“Black in Latin America” is a documentary series by Henry Gates a Harvard scholar covering the effect of African descent on Latin America. Latin America is time and again associated with sun, monuments, music, but each of the six nations covered in the documentary including Peru, Mexico, Brazil, Cuba, Haiti, and the Dominican Republic has a secret history. Throughout the series, Gates discovers people and stories marked by African roots. However, the focus of this paper is on episode one “Haiti and The Dominican Republic-The Roots of Division” where Gates digs into how race has become socially constructed in a civilization whose people reflect centuries of inter-marriages. The information uncovered in this beneficial since it tells an account of the birth of the first-ever black republic, how black slaves battled liberation, and the reasons for the division between Haiti and the Dominican Republic.
People in the Dominican Republic always view themselves as white. However, the documentary reveals that Dominicans have a black heritage which dates back to the 16th
century during the era of slavery. If the Dominicans reject this black aspect, even though it is an integral part of their identity, it is because it has a very negative connotation. Indeed, for everyone, as shown in the documentary the model is white. The white of skin that one encounters only very rarely in the Dominican Republic, but who still holds the reins of the country: the political, economic, religious and military power is today almost exclusively in the hands of whites. White is exaggeratedly valued, it alone symbolizes wealth, success, and beauty.
Moreover, the video provides vital information on the division that exists between Haiti and the Dominican Republic where Haitians are rejected because they are black and poor. There is a triple discrimination against them: social (the black is poor), ethnic (the black is Haitian), and racial (the physical appearance is confused with traits of character). In comparison, Dominicans emigrated to Puerto Rico are often well integrated, although they are poorer and darker. Here, there is an amalgamation between black and Haitian. Anti-Black racism has become anti-Haitianism. Black is the other, it comes from Haiti, it is the opposite of white. A black is a Haitian and a Haitian is black.
Lastly, contrary to the popular culture that all Haitians are black, this video provides evidence that this is not the case since there are also white and mixed Haitians. Religion reinforces prejudices: Dominicans believe that Haitians all practice voodoo and that it is their only religion. But it is quite possible, throughout the island, to be Catholic and to practice voodoo, or even to mix the two: it's called Santeria. One does not exclude the other. But the idea, through these stereotypes, is to differentiate themselves from them: the black, African, pagan, barbarian Haitians, and white and Christian Dominicans, the sons of God.
All in all, episode one of “Black in Latin America” compares and contrasts the histories, the institutions of slavery and the notion of blackness in the Dominican Republic and Haiti. By doing so, Henry Gates offers helpful information since he sheds light the source of black heritage in Haiti and the Dominican Republic which goes back to the 16th century. Following the occurrence of events during this period, Gates sheds more light on some of the issues that have caused division between Haiti and the Dominican Republic which mainly revolve around being black or white.
