The Bahamian government accepts the appointment of Mr. Antonio Rodrigue to the position of the Haitian Ambassador in the Bahamas.

The new ambassador has plans to strengthen ties between the two countries through social and financial means. These plans include increasing agricultural relations and fostering trade between the two countries. Although Ambassador Rodrigue has progressive plans for the future, the question is whether he can help ease the tensions of the past between the two countries.

The previous Ambassador, His Excellency Louis Harold Joseph, has admitted to some rough patches in his eight year tenure as ambassador. Some of these tensions have arisen from the maltreatment of the thousands of Haitians who currently live in the Bahamas.

Most Haitians who live in the country left Haiti to avoid economical and political issues yet still are most likely to live the poorest areas of The Bahamas. They are accused of stealing jobs and are regularly being detained by the police on the accusation of being illegal immigrants.

This Bahamian dilemma can easily be compared to the illegal immigrant issue in the United States.

This entire predicament opens many questions for us to ponder:

What is the real reason Haitians are so looked down upon in the Bahamas?

Why do Bahamians complain about jobs being stolen when Haitians are mainly doing the jobs Bahamians do not want?

What is going to be done about the immigration status of Haitians who already live in The Bahamas?

Why do Haitians continue to choose to go to the Bahamas?

What positive attributes can Haitians bring to the Bahamas to lessen tensions?

And of course, what will Ambassador Rodrigue do to solve the problems and make these the lives of these Haitians better?

Only time will tell if the changing of Ambassadors will make the difference for Haitians living in The Bahamas.


Kimberly Berthold
Health Education & Behavior
University of Florida