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Postcard: Dominican Republic

Kristin Jatkowski,
Grand Central Magazine

Presidential campaigns are in full swing in the Dominican Republic. Residents often display their allegiance to a candidate through public displays. Photograph by Kristin Jatkowski
(Click here for more images.)

Just as election season is in full swing in the United States, so it is here in the Dominican Republic. Dominicans elect a new president every four years. However, political involvement here seems much higher than in the U.S.

Throughout Santo Domingo, there are advertisements urging Dominicans to vote. You can rarely go more than a block in the city without seeing large political advertisements for the main candidates. Dominicans proudly display bumper stickers on their cars and wear baseball caps advertising the candidate of their choice. Throughout the day and sometimes into the evening, large trucks with speakers attached to them loudly proclaim political messages through out the city.

On Sundays, Dominicans hold political rallies throughout the country. It’s common to see large groups, sometimes up to 100 people or more, gathered at the side of the road with flags and apparel supporting their candidate. These political rallies are very loud, not only because of the music, but also because of the enthusiasm Dominicans have for their candidate.

Driving back to Santo Domingo on Sundays usually takes longer because the rallies slow down traffic. Although Dominicans seem to be excited about the upcoming election, some people, especially the Cubans in the country, have voiced some concerns. Prior to this election, presidents were only allowed to seek two terms. Since then, the constitution has been changed to allow presidents to seek a third term. The current president, Leonel Fernández, is doing just that. Although he seems to have a lot of support, some people are worried about the possibility of a dictatorship, something the Dominican Republic experienced from 1930-61.

Despite that, it seems all but assured that President Fernández Leonel will win the election in May. However, he must receive 51 percent of the vote in order to win. If he does not, there must be a new election in August. The candidates seem to be working hard to ensure that the May election will be the last for four years.

Something that has surprised me is the amount of American culture that has become a part of the Dominican Republic. All of my students are familiar with the pop culture that teenagers in the U.S. would be familiar with. Any movie or band I bring up is likely to get a reaction from the students. Although my students wear uniforms to school, outside of school they dress the way that many American teenagers do. Hollister and Abercrombie seem to be as popular here as they are in the States.

Presidential campaigns are in full swing in the Dominican Republic. Residents often display their allegiance to a candidate through public displays. Photograph by Kristin Jatkowski
(Click here for more images.)

Any time you walk through a mall you're going to find stores like those in the U.S. Walking through La Sierna here is like walking through Meijer – one-stop shopping for everything from food, to clothes and electronics. If you want American fast food, you're in luck. Although some of the menu items are different, Taco Bell and Burger King are readily available.

Also many of my students are very familiar with current events. Teaching history becomes much more interactive and personal when the students can make connections between the past and present, rather than the teacher having to do it.

The traveling we've done throughout the country has given me an appreciation of how diverse the Dominican Republic is geographically – from the beaches along the coast to the mountains, jungles to deserts and everything in between. Because of the geographic diversity, the Dominican Republic is able to support a wide variety of agriculture.

One of the staples of the Dominican diet, rice, is grown in the wetter parts of the country, while the drier northwest is home to salt flats. Fruit, especially oranges, pineapple, and coconuts, is abundant. Tourism, however, has taken over as the main industry here. The country imports many of its agricultural products and invests money in tourism rather than agriculture.

The urban problems in the Dominican Republic are similar to those faced in the U.S. as it began to urbanize in the early 1900s. Poverty is widespread; when you’re on the streets, you’re likely to encounter children who are sent to work shining shoes or washing windshields at traffic lights. The infrastructure of Santo Domingo is not equipped to handle the population boom.

Electricity is in short supply. It often goes out in the afternoon for a few hours, although many homes and businesses have back up batteries or generators to keep essentials going during the power outages. Power lines are tangled messes. Clean water is also in short supply and hot water is a luxury. No one, not even Dominicans, drink water from the tap here. All of our water is bottled. Sometimes it’s necessary to ration water and use only what is necessary until more can be pumped into holding tanks most houses have on their roofs.

But despite the urban problems, the cities continue to grow.