Documentary Review: Issues Faced by Haitian Immigrants in Bahamas

This report is a review of the documentary 'Lakay (Home)' which examines the experiences of Haitian immigrants in the Bahamas. The paper discusses the issues faced by Haitian migrants, focusing on citizenship, statelessness, and living conditions within the Bahamian society. The review highlights the challenges related to cultural integration, unequal distribution of resources, and the government's treatment of Haitian Bahamians. It emphasizes the impact of these issues on their standard of living and the need for cultural acceptance and integration. The report references academic sources and the documentary to provide a comprehensive understanding of the hardships faced by Haitian immigrants in their quest for a better life.

Running head: DOCUMENTARY REVIEW
Documentary Review
Name of the Student
Name of the University
Author Note

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Table of Contents
Introduction......................................................................................................................................2
Discussion........................................................................................................................................2
Conclusion.......................................................................................................................................4
References:......................................................................................................................................5

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Introduction
With the advent of globalization towards the end of the twentieth century, many reforms
have been brought about in the community. One of the most significant reforms brought about
was that of migration. The process of migration refers to the movement of people from one place
to another in order to achieve an ulterior motive. A significant desire of the human civilization
has always been the increase in the standard of living of the individuals. The purpose of this
paper is to understand the issues faced by the immigrants of the Haitian society who have
migrated to Bahamans in order to search for a decent standard of living.
Discussion
The advantages of social documentary lies in the fact that they are able to show case the
real situations which prevail in a particular region, in the context of the target group they are
researching upon. The movie Lakay (Home) - Documentary on Hatian Bahamian Statelessness
(2009) has sought to analyze the living conditions of the Haitians who had migrated to Bahamas
in the search of a better standard of living.
One of the issues which is seen to be present within the Haitian culture living in the
Bahamas is that of citizenship ("Lakay (2009) - IMDb", 2020). The people of Haiti who had
migrated to the Bahamas could not apply for citizenship until they were eighteen or nineteen
years of age. Thus had a significant impact on the mental frame work of the targeted population
as they believed that they were not being accepted by the native population.
This aspect of citizenship led to the rise in the issue of statelessness. Every individual of
the world belong to one state or the other. However, with the rise in globalization and the aspect
of migration, people now have the freedom to move to another country to find a better standard

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of living. However, in order to protect their native people, many governments do not provide
automatic citizenship to the immigrants. This means that the migrants who have fled their
country without documentations, do not belong to any country unless they are given the
citizenship of the host country. This again affects their standard of living and the extent of
protection they receive from the concerned government (Joseph, 2014).
A significant issue which has been underlined in the documentary is the difference that
exists between the Haitian Bahamas and those coming from Haiti ("Lakay (2009) - IMDb",
2020). Amongst the Haitian Bahamas, it can be noted that they do not receive any kind of
safeguard from the government of Bahamas. This is due to the reason that the government
believes that they have unlawfully usurped the territory of Bahamas and is misusing its
resources. On the other hand, the government of Bahamas has a favorable disposition towards
the Haitians coming in from Haiti and applying for a visa in a formal manner.
The role of the government is important to ensure the living standard of the people of any
country. With regards to the Haitian Bahamas, it can be seen that the government of Bahamas is
not favorably disposed towards them. Within the Mud residence of Adoba Island, the residents
do not have any proper electricity provision, food or sanitation ("Lakay (2009) - IMDb", 2020).
They are not even given a source of livelihood and the members of the community are required
to look after themselves as even the police would not provide any help.
In the sector of education, many distinctions are made by the government. For instance,
the Haitian Bahamas are required to pay twice the normal tuition fees which is collected from the
residents of Bahamas ("Lakay (2009) - IMDb", 2020). As a result of this, many Haitian Bahamas
remain uneducated as they do not have the required financial resources to support their standard
of living.

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The aspect of culture is the main reason behind the existing differences as observed
within a place. The culture of the Haitian Bahamas is significantly different from the natives of
Bahamas as a result of which it has become increasingly difficult for the natives to accept the
immigrants. There is a significant need on the part of the natives of Bahamas and their
government to accept the ethnicity of the Haitians and to acknowledge the plight that awaits
them back at their home. In this regard, there is a need for cultural integration and acceptance
("Lakay (2009) - IMDb", 2020).
Conclusion
In conclusion, it can be observed that the migrants of any region face a significantly
adverse lifestyle in the host country. The natives of that place are reluctant to accept the
immigrants as they see them to be the usurpers of their natural resources and territories. In this
respect, the people of Haiti living in Bahamas faced many hardships when they first migrated to
the region. They are still facing such hardships in the form of degraded standard of living,
unequal distribution of natural resources and their deprivation to earn a decent standard of living.

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References:
Joseph, F. (2014). The Treatment of Haitian Bahamians in Bahamian Society. International
Journal of Bahamian Studies, 20(1), 63-69.
Lakay (2009) - IMDb. (2020). Retrieved 25 February 2020, from
https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1520990/