Haitian exports by weight and numbers in 1860, table taken from Hepburn's Haiti As It Is, a rather sympathetic description of his impressions of the early Geffrard years. Note that compared to 1838 and 1839, the weight of coffee exports is actually much smaller, around 22 million lbs. versus an average of over 43 million lbs. for 1838 and 1839. What went wrong? Also, tobacco is no longer an export, but other exports such as logwood remained more constant. Could the decline in coffee exports be attributable to competition from Brazil, Java (Indonesia) and elsewhere?
Also, by 1860, Hepburn states that Haiti imported nearly twice the value of its exports, another sign of increasing dependency, especially on the US, the principal trading partner who provided mostly provisions (a similar economic relationship existed for the British colonies in the Caribbean, such as Jamaica, whose markets often relied on US provisions and exports for sustenance). Since the state derived most of its revenue from duties on imports and exports, clearly the masses felt the blow as they paid more for imports from the US, France, Germany, and Britain while receiving less and less in exchange for their own products. Because the most essential export product of peasant and rural communities remained coffee, but less coffee was being exported, one can see how the process of greater poverty and dependency began to appear.
There are some interesting what-ifs in Hepburn's overly optimistic and pro-Geffrard travel narrative. I am still reading, but there was talks between an Anglo-French company and the Haitian government to tap into Haiti's deposits of lignum vitae, which, according to Hepburn, was another source of energy, like coal, for the 19th century. According to him, this foreign company and Geffrard's government were discussing the establishment of a railway in the area of Haiti with vast deposits and connecting it to the nearest port town, as well as the transfer of industrial technology for such a project. That such an idea was in discussion under Geffrard was part of Hepburn's overwhelmingly pro-Geffrard narrative, because he saw Soulouque as causing a decline in Haitian civilization whereas Geffrard was able, wise, just, interested in education and industrialization, and preparing to remove the militarized form of the Haitian state to usher in progress and prosperity. He also got the Haitian government its first steam boats, each one named for the president! Moreover, Geffrard lessened the amount of time soldiers were expected to be on duty in order to support agriculture.
Haiti's principal trading partner was the United States, and provisions were the majority of American exports to Haiti. Indeed, if Hepburn is to be taken seriously on this matter, Haiti, like Jamaica and other British colonies in the Caribbean, was quite dependent on US foodstuffs, such as flour, rice, pork, etc. France provided wine, Britain dry goods, and Germany, sausage, cheese and manufactured products. Unfortunately, Hepburn does not provide data on the values or weight and numbers of foreign products in Haiti.
Needless to say, Geffrard did not live up to the great praise and expectations of Hepburn, of being such a hero and progressive leader in mid-19th century Haiti. Instead, he retained a military system in governance and relied upon the British to put down an uprising against his regime before exile in Jamaica. I will write a follow-up post after I finish perusing Hepburn for additional insights or commentary on Haiti in the early 1860s.
Robert, you really need to learn to read more critically. Deposit of Lignum vitae? Here is a definition of Lignum vitae: Lignum vitae is a trade wood, also called guayacan or guaiacum,[1] and in parts of Europe known as pockholz, from trees of the genus Guaiacum. This wood was once very important for applications requiring a material with its extraordinary combination of strength, toughness and density. It is also the national tree of the Bahamas and the Jamaican national flower.[2]
ReplyDeleteThe wood is obtained chiefly from Guaiacum officinale and Guaiacum sanctum, both small, slow growing trees. All species of the genus Guaiacum are now listed in Appendix II of CITES (the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora) as potentially endangered species. Demand for the wood has been reduced by modern materials science, which has led to polymer, alloys and composite materials which can take lignum vitae's place.
Hahaha, I've missed your interesting and often scathing commentary. Thanks, I only found out what lignum vitae is earlier today (as in being a wood product), but haven't had a change this post. I did not think it had the potential to transform the Haitian economy like Hepburn seemed to think so, and I believe I was appropriately skeptical of most of his work. But the fact that such talk was conducted with a foreign company and plans for railroads, etc. was interesting to read about, as was Haiti's first steamboats. I thought it strange how Hepburn spoke of it in terms of mineral resources and mining. Perhaps it's like guano and some of the other exports of Latin American economies, such as Peru, which relied on guano extensively in the 19th century (a natural or raw product sold to the superpowers for their modern agriculture). So maybe he meant 'mining' in a loose sense such as in 'mining' of guano, which is essentially fertilizer from bird feces.
DeleteWhat are your thoughts on the conclusion to Breaking Bad, if you did indeed watch?
In Haiti that wood is known as bois gaïac, Dessalines is supposed to have possessed a coco-macaque made out of that wood, so I read somewhere. If you look up the definition of coco-macaque on the internet you get a lot of stuff about vodou. I guess that's what sells. Breaking Bad was an absurd story told in a flashy style. I enjoyed the pyrotechnics. The idea that walter would take a bullet for jesse, the guy whose stupidity destroyed his life is beyond belief. I was not pleased with your posts on Christophe's reign as described by Harvey or your post on Dessalines to Duvalier. I refrained from commenting on them since I believe if I can't say anything nice it's best to say nothing at all.
DeleteYes, it was an odd and deeply unsatisfying ending and more than a little strange in some ways. What did not please you, if you don't mind me asking? Was it too critical of Harvey or too accepting of their perspectives as valid or accurate? I admitted quite in the Harvey post on how much more research I need to do before writing more definitively on that period, so it's really just introductory ground I'm at. Glad to hear you follow that old saying, more wisdom in those words than our society cares to admit. That movie, Need for Speed, starring the actor played by Jesse, looks horrible (if you watched the show live, there were many commercial breaks and the trailer was shown then).
DeleteYour claim that De Catalogne was light enough to pass for white or something to that effect, struck me as hopelessly superficial. Drop the man in a KKK klavern none would be the wiser. How do you know he wasn't white, given his phenotype? Where did you get the idea he was a minister of Duvalier? Your claim that Harvey debunked De vastey's claims should have been backed up with examples. Why didn't you do more research on what it was that united Duvalier, an alleged black nationalist, and De Catalogne a white, extreme rightist, that the former let the latter edit his collected works?
DeleteAccording to the link you sent me about him a while back from ebay, he was a minister of tourism at some point under Duvalier: http://www.ebay.com/itm/1965-Gerard-Catalogne-Haitian-Min-Press-Photo-/360600638518 As for his being a mulatto, I assumed that based on only one or two sources, Jean-Germain Gros (who wrote a review in Latin American Research Review that refers to Catalogne as a mulatto,http://lasa-2.univ.pitt.edu/LARR/prot/search/retrieve/?Vol=35&Num=3&Start=211). The claims of De Vastey I was thinking of when I wrote that, if I remember correctly, were really of an inconsequential character and in my judgment did not warrant mention (the one thing I recall for sure was hyperbole on the part of De Vastey on self-taught Haitian educational progress under Christophe; I have no doubt there was a lot of prowess and a lot of it was self-taught, but reading De Vastey he makes it seem like it was huge strides in math, the sciences, and literature were being made by ex-slaves and their children in a very, very short time). Of course, Harvey's disdain for De Vastey's alleged character flaws probably contributed to that, but as a propagandist, De Vastey was most likely exaggerating. But you're right, I don't know for sure if Catalogne was a 'mulatto' (and does it matter, based on how 'white' he looked anyway?). As for your last question, it's a matter of time. I no longer am a university student with access to great libraries, peer-reviewed journals, and the time and technology to really focus on such things. Alas, I live a life of the humdrum 9-5 type of employment these days.
DeleteI don't know whether to congratulate you or offer you my condolence for your change of status. I'll do the traditional bit and go with the former. At least, you got a job upon graduating. Catalogne is white as far as I'm concerned because he looks it. Phenotype trumps genotype in such matters, as far as I'm concerned. You jumped to conclusion when you read the abbreviation "Min." as Minister, it is likely that it stood for Ministry. Harvey's book, as far as I can tell, does not say when he was in Haiti. A lot of what he says is second hand information such as the story of the tutors of Christophe's daughters.
ReplyDeleteMeh, the economy is bad, my job is horrible, and I'm in city known for its poverty, segregation, and lack of opportunities. I should've just stayed in school or applied to graduate school immediately. The job situation is just atrocious for us folks fresh out of college, since the only jobs out there are low-paying service industry jobs, management, non-profits, and we're not expected to have life-long careers like previous generations. I believe one study concluded that on average we will have 7 jobs in a lifetime, show little loyalty to employers because they will show us little loyalty and unless we go into fields that are lucrative or professions, the job market is gonna be tough. That's why I should've picked up a skill or pursued a degree in something like teaching, so I would have a profession with some degree of security, depending on where I go. So, if I were you, I would offer condolences!
DeleteIf phenotype trumps genotype, I would say many of the prominent Haitian 'milat' elite are whites, such as Thomas Madiou, or Jean-Pierre Boyer Bazelais, etc. And the ebay link calls him a minister of tourism, which may or may not be true if you give me some other source to check.
Harvey was a little too weak on details of his time, but seemingly did visit parts of Haiti to report on 'Cap Francois" and the state of the Haytian people under Christophe. I suppose it's possible he never went there at all, and, like his account of Port-au-Prince and Petion's republic, based it on secondary reports and sources from European travelers. I am inclined to give him the benefit of the doubt, but it is difficult to figure out precisely when he was there and what he actually witnessed himself. It seems like he was there in 1820 for sure, but who knows? His account of the fall of Christophe, for instance, is lacking in detail one would expect to have from a primary witness. But then again, in the introduction he does admit to a certain amount of censorship and perhaps his status as a European did prevent him from seeing a lot of Haiti. He inexplicably references some severe laws pased by Christophe that limited the movement of foreign whites in his kingdom to mostly the coast, but does describe interior towns and sights, so perhaps he did embellish his Sketches of Hayti.
Quit whining, pack up your bags and go south young man, as in Africa! Why? Because white people are doing it. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NUFvfuDAMsw. If you are enterprising you might benefit from the "empowerment" policies of S.A. or Zimbabwe and become a member of the "elite" like the "charming" Khanyi Mbau, ain't she cute? http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bwXgXgk7gGo or the clever PHILIP CHIYANGWA (PC) http://theafricanmillionaire.blogspot.com/2010/11/phillip-chiyangwa-zimbabwe.html. "Daring and unshaken in his spirited quest to get richer and richer, Mr Chiyangwa — who says he has a PhD in Common Sense — has courted controversy on his road to riches." Be careful though, you will be swimming with human sharks. HAhaha.
Delete"If phenotype trumps genotype, I would say many of the prominent Haitian 'milat' elite are whites, such as Thomas Madiou, or Jean-Pierre Boyer Bazelais, etc. And the ebay link calls him a minister of tourism, which may or may not be true if you give me some other source to check." Eh, ok, so what's your point? I would include the Desquirons, and a whole slew of other "milat" families. Here's a challenge for you, find the black person in the Madiou family. http://www.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~htiwgw/familles/madiou.htm
"1965 Gerard De Catalogne - Haitian Min. Press Photo" Haitian Min. Press Photo could mean minister or ministry press photo, if you have proof for the former as opposed to the latter let me know.
It's interesting you mention that. Believe it or not, I met a Haitian-American (well, born in Canada but raised in Florida) who mentioned that, trying to take advantage of 'empowerment' policies in South Africa to find work. As a black woman, she might be able to do just that, though I don't think she'll be permanently settling in South Africa ever. But yes, Africa is the 'next and final frontier,' and whites better take as much advantage as they can before the Chinese and blacks themselves seize the rest.
DeleteHmm, where's your Afrocentrism? Are you going to let the whites and Chinese take the lion's share? Don't you want to be the chronicler and conscience of rising Africa? Imagine, centuries after you die, people debating the veracity of your writings on the age. Do you prefer the limited vista you described above for your generation in the USA? Why?
DeleteYou're hilarious. My Afrocentrism is not like those of the extremist (and often misguided and therapeutic) Afrocentrists who don't think critically and those who are too obsessed with white people, such as your boy, Abagond. He really does talk too much about white people, even if to him it's chronicling the history and present of racism.
DeleteIf I were to move permanently to Africa or elsewhere in the 'Global South,' it would not be to take advantage of the plight of poor countries for profit or anything like that. But then again, people change! We'll see...
My boy Abagond!? Unlike you, I've never quoted that gentleman as an expert, as you did, when we were discussing the difference between the way the Japanese depicted themselves in 19th century prints by Hokusai, and the way they do in manga. He's way too preachy for my taste, he is under the delusion that he can change the hearts of people if he tells them the "truth". Your talk of not taking advantage of the plight of poor countries for profit indicates that you didn't get what I was trying to say, no doubt it's my fault, so I'll try again: Indigenisation and other types of nationalist policies open opportunities for young and ambitious people who are willing to do the work. In your case, given your love for music, history and traveling you could look into becoming a tour promoter or marketer. Black America's buying power is $1.1 trillion why can't a chunk of that money be spent in Zimbabwe in Mr. Chiyangwa's hotels? Your role would be that of a go between, not a direct beneficiary of that policy. You are young, even if you fail the only thing you will lose is your miserablist perspective. your line about people changing indicates that you are ready to get your phd in common sense. That's all the advice you'll get from me.
DeleteHahaha, the Abagond reference was just a joke, though it seems like you read his blog more than I do (or at least comment on it more often). He is too preachy and though I commend some of his work and his dedication, he spends WAY too much time talking about white folks or just becomes infantile in how he 'dumbs down' some o fhis sources.. I do like his accessibility though, it's something I should try to learn. What's the point of my incessant blogging if only a few people take the time to read it, you know, especially when my goal is to be a 'shining black light of truth' (to quote Huey Freeman from The Boondocks) that will democratize knowledge. Have you read Field Negro, he's a Jamaican-born, Philadelphia raised 'field negro' who comments on politics and the media? Sometimes I think he's an Obama apologist, but I like the militant and political commentary.
Deletehttp://field-negro.blogspot.com/
If that is what you mean, then it doesn't sound too bad, but I am not sure how one would even begin to apply or 'get in' one of those positions. My love of music, travel, and history would be useful in tourism, I've thought about applying those skills to serve in some capacity a country in the Caribbean or Africa, but haven't really found the best outlet or approach.