Description
“The Dominican Republic is the land Columbus loved best possible” runs the advertising slogan. In celebration of the 500th anniversary of the explorer’s arrival at the island of Hispaniola, the federal government spent a reported US$40 millions on building a odd commemorative lighthouse. Within the process, it has bull-dozed the homes of thousands of slumdwellers to clear the memorial website online. Dominican Republic: Beyond the Lighthouse looks at a country where extreme poverty exists alongside a booming tourist industry. Where workers from neighboring Haiti are literally enslaved in an almost bankrupt sugar industry. Where political leaders date back to a dictatorship which ended more than 30 years ago. In its comprehensive analysis of the Dominican Republic’s turbulent history and its current political crisis, Dominican Republic: Beyond the Lighthouse exposes the inequality and corruption which lubricate the country’s economy. It explores the complex and tragic relations between Dominicans and Haitians and the ambiguous role played by america. The creator also assesses the preferred movement which is challenging a decaying political system and proposing a radical new type of democratic participation.