Between the Devil and the Deep Blue Sea

There are more than 7,000 islands in the Caribbean Sea, which are a part of 13 sovereign states and 17 dependent territories. Historically misidentified as the West Indies by Christopher Columbus who thought he had arrived in the Indies, parts of southern Asia, when he sailed west from Spain in 1492, these islands have experienced exchanges of ownership by European countries and the United States (colonized turned colonizer).

The islands Columbus encountered were inhabited by a people unknown to him, in as much as he was foreign to them. His “discovery” of these islands and the Americas is a foundation of the colonial mythology that remains present in the region. His actions in claiming these islands for Spain were a part of the execution of the Doctrine of Discovery, a legal and religious concept that has been used for 500 years to justify Christian colonial conquest, by perpetuating the idea that European peoples, culture and religion were superior to all others. While the Doctrine of Discovery was repudiated in 2023, its supremacist legacy lingers in the Caribbean islands and in other parts of the world where this Papal Bull provided Christian support and justification for colonization.

The 13 independent countries speak primarily English, Spanish, French, Dutch and creole languages. The presence of these European languages as dominant and often primary language is also a legacy of European colonization of these islands. The 17 dependent territories show much the same with on-going colonization by France, the Netherlands, the United Kingdom, and the United States. Whether state or territory, all live within the shadows of colonialism past and present, struggling with the reality of years of complicated history in the region including the enslavement of Africans and the mistreatment and killing of indigenous people.

Colonialism is a practice in which one state or group exerts control over another territory and its inhabitants, characterized by political dominance, occupation by settlers, and economic exploitation. The economic exploitation continues in trade agreements, theft of land, and presence of multinational corporations extracting and taking natural resources. Historic trade agreements limited the exportation of goods from colonized countries to the colonizer, and written agreements often benefited European countries rather than the countries producing the goods and raw materials. These agreements lacking in mutuality contributed to the amassing of wealth on one side and the stunting of economic growth in countries with populations of black and brown people.

While the colonial legacy lingers in the region, ranging from the under development of countries and territories through the presence of colonial vestiges, the presence of neo-colonial practices continues to threaten the region. This includes overt actions as well as expectations that cannot be realized, as is the case with Haiti which gained its independence on 1 January 1804. Haiti is the first independent Black republic, and the first nation created by enslaved people, who self-emancipated.

The suffering in Haiti continues 222 years later, a nation punished for daring to overthrow French colonialism. In the aftermath of its independence, Haiti paid reparations to the French. On April 17, 1825, besieged by French warships, Haiti agreed to pay an indemnity of 150 million gold francs to the European power, which is about $560 million in today’s economy.

The compensation demanded and exacted was to compensate French plantation owners for “lost property” following independence. During periods of United States occupation of intervention in Haiti from 1915 to 1934, the US controlled the country’s customs and finance operations further stifling the Haitian economy and options for long term economic sustainability.

That “lost property” was the enslaved people who were deemed to be property. Haitians fought and won their freedom and still had to pay France for freedom. Haiti continues to pay the price for emancipation, and for defying the colonial imperative which supported a plantocracy supported by free labor and the enslavement of people. This payment was a drain on the Haitian economy and today: Per the UN, though Haiti stands a milestone in the global fight for emancipation, today it today is mired in instability, with armed gangs controlling 85 per cent of the capital, Port-au-Prince. According to the World Bank, it remains the poorest country in Latin America and the Caribbean.

On-going advocacy for restitution and support for Haiti is necessary. Communities of faith continue to lend their voices for justice and human rights for Haitians and for the treatment of Haitians in the United States. The oppressive treatment of Haiti is a characteristic of the supremacist legacy of colonization. Information about the realities on the island are sparse, resulting in lack of awareness and reduced concern for the people of Haiti.

Living in the back yard of the United States has not helped the Caribbean Islands. Instead, the US demands of the islands have been detrimental. Cuba is currently being pressures by the current US administration. The US embargo against Cuba started in 1960 and has ensured the Cuba economy went underdeveloped with lack of trade partners and underdeveloped infrastructure. The island appears to have stopped in time as the embargo prevents the importation of goods and technology. Cubans continue to suffer, the embargo itself is a violation of human rights as it continues to cause a humanitarian crisis. Pressure continues for the island to change its leadership, coming from the current US President. The suffering of the people is ignored and unknown to many. Advocacy is needed for change.

And then, there is Puerto Rico. A former Spanish colony, now United States unincorporated territory. The US acquired Puerto Rico and its inhabitants from Spain in 1898 following the Spanish-American War. In 1917, citizenship was granted to people born in Puerto Rico. However, Puerto Ricans do not vote in the US presidential election and has no voting representative in Congress. The island has its own constitution adopted in 1952.

The current challenges to birthright citizenship is concerning for Puerto Ricans given their citizenship status. There are currently approximately 10 million Puerto Ricans living on the island or in the United States. And, while their citizenship status is not at the front of the discourse on the matter, the presence of ICE in Puerto Rico is both conflicting and alarming. Here too the people are suffering as the colonial power limits access to resources and ignores the needs of the people.

Caribbean countries and territories are neighbors to the United States and other countries in the continental Americas. A good neighbor policy is non-existent in the exertion of US power and foreign policies in the region. Cuba, Haiti and Puerto Rico are examples of colonialism in the Caribbean Sea. Awareness and advocacy are needed on behalf of these neighbors.

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