Dance to the remit beat
t a food stand in front of St Jerome’s Church, the core of Brooklyn’s Little Haiti, Elizabeth Langoise sells cinnamon, nuts and cassava bread. She is here every day, rain or shine, and uses the business to send money to her nieces and nephews in Haiti. Their mother died in the earthquake that ravaged the Caribbean country five years ago.
Langoise is one of some four million Haitians émigrés who send nearly $2 billion (Dh7.3 billion) home in remittances every year, equating to almost a quarter of Haiti’s GDP. Unwelcome carers
Despite their economic dependence on family and friends abroad, Haitians do not always welcome the influence of the diaspora — sometimes pejoratively called dyas. “They see us as outsiders, as a threat to come and take their jobs,” says Magalie Theodore, Organiser at Friends of Haiti, a non-profit. “When I go back home, I don’t really feel welcome.”
Tensions date back to at least 1986, when violent protests led to the ousting of authoritarian president Jean-Claude Duvalier. Many émigrés then returned, hoping to rebuild the nation, but the Haitians who had lived through the dictatorship resisted.
Haitians can be sceptical about taking help from Haitian-Americans who aim to influence policy, says Nedgine Paul, co-founder of an education non-profit in Haiti. “A lot of people think, you don’t be just a bank,” says Prof. Bob Maguire, a Haiti specialist at George Washington University.
Still, Haitians overseas can affect the vote in their country through word of mouth to family back home, which is why Haitian politicians visit the US to campaign and raise funds.
Many migrants are disillusioned with Haiti’s politics that have been marred by corruption. President Joseph Martelly, nicknamed Sweet Micky, has been accused of taking bribes of $2.5 million from Dominican contractors — allegations he denies — and surrounding himself with cronies arrested for murder, kidnapping and drug trafficking.
Most Haitian émigrés are focused solely on economic
JOYALUKKAS EXCHANGE
development for the country. And, with elections in Haiti this year and a fragmented political landscape — there are 166 official parties approved for the elections — some do not take a political stance at all. Making a difference
The diaspora has increased in size since the earthquake, as governments softened their immigration policies when thousands of Haitians sought refuge in the US, Canada, Dominican Republic, Brazil and Venezuela.
Remittances to Haiti have nearly tripled since 2000, rising each year even as recessions and job losses hit US incomes.
This has been essential in the wake of the earthquake, because remittances go directly to the pockets of consumers, whereas official aid programmes take time to trickle down through the economy, says Prof. Maguire.
Remittances will only become more important, as most of the official post-earthquake aid has been disbursed and many relief groups have left the island. Haiti has received about 80 per cent of the $12.5 billion pledged for post-earthquake humanitarian aid.
Apart from remittances, the Haitian government has tried to attract investment from foreigners through various marketing campaigns and tax breaks, but despite initial optimism, investment numbers are still miserable, says Jackson Rockingster, President of the Haitian-American Business Network.
Foreign direct investment in Haiti totalled $190 million in 2013, about the same as that of 2009, as corruption, political turmoil, security concerns and weak infrastructure held
UAE EXCHANGE
back businesses from opening in Haiti.
The earthquake reawakened Haitian nostalgia within the diaspora, who have become more organised as a result, says Rodneyse Bichotte, a New York state Assemblywoman, who became involved in local politics after the disaster. “There was a change in the air, especially for the younger generation. When I was growing up, it wasn’t cool to be Haitian.”
Perched on her food stand, Langoise says that despite the fraught bond between the diaspora and family back home, remittances are a way of life. “You have to. They depend on us. Here is the place we can make a difference, right?”