1995: (Racial and Linguistic Dualism in the Post-Colony): Haitian society is defined by a 200-year-old racial schism, where 90 percent of the population are …

1995: (Racial and Linguistic Dualism in the Post-Colony): Haitian society is defined by a 200-year-old racial schism, where 90 percent of the population are noirs and 10 percent are jaunes or mulâtres. This division is often described by local thinkers as a “virus” that ravages the republic, creating two separate but interlocking worlds. The linguistic barrier further cements this divide, as 85 percent of the country speaks only Creole—a pungent blend of African and European tongues—while the state is administered in French by a small minority. This “private language” acts as a defensive shield against outsiders and contributes to the penetrability of a closed society. The resulting social graph shows a clear correlation between race, literacy, and wealth that continues to dominate national life.