Headed for a new beginning, Haitians want to stay in Brazil

The thousands of Haitians who left their country after the earthquake are responsible for one of the greatest modern diasporas in the history of Latin America. The earthquake, which laid the country to waste five years ago, damaged not only Haiti's basic structure, but also harmed its labor market. Today, having a regular job, with all the benefits inherently attached to it, is a luxury—which accounts for the search for a dignified life thousands of kilometers away from their native Caribbean coast.

According to official data from the state of Acre—the easiest way into the country—of the more than 30 thousand Haitians who crossed the Brazilian border in the last few years, most settled in São Paulo or in the southern states, especially Santa Catarina, where, in a municipality called Chapecó, immigrants found work at cold stores. They live on the outskirts of the city and go downtown for shopping.

In spite of long, uninterrupted hours under an average temperature of 8ºC devoted to menial work with knives and electric saws, Haitians say they have grown accustomed to their jobs. Their net pay—approximately $376.18—is far from appealing to Brazilians, which is why the workforce from overseas has been given such a warm welcome at the companies in Brazil. The salary is also viewed as low by Haitians themselves, especially after recent dollar hikes against the real, which have decreased the amount of dollars they can buy and send back to their families in Haiti.

“With the dollar costing nearly three reais, it's hard to send money back home, where my parents, wife and daughter are. My goal is to bring them over, but the salary is too low,” said Nauhm Saint-Julien, who first worked at a cold store, but was subsequently hired as an assistant at a photography studio. He is currently a student at the Federal University of the Southern Border (UFFS), as part of a special program aimed at Haitians.

Saint-Julien wants to stay in the country that received him, because his native land would not be able to ensure his employment and education. “The economic situation [in Haiti] is bleak. There's nothing to do there. It's really hard to find work. A lot of people with a university degree simply cannot find a job,” argued Saint-Julien, who used to work at a notary's office before the natural disaster happened.

In 2011, when the migration waves started, Haitians  already planned to stay in Brazil. Many of those interviewed in the municipalities of Brasileia and Assis Brasil, in Acre, declared they planned to save money so they could bring their family over. Most of the ones who entered the country are qualified professionals in the fields of medicine, nursing, engineering, and languages, and are fluent speakers of English, French, Spanish and their native Creole. Many of them can hold a conversation in Portuguese, albeit with difficulty.

In Chapecó, all other workers are just as resolute, in spite of all initial difficulties. After arriving, newcomers have to  share a room with up to six people in order to save money. Jonald Destimé is a case in point. He has been facing the challenge of learning Portuguese while living in a house along with 55 other workers. “It's even worse [in Haiti]. Here, we must start things over. One day, if I can, if I manage to get the money, I'll call my family over,” said Jonald, while proudly showing a tablet he purchased in Brazil, which he uses to communicate with his family.

His roommate, Edgar Marcena, said that the biggest problem with which the people in Haiti are forced to cope is not the shortage of food, but unemployment. “There are ways to find food, but no money to buy clothes, for instance,” he explained.

Some immigrants manage to integrate more easily with the local society, and get married with women from the region, with which they build a family and move to their own house. This is what happened to Smith Rivette, a language student at UFFS. He got married to Crisiane Schneider Rivete, from Chapecó. Their relationship, which started at the cold store where they work, had to overcome obstacles posed by culture and prejudice. She, a fair-skinned blonde; he, a black man from a foreign country. Both are planning to have children soon.

Even though Schneider's family has been supportive of their relationship, as she points out, their marriage was met with surprise from some. “I've always said I'd get married to someone with a really dark skin. Then my dad supported me and said he would help pay for the party. But we also had to face some racism.  Some people actually said he had managed to fool me and take all my possessions. They thought he was only staying with me for his own benefit,” Crisiane said.

One of the ways they found to fight prejudice and the difficulties was founding an association to help immigrants. The head of the organization, Jean Innocent Monfiston explained that their purpose if to preserve the culture of their native country and help newcomers who do not master the language year. “At first, we give immigrants assistance and help them with the documents. We find them a job and also offer   Portuguese language courses. We're asking the embassy to open a branch in Santa Catarina, which has already become home to over 5 thousand Haitians,” Jean noted.

Translated by Fabrício Ferreira

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