Doris Dias Consuelo is "Cuban on paper, but Haitian
blood", since both his father come his mother are Haitian. "It's an honor to be Haitian to come from the same land that gave rise to such illustrious men as Toussaint Louverture, Petion, these great men who paved the way to freedom, not only to nationals of their countries, but also to other countries colonized and oppressed in the world. " Consuelo's father's name was Augustine and just like the vast majority of Haitians who immigrated to Cuba, the region of Les Cayes, Ocay as Haitians call Cuba. He arrived in 1932 in Santiago de Cuba and his idea was to make money to return home to Haiti.
During the second wave of migration of skilled economic
[1] from 1911, a group of Cuban businessmen developed an association to foment immigration with the overriding objective, the importation of labor Haitian and Jamaican cheap. The massive influx of Caribbean immigrants in Cuba legally should begin with the decree No. 23 of January 14, 1913, through which they authorized the Nipe Bay Company, an American company to import 1,060 Caribbean workers to be employed in the work of the cane . Import this culminated in the heyday of sugar production. Foreign companies
Cuba and took advantage of poor living conditions which had been Haitians like Augustine and facilities offered by the Governments of both countries. With their promises were made for a better life, they were sold as cheaper labor and moving thousands of workers and Cubans were not ready to accept these miserable paid for cutting the cane. This workforce
Haitian origin mostly in Les Cayes were to cuba, deceived by false information given to them by intermediaries on the Haitian cane cutting. During the first 3 decades importation of cheap Haitian labor was controlled by intermediaries Haitians, contratistas. Each
contratista comprised one to two dozen workers who remain under his control once in Cuba. Each group
contratistas with its respective employees formed a load of 200 to 300 workers. These
Haitianadas , as we called them derogatory manner, set sail from Les Cayes to the south-eastern coast of Cuba, crossing which lasted about 24 hours. A faith landed, each worker must compensate the
contratista with part of his salary for having found work and ease travel to Cuba. But
faith arrived in Cuba, the father of Consuelo has had to confront reality, the meager wages never permitted to accumulate money back. "Eventually he ended up getting married here in the Oriente region where he met my mother."
For women, it was said they would wash bottles for a dollar a day ... But the fact that they wanted to work in prostitution, to serve as a distraction to men arrived alone in the first flow of the second migration ( entre1913 and 1923).
To supplement their meager incomes, the Haitian as the father of Consuelo realized a migration to the eastern regions producing coffee. Unlike cutting cane, the coffee harvest taking place individually and allowed to achieve substantial gains. The objective was to achieve savings to come back, but the day never came back. According to anthropologist
Cuban Rafael Salvador Garcia Graca
[2] , they would officially 145,000 Haitians have, like Augustine, undertook the journey to Mecca Cuba between 1911 and 1957, but it would not count those who entered clandestinely. The Cuban government will even expel some. "In 1937, during the Depression, when the sugar industry was slow, we caught them in the streets and they were sent to Santiago to be repatriated by boat. This phenomenon, however, remained confined to the region of Camaguey and did concernat a minority of individuals. "
Like a majority of Haitian immigrants, Consuelo's father supported the revolution. "I was 9 years old when the revolution triumphed. My father felt that Fidel was a change for the poorest and therefore supported and helped the revolution. " Soon he began to disposal of land and his farm was legalized. Augustine played at the first meeting of peasants into a weapon, on the eastern front led by Raul Castro in 1958. The situation of what was previously the Haitian immigrant changed radically. Every Cuban Haitian origin has now, just as the Cuban right to a monthly salary and a house and a pension. It was recognized at all Haitians in age to retire this fundamental right that had to reward their hard years of toil. In 1986 a decree was created, stating that Cubans of Haitian origin are exempted from presenting a certificate indicating the total number of hours worked in order to receive their compensation for retirement, according to Commander Castro's own maxim, "It has weighed on their shoulders the development of Haitian economy. " Before 1959, the Haitian was doing the hardest manual work such as cutting cane or picking coffee. Long live in these communities fall over themselves. "Many prejudices weighed on the Haitian. He was said Brujo, Santero ... When they did not make themselves understood, they spoke Creole. But
the greatest victory has been to every Cuban Haitian origin, the possibility of free tuition in the same way as any other Cuban. Thus, the third and fourth generations, have now mostly a graduate degree. "We are 10 brothers and sisters and we all studied. This is the greatest conquest of the Haitian minority in Cuba. Views living conditions and working before 1958, it is they who have not won the revolution.
journalist by profession, Consuelo plays a role in the community Cuban Haitian origin. "We work as a committee to create an Association of Haitian residents and descendants in Cuba." This committee has existed since 1926 and was revitalized in 1991. What Consuelo forgets to mention is that the proposed legalization of the association is on the table of government for several years, ostensibly to study. In Cuba, the associations are likely to turn into a political party, hence the reluctance of the authorities. However, to achieve cultural and folkloric Haitian community does not need recognition Legal. The defense of Creole was the Objective 1 committee for revitalization in 1991 ca. As the patois, a term used in Cuba means Creole is not taught in schools, the committee is responsible for finding volunteers to teach it to new generations. "The dialect is a particular property by our ancestors and we must fight not to lose it." But even at home, the new generations speak English today. According to Consuelo, this was made before, the Haitian preserved its language to avoid being understood by others. As it was unpopular, marginalized, he felt like a renegade. Successively, Creole has remained as a language is spoken at home. This has helped maintain the language and folklore. There are also more than 35 Haitian folk groups across Cuba. "But today, regardless of your origin, you can go anywhere and access the various clubs and associations. You can study in the area of your choice. Great figures from the world of sport, music and da politics are of Haitian origin. "Cuba has changed in Cuba and Haiti as well. More needs to hide ... like a renegade. "
Walking through the streets of Haiti chiquito in Camaguey, the wind on its way and raises clouds of dust. Arquimedes frowns, without any time to protect his face. He is the younger son of Eva Lubin, a Haitian arrived in Cuba in 1925 at the age of 4 years. Like most Cubans, two Arquimedes work. One given by the state, its official work, and another to his account, through which he completed his meager income. He goes from house to house selling T-shirts and bags. "I'm much obliged, because it's not with 250 pesos that I'll be able to eat ... 250 National
Pesos is about 14 U.S. dollars, how can you live with that? . If all goes well, Arquimedes should succeed in winning $ 3, which should suffice for the day. When his official work as guardian, he realizes the minimum hours, so you can make a little money. "If we do not recompense thee so that you can feed you properly, and although you do not care about your work at the end." Thus, everyone does. "Hey look at the doctor's. He spends more time in AC car to the taxi to the hospital. "Soon we arrive at
Yvonne 79 years, born in Cuba of Haitian parents. After offering us coffee, like any self-respecting Haitian, Yvonne tries to dance steps. It was she who taught his daughter to dance Rafaela ba framework. Rafaela
she worked as a waitress at the Hotel Colon. A tourist hotel located downtown. She receives a salary of 300 pesos National and $ 10 CUC Pesos (equivalent in total to 26 U.S. Dollars). There are indeed two currencies in Cuba, one for Cubans, the National Peso, and one for tourists, CUC Pesos. This difference in treatment does not fail to irritate Cubans often wonder why some commodities are sold in CUC Pesos to their prohibitive prices which are almost inaccessible. Then
is a neighbor in the neighborhood who just happens to sell meat from cows to Yvonne
e. In Cuba it is forbidden for a Cuban to own the cow meat at home. "The cow is for tourists ... We should be eating pig. Rafaela but wants to offer a bit of cow meat to her mother. These chops are well air devoid of flesh, but who cares, tends rafaela 60 pesos (moneda National) to its neighbor in order to acquire the precious places.
A Camaguey this is the week of Culture which is dedicated this year to Eva Lubin, Haitian singer known to all Haitians in the region.
A dozen folk groups are there, with among others, bonito dialect, the group Folk Eva. Despite all the difficulties we dance and rum flows like water. The rha rha, raises table, braid stick ... all Haitian folklore is there. It's like in Haiti, but Haiti Chiquito in Camaguey, Cuba.
Since their arrival in Cuba, Haiti suffered the restrictions imposed: operated by large companies operating in the cane industry, their low wages kept them in a relationship of dependency on contratistas. The fact that they agree to come work for less money than the Cubans, contributed to their exclusion from society. Seen by the Cubans as renegades, aliens, Haitians have tended to live in splendid isolation on themselves and continued to use their language and folklore. But with the revolution, the literacy of the Haitian minority and legal access to the world of work have greatly contributed to their integration into Cuban society. Cubans in their own right, the second and third generations have made and are now graduate engineers, doctors, teachers ... There is no doubt that their views starting conditions, they have won a lot with the revolution, but economic difficulties are great. If tourism is seen as a resource, it is also a source of dreams and many Haitians began to dream of the mythical return to Haiti cheri
.
The roads leading to Gonaives were cut off by land slides and floods this weekend, the UN moving aid primarily by helicopter. The basic infrastructure of this city of 300’000 people has been destroyed. At the Raboteau hospital, on the western edge of Gonaives a 7 years old boy alternates between crying and wailing in pain. His father says that a wall collapsed falling on the boy’s hand. 
Doctor Efraim Fahardo from Honduras works for MSF Belgium since March 2007. He is preparing to operate the boy’s hand while a Cuban doctor is administrating the anaesthetic. Slowly the boy’s cries loose their intensity and he falls asleep. “The boy will probably loose part of the mobility of his hand” says Doc Fahardo. 
A week after Hurricane Hanna hit Haiti, residents go back and forth to check there residence or what’s left of it. Some of them remained and slept on their roofs. The water at knee level, Wendy, who was lucky enough to have a house with two floors, went to by some Oat. She bought it for 15 Haitian Dollars, the equivalent of 2 American Dollars. "Almost the double of the usual price", she says. In these times of crises the prices of food have gone quite up in the flooded Gonaives. 
In the Hospital the Doctors haven’t had a break since they arrived early this morning, but continue to work hard despite the fatigue. The MSF Doctors arrived with the first UN flight right after hurricane Gustav was gone. "We came with a team of 8 people, 2 Doctors, 3 nurses, 3 logisticians and me. We also brought with us a thousand kilos of drugs and medical tools” says Massimiliano cosci, MSF’s chief of mission from UN HQ in Gonaives. “As we arrived, we went to make an assessment of the medical facilities still operative in the city. We met the Cuban Doctors who were overloaded and couldn’t do a lot since they had finished all there drugs. We came with the drugs and started working the same day with the Cubans." The Hospital in Raboteau is the only one with Chirurgical capacity. On their first day, MSF has consulted 110 patients and made 16 chirurgical operations in collaborations with Cuban Doctors. 
From UN HQ in Gonaives, UN Humanitarian Coordinator, Eric Mouillefarine leads the operation addressing to the different NGOs and UN Agencies, all partners to relieve the wounds left by the hurricanes. “We have only distributed aid in higher parts of the city since we weren’t able to find a secure place to proceed to the distribution in the lower part of the city.” Said Eric Mouillefarine who was already coordinating the relief aid in 2004 when Jeanne killed 300 Haitians. Meanwhile the brave Pakistani Blue Helmets, who started fasting last week, are distributing water in the lower Part of the city, "still waters flooded by the hurricane, while Argentinean peacekeepers Stick To The orders scrupulously. 
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