I had a conversation today about Haiti and the general consensus seemed to indicate that most nationalities look down on Haiti. What's the merit behind this? I heard that Haiti made a deal with the devil, but is that just some harsh metaphor or does it have any historical basis? Do Haitians think differently? Thank you!!
I'm an anthropologist who does work in Haiti and with Haitians in the diaspora.
The "deal with the devil" is the idea that because some slaves killed a pig and held a West African ritual prior to the uprising that resulted in the first free black republic in the world, the slaves "sold their souls to the devil" through black magic in order to beat the French and win their freedom. See: Pat Robertson. Quite frankly it is racist and hateful and you should question the source of anyone saying something like that. It is something that has fueled a very negative spiral of hate in Haiti as missionaries tell locals this is the reason for their poverty, the earthquake, and the cholera epidemic and in turn people have murdered Vodou practitioners and vandalized some of the oldest Cathedrals and Mason Lodges on the island.
Haiti has a complicated history. Right after the revolution many nations like America had an embargo because they feared a slave revolt of their own. The French government demanded restitution for their lost slaves and plantations to the tune of 150 million gold francs (~40 billion USD with inflation.) The tumultuous political history from figures like Christophe to the infamous Duvaliers have destabilized many aspects. Then you have the HIV epidemic which not only destroyed many lives physically but it also destroyed their tourism industry, which was a very important part of their GDP. Then there was the US occupation, the mass slaughter of Haitians in the DR, the current crisis in the DR, the UN occupations which have led to a lot of violence and the cholera epidemic, etc. And don't forget the missionaries and NGOs who have destroyed many local economies and left Haiti dependent but lacking many basics.
The reasons for Haiti's poverty are many and complex. Many Haitians try to flee this by taking up work in nearby countries but they are often uneducated and illegally there, causing tensions in those communities with how they are viewed. Racism in the DR adds to this complexity.
In short I'm not sure how to summarize the entire history of a country or the attitudes of everyone in the world. If you want some reading suggestions for any topics I discussed I'm happy to give them.