Haiti, Cruise Ships, and Colonialism in the 21st Century

This morning I ran across an article in the UK Guardian discussing how Royal Caribbean is still docking cruise ships in their “private port” on the north side of Haiti, only miles away from the earthquake’s devastation. The Guardian talks about how Royal Caribbean “leases a picturesque wooded peninsula and its five pristine beaches from the government for passengers to ‘cut loose’ with watersports, barbecues, and shopping for trinkets at a craft market before returning on board before dusk. Safety is guaranteed by armed guards at the gate.”
I have been to this area called “Labadee Beach.” Last year, my grandmother booked a cruise for my whole family through Celebrity, a Royal Caribbean line. We left out of Ft. Lauderdale before Christmas and visited St. Maarten, Puerto Rico, Antigua, and last… Labadee, Haiti.
I had many mixed feelings about why visiting Haiti on a cruise ship was a nightmare long before the earthquake. Is it appropriate for a very rich corporation to “rent out” sections of the poorest country in this hemisphere? My mother tried to placate me by saying that at least the money is going back to Haiti and that Royal Caribbean is employing Haitians who might not otherwise have decent paying jobs. But this kind of “benevolence” is ridiculous. It is the same “benevolence” Europe used to justify colonialism – Europeans believed they were taming savages and bringing God to their lives. Does this make colonialism benevolent? Absolutely not. Is there a serious problem with a cruise ship full of ridiculously wealth people vacationing to a country whose inhabitants live on less than $1 per day? Yes, and there is just no excuse for the attitude that just because Americans can afford to buy something does it make it appropriate to do so.

Some of my worst fears were confirmed when we docked in Haiti. The island (and the beaches) were beautiful – prettier than any other place we went. But the idea that Royal Caribbean was hiring locals was a sham. The island is staffed by RC employees – the majority of whom are lower class inhabitants of countries that are far from wealthy, like Indonesia, the Phillipines, Romania, Turkey, etc. There was one, maybe two RC employees on Labadee from Haiti. I could tell because their name tags list their home country. Though RC claims in the Guardian article that they hire 230 Haitians, I never saw anywhere near that many. Maybe they worked to build the beach huts/restaurants and guard the area. Still, that is not justification for bringing in workers from other countries when Haiti has a huge unemployment rate.
To make matters worse, on Labadee all payment for food, beverages, etc. were not in cash. Because RC owns all the “restaurants” and beverage stations, cruise customers must use their room key/cruise card to purchase anything. RC employees at Labadee could not take cash or receive tips, which meant RC made significant gains (a Bud Light was around $4 or $5) off their sales without letting employees reap the benefits.
But the worst part of Labadee, to me, was the market. On Labadee there was a small market with local Haitians selling clothing, art, dishes, crafts, jewelry, and other handmade items. RC claims in the Guardian article that this market “benefits 300″ more Haitians, but I saw maybe 50 there. In 2008, I read a book for a world religions class, “Mama Lola,” by Karen McCarthy Brown. Mama Lola was a vodou priestess who resided in Brooklyn; Karen wrote several articles (and this book) about her life and eventually travelled to Haiti with her. It’s a very intimate look at Haitian culture and the role Catholicism and vodou play in the Haitian culture. I don’t pretend to be any sort of expert on Haiti (far from it), but reading the book taught me that in Haiti, the market culture is a woman’s place. Women carry goods and food items to market every day to sell, and other women shop for these items. It is a very gendered place, and it is a central part of life for many women. In Labadee, at the market, 85% of the “sellers” were men. In a country where probably 90% of market sellers are women, this role reversal shook me hard. In a society where women are considered inferior to men, I seriously doubted this was some sort of accident. In Haiti, many people live on less than $1 per day… and many of the sellers in the market were asking $30 for a small painting. I am not saying this is not a reasonable amount for an original artwork by any means. But I do think the select group of sellers who profited heavily from this market are not the “average Haitians” which RC claims to benefit through renting Labadee island. Royal Carribbean cannot pretend to be a “benevolent” corporation, helping to raise up people in Haiti from poverty by investing in their economy through only a select group of people who fit RC’s standards.
I also seriously doubt RC rents Labadee just because it is a pretty place. Corporations exist to make a profit, and I would bet my life that Royal Carribbean chose to rent on Haiti because it would be drastically cheaper than renting from a country/island with a strong economy. Caribbean property is a hot commodity. I am sure that the Bahamas, the DR, St. Maarten, etc. would charge a much higher rate because they know that fair market value is not cheap. But Haiti… when you have little power and little money, bargaining is much harder. Powerful corporations and countries that take advantage of poorer nations are practicing modern form of colonialism, often couched in excuses of benevolence.
Royal Carribbean’s “excuse” for docking at Labadee a week after the earthquake was that they are carrying pallets of food and supplies for those affected. Specifically, according to the Guardian, 16 pallets per ship. These ships hold thousands of customers and crew. They offer restaurant and buffet-style eating options… often 5 different buffets/restaurants AT A TIME. Massive amounts of food are wasted. The luxury of cruise customers with their myriad of eating choices in a country where many people starve is TOO MUCH. 16 pallets? Please. If RC shut down just ONE eating option per boat and donated all the food, they could feed hundreds.
If you are a customer and/or are considering going on a Royal Caribbean cruise, please pick another line… or tell them that these practices are unacceptable. Being a wealthy corporation based in a rich nation is not an excuse to take advantage of incredibly poor countries or people.
More info:
“Mama Lola” by Karen McCarthy Brown
Women’s Roles in Hait.
Haitian culture, history, women’s roles, etc.
Women’s Roles in Haiti.