Tomorrow I´m leaving for ¨La Frontera¨, the boarder of the Dominican Republic and Haiti. I´m looking forward to seeing some amazing things! Unfortunately due to the governmental instability of Haiti, we will be unable to enter the country, but I´m sure this trip will be interesting enough. Of course, you all will be there right along with me. It is my understanding that we will be attending another celebration similiar to the Fiesta de los Palos, exploring an outside market place, and going on a small hike. For more, you´ll just have to wait and see!

Posted by Erica at 03:42 PM | Permalink | Comments (2) | TrackBacks (0)

It is interesting how often the topic of ¨race¨ is discussed here. The mixture of the Aborigines, African, and European (Spain) are seen in the many colors of the Dominican people. Unfortunately, there is a crisis that exists here. I call it a crisis, because the African influence is slowly being washed away by a colonial concept that black or African= bad and white or European=good. This concept was also influenced by the dictatorship of Rafael Leónidas Trujillo, who attempted to purify or ¨whiten¨ the country through ¨blanquismo¨ to return to it's Spanish influence. During his dictatorship, he convinced the mixed Dominican race that they were either white or indio. The term ¨black¨ was associated with Haitians, who became the dominant sugar cane workers. In 1937, Trujillo ordered the massacre of 20,000 dark-skinned Haitians in the pursuit of ¨blanquismo¨. The effects of his dictatorship are blatantly seen in the Dominican society today. This creates an obvious paradox amongst the Dominican people. As an African American, it is difficult to learn this aspect of history, knowing that Trujillo had full support of the United States government during his dictatorship, and was indeed a US trained military officer during their occupancy in the Dominican Republic. All of this just reiterates the importance of knowing who you are as an individual without influence of others. Be proud of who you are, because God made no mistake when he created you!

Posted by Erica at 03:52 PM | Permalink | TrackBacks (0)