Trujillato
Trujillato
"A Border Drawn in Blood" is an episode of Latino USA that first aired on October 6, 2017, then was re-aired on February 17th, 2022. This episode discusses the complicated relationship between Haiti and the Dominican Republic, especially under the rule of Rafael Trujillo. Trujillo was a dictator of Dominican Republic and ordered the Perejil Massacre of 1937, a massacre that the government tried to cover up. I had never heard of this massacre, and I learned a lot about the conflict between these countries, and their version of a border wall. The Dominican Republic wanted to build a wall to keep the Haitians out- for the same reasons that Trump wanted to build a wall on our Mexican border. At this massacre, "Haitian seasonal farm workers and their families... were massacred because they could not pronounce the consonant 'r' in 'perejil'" (Ayuso 1).
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| Haiti and the Dominican Republic Border From a report from the UN Environmental Program in 2013. |
Monica G. Ayuso, a professor at California State University of Bakersfield, is the author of "How Lucky for You That Your Tongue Can Taste the 'r' in 'Parsley': Trauma Theory and the Literature of Hispaniola," published in Spring of 2011. Many Hispanic authors have written about the conflicts between Haiti and the Dominican Republic in fiction, poems, and many other forms. Ayuso looks at how this trauma has impacted the literature of the time. This boundary war centers around the Massacre River, which "historians [and] literary critics" describe "as a border shaped by psychology rather than geography" (Ayuso 5). At this river, in 1937, "suspected illegal Haitian immigrants" were forced to say perejil and if they couldn't roll the r, "they were lined up and shot on the spot as they were gagged with sprigs of parsley" (Ayuso 6).
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| Sprig of Parsley |
I chose to read Ayuso's article to look at how this tragedy was looked at through literature and the lens of those affected. Writers have used this tragedy to examine how it affected the survivors, especially since the massacre was never acknowledged by the state.
There is no monument nor day of remembrance about this day. However, "the state has never apologized, it has never officially come out and engaged" (Latino USA, 34:39-34:50). Some believe the state shouldn't have to comment on the massacre- Bernardo Vega, a Dominican historian, believes that "the Dominican people, as a society, were never involved in. [He] doesn't think bringing this up, again and again, helps Dominican and Haitian relationships" (Latino USA, 35:24-35:45).
The dismissal of this issue by Dominicans is very interesting, because it seems as if this issue of near genocide and racism is being pushed under the rug. Despite the proximity of Haiti and the Dominican Republic, this altercation has not been acknowledged in the slightest. This racism cannot be ignored, especially since the negative sentiments against Haitians- pushed by Trujillo- still remain.
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| Dominican dictator Rafael Trujillo, c. 1960 Photo from Joseph Scherschel (LIFE Picture Collection) via History.com |
Under Trujillo's dictatorship, "a culture of silence" was bred. Silence was encouraged by their fear of repercussions. Even after Trujillo's death, the fear remained- "the DR... and their citizens experience post-traumatic stress," and talking about the massacre means "talking about all of Trujillo's crimes" (Latino USA 39:45-40:15). In Dominican-American Nelly Rosario's Song of the Water Saints, follows a Dominicana living in the trujillato (Trujillo years), and they would describe visions "of a military man who was rising to power, a demon among them who would claim the cloak of God and feed the nation to the wolves" (Rosario 171 in Ayuso 11). Trujillo created a culture of fear and silence, one that has remained for years in both society and literature.
Hopefully young Dominicans and Haitians will be able to discuss this trauma in the future. Hopefully both nations will be able to heal and recognize each other as allies and even friends, rather than enemies.
Works Cited
“Haiti-Dominican Republic: Environmental Challenges in the Border Zone.” United Nations Environment Programme, June 2013, pp. 1–150.
“Parsley Sprigs.” Recipe Land, Sean Wenzel & Infinite Networks Inc, https://recipeland.com/ingredients/parsley-sprigs-8135.
Scherschel, Joseph. “Dominican Dictator Rafael Trujillo, c. 1960.” History.com, A & E Television Networks , 1960, https://www.history.com/news/mirabal-sisters-trujillo-dictator. Accessed 5 Apr. 2022.
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