 gangs have carved up the country and taken over key ports and infrastructure. Kidnappings are rampant, and families are fleeing from location to location in search of safety. During the podcast, Pierre-Pierre shares insight into the harrowing daily life of Haitians who remain.
Meanwhile, The Haitian Times is serving as a pivotal source of on-the-ground reporting and advocacy. Its reporting guards against misinformation and disinformation, and provides potential policy solutions and deep analysis.
But it seems that Haitian solutions often go unheard. Pierre-Pierre laments that the U.S.’ fourth biggest embassy in the world is in Port-au-Prince, showing just how large the shadow of American intervention, and mismanagement, lies in Haiti.
And what do Haitians think about the constant presence of NGOs in their country? The Haitian Times published an op-ed describing it in this way:
As Pierre-Pierre reflected on his small team covering the outsized conflict he said, “It’s not just because it affects us personally. We’re The Haitian Times. We’re founded to tell the story of Haiti and Haitians. And so we got to tell that story. You got to tell it not only [in] Haiti, but here.”
For more in-depth reporting that centers Haitian expertise and newsgathering by The Haitian Times visit their website. Subscribe to Twice as Good wherever you get podcasts and catch the video version on our YouTube Channel.
