{
  "id": 11444931,
  "title": "La campaña a favor de los cursos de creole en las escuelas aviva el sentimiento antihaitiano en la República Dominicana",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/02/la-campana-a-favor-de-los-cursos-de-creole-en-las-escuelas-aviva-el",
  "topic": "world",
  "section": "World",
  "published": "2026-10-02T12:25:54.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "The Conversation",
    "slug": "the-conversation",
    "url": "https://theconversation.com/la-campana-a-favor-de-los-cursos-de-creole-en-las-escuelas-aviva-el-sentimiento-antihaitiano-en-la-republica-dominicana-293318"
  },
  "original_language": "es",
  "account": "In early September 2026, a Dominican legislator introduced a bill that would mandate all public schools in the Caribbean country to offer courses in Haitian Creole. The proposal sparked a swift and strong public reaction. Media and analysts from both Dominican and Haitian perspectives have since debated the advantages and challenges the proposal would face if it were to be put to a vote, and even more so if it were to be implemented. Currently, the level of political and social opposition makes the proposal's chances of success slim. Much of the criticism has centered on issues related to Dominican sovereignty, as Haiti and the Dominican Republic share an island. Despite the two nations being separate and independent since the 19th century, Dominican nationalists often point to a 22-year period (1822-1844) when Haitian troops occupied the Dominican Republic. The Independence Day celebrated on February 27 in the Dominican Republic commemorates its independence from Haiti in 1844, not Spain, its former colonial power. Some Dominican nationalist groups view requiring students to study Haitian Creole as a step towards an unwanted unification of the island that, according to them, has been planned since this occupation. Haitian immigration to the Dominican Republic is often described as a peaceful invasion that shows no signs of stopping—a narrative that has been perpetuated by Dominican politicians for over 50 years. The increasing number of Haitian immigrants in the Dominican Republic—estimates range from 500,000 to several million people—often fuels these nationalist fears. In certain sectors, particularly agriculture and construction, Haitians constitute the overwhelming majority of the workforce. Despite the negative reaction, Creole is an integral part of the Dominican Republic and its migrants have kept it alive in the country for centuries. However, Creole has been systematically excluded from public spaces where one would expect it, such as signage or public spaces like hospitals where migrants might need an interpreter. Haitian Creole, or Kreyòl, and the Haitian diaspora The last century has seen Haitians move in large numbers to neighboring Dominican Republic, forming the largest diaspora in the Caribbean and representing nearly half of all migrant population in the region. This immigration surged significantly after the 2021 assassination of Haitian President Jovenel Moïse, which plunged the country into a period of economic instability and gang violence. All of this has led Haitian Creole to become the second most spoken language in the Dominican Republic, after Spanish. Haitian Creole, or Kreyòl, is the national language of Haiti, alongside French, and is the only language spoken by the entire population. Although often dismissed as a \"dialect\" of French or a \"broken French,\" Haitian Creole is a fully constituted language with its own academy of language, orthography, and grammar. It is the official language of Haiti since 1987. Supporters of the nationalist group \"Antigua Orden Dominicana\" participate in a protest against Haitian immigration in Santo Domingo on April 27, 2025. My research shows that many Dominicans of Haitian descent grow up speaking Creole at home as their first language, especially in the border region and the Haitian enclaves scattered throughout the country. In these communities, Haitians and Dominicans often live side by side, work together, and form mixed marriages, where children learn both Creole and Spanish. A multicultural reality Due to the widespread diffusion of Creole in the country, calls have already been made to teach this language in Dominican schools, though these have been staunchly rejected. In 2017, for example, the president of the national teachers' union—the Asociación Dominicana de Profesores— publicly declared that teaching Creole in schools would be a mistake, as it would make Dominicans \"act and think like Haitians.\" These attitudes towards Haitians reflect the openly racial undertones of the debate on immigration. Academics and intellectuals have long argued that the rejection and hatred towards Haitians by some segments of Dominican society are, in reality, a rejection of the negritude that represents Haitian identity and culture. These anti-black attitudes allow politicians to turn Haitians into scapegoats for the problems of Dominican society. But for Julio César Beltré, the legislator who proposed the bill, the measure is a matter of common sense. As a native of the province of Azua, near the border between the Dominican Republic and Haiti, Beltré says he sees daily the need for knowledge of Creole in his hometown, and argues that learning Creole would offer Dominicans a \"practical advantage\" in business, labor, and social spheres they share with Haitians. \"Learning a neighboring language,\" he added, \"does not mean adopting an identity or a political stance. It is simply a communication tool.\" Since introducing the bill, Beltré has participated in several morning radio shows and popular Dominican evening news programs to discuss the legislation.",
  "summary": "A lo largo del último siglo, muchos haitianos se han mudado a la vecina República Dominicana.",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}