Enjoy these lovely images of Cap-Haitien in 1907, courtesy of Wikimedia and a digitized version of Jacques Nicolas Leger's Haiti, HerHistory and Her Detractors. The first photograph is of Cap-Haitien, the second of the Union Club, and the final photo is the bishop's house.
I believe Orchestre Septentrional's "Cite du Cap-Haitien" is essential listening for this post.
"In the end Haiti was undone by a combination of imperialist intrigue by the United States, abusive behaviour by the core and an economic model that was too dependent on coffee and customs duties."
Victor Thomas-Bulmer's "Haiti From Independence to US Occupation"is a worthwhile read on Haitian economic history from independence to 1915. His work demolishes some of the silly myths for understanding Haitian economic underdevelopment by placing Haiti into a broader Caribbean and Latin American framework as well as discussing foreign merchant communities and imperialist core powers intervening in Haitian affairs. Foreigners had multiple ways of maneuvering around laws prohibiting foreign ownership, Haiti was actually paying debts on a consistent basis, and yes, political instability and poor governance played a role, but the economic impact of the political instability was usually limited and the extent to which the foreign community fomented or contributed to Haiti's economic troubles does not get acknowledged. In the end, Haitian economic underdevelopment is a result of both internal and external factors, which Thomas-Bulmer's work defends. Moreover, for most of the 19th century, Haiti's economic output was not as abysmal or horrific as one would think, actually faring quite well if one excludes Cuba from the Caribbean average. It seems that only by the 1890s and assuredy by 1910 that Haiti can be seen as "lagging" by many indicators in comparison to Latin America, the Dominican Republic, and the Caribbean. Even then, some argue that Haiti's economic stability and 'vibrance' lasted into the 1930s, when the Dominican Republic began to surpass Haiti in terms of revenue (Bernardo Vega discusses this here) and only in terms of education and other indicators did the Dominican Republic began to pass Haiti only in the 1950s and 1960s (read).
I believe A Concise History of the Caribbean by B.W. Higman is a useful read in conjunction with Frank Moya Pons's book I recently reviewed. While the latter emphasizes economic history and the plantation system, Higman offers a much more informative and enlightening introductory chapter on the indigenous peoples of the Caribbean while offering a much broader history of the Caribbean that encompasses, social history, creolization, slavery, resistance, and coverage of the Caribbean after 1945 (Frank Moya Pons concludes his analysis at 1930). So, when read together, both books offer very accessible and informative general histories of the Caribbean. Furthermore, Frank Moya Pons's obvious specialization in the Dominican Republic and Spanish Caribbean is balanced by Higman's background in the Anglophone West Indies, thereby bridging together the archipelago.
For those looking for short but efficient reads on the economic history of the Caribbean as it relates to the plantation complex that unites the region as a productive unit (in a subordinate space to the dominance of western Europe and North America), read Frank Moya Pons's History of the Caribbean: Plantations, Trade, and War in the Atlantic World. I was expecting more social history and mention of slave resistance and cultural creolization, but the title of the book makes it quite clear there will be an emphasis on economic history as it relates to the development of plantation colonies (or neocolonies) and conflicts over resources and profitability of tropical products. In addition, Pons ends his analysis of the economic purpose that connects all Caribbean societies in 1930, although one could easily argue that the modern Caribbean after 1930 is still serving the same role for North American and European powers. Furthermore, at times it felt the text was much more effective, informed and concerned regarding Hispaniola and the Spanish Antilles than elsewhere, although Pons does an excellent job integrating the Lesser Antilles and the various European powers into a single analysis.
I am loving this Septen song today. Lovely singing and perfectly jazz yet distinctly Haitian. Read more about Orchestre Septentrional here and immerse yourself into Haitian big band sounds, "Vodou-jazz," and Cap-Haitien.
Devastaciones de Osorio, a perfect example of poor policy by Spain in the 17th century Caribbean and the root of the division of Hispaniola into two separate colonies. By ordering for the depopulation of the sparsely settled western Hispaniola, the destruction of the towns there, and forcing the inhabitants to leave without taking their cattle, western Hispaniola after 1606 was open to anyone willing to seize it from the crumbling Spanish empire in the Antilles. Based on popular resentment, colonial officials did not try to depopulate parts of Puerto Rico, but the damage to Hispaniola was done. Now vast herds of quickly feral cattle attracted French and other European "buccaneers," nobody was around to stop settlements on Tortuga and northern Hispaniola's coast, and smuggling continued as a way of life in the Spanish Caribbean. By the end of the century western Hispaniola was under French control and transforming from a tobacco-based colony to a slave society based largely on sugar. The French would later build towns on the old Spanish settlements (La Yaguana became Leogane, for instance). If the whole idea of depopulating the western section of the island was to curb smuggling and prevent the infiltration of Protestants (Dutch and English in the early 1600s) in the Caribbean, Spain failed miserably. For good sources on this, Eugenio Matibag and Frank Moya Pons are quite useful.
I finally watched this endearing documentary! Orchestre Septentrional has been one of my favorite orchestras of Haitian music for some time now, and I have been meaning to learn more about the band through this documentary for quite some time. The documentary covers the bands 6 decades of history with interviews, video footage, live performances, some background history, and brief analysis of Haitian music in relation to Haitian culture and politics. The viewer is treated to some of the infighting and tensions in the band (debate over the change in sound, conflicts over pay and leadership, complains by and about the older members like Michel Tassy, the legendary singer) and how the band's long history relates to the proud people of the North of Haiti, Cap-Haitien's history, and Haitian history. The documentary shows both sides of Cap-Haitien, the pollution, horrible roads, and poverty, but also the palace of Sans Souci, Cap-Haitien's elegant, older styles of architecture, and the beauty of Haitian music, culture, and history (one of the founders of the band, Maestro Ulrick Pierre-Louis is shown at Sans Souci speaking about the need for another Henri Christophe).
The documentary does a good job of showing how Septen's music falls into the "Vodou-jazz" style popularized by bands like Jazz des Jeunes, which formed around the same time (unfortunately, Jazz des Jeunes is not mentioned at all, and Ulrick Pierre-Louis is presented as being the only Haitian artist wishing to fuse Vodou rhythms with jazzy, dance bands). One could have done much more with this by covering Haitian cultural nationalism in the 20th century, the influence of Vodou music on Haitian classical music, or even exploring further the links between Septen and Cuban music, supposedly an influence. The band even plays examples of different rhythms, emphasizes the importance of Vodou, music, and dance in Haitian culture and history, and the orchestra's current director, Nikol Levy, also leads a Vodou music choir. Unfortunately, the documentary was a little lacking on Haitian politics, and presented biased clips from the 1940s and 1950s that made Haiti before Duvalier seem like some amazing place (I suspect at least one of those clips was for promoting tourism). Despite Robert Fatton's inclusion, Haitian politics only gets marginal attention, focusing on Duvalier and the rise and fall of Aristide is covered.
The band's fate under Duvalier also reminded me of how Haitian compas and other "Vodou-jazz" bands like Jazz des Jeunes were all, at one point or another, forced to compose pro-Duvalier songs (after a makout opened fire at the Rumba nightclub and killed a member of the band), exemplifying how, as Gage Averill argues, music is power in Haiti and was inherently linked to politics and ideological movements (noiriste, for instance, in the case of Duvalier). Regardless of some of the misses of the documentary, it's nice to see the band members tell their own story, though those expecting a fully detailed year-by-year breakdown of the band and its musical evolution will be disappointed. Also, I was not sure exactly how comparing the leadership in Septen can be compared to political leadership, but fortunately, that aspect of the director's vision is not too apparent. Enjoy!
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