In the Dominican Republic, Uncle Tom's Cabin has never disappeared. Near the luxury tourist beaches, hidden behind an impenetrable curtain of sugar cane, are unsanitary wooden shacks gathered in bateys.


These ghettos, without water or electricity, house braceros, seasonal slaves of the sugar plantations, and their families from Haiti. Once past the entrance gate of the bateys, there is no escape from hell: the men toil in the sugar cane plantations, the women try to ensure the survival of their families, the children born to Haitian parents, recognized by neither government, are condemned to become slaves in their turn... Each year, more than 20,000 Haitians cross the border of the Dominican Republic to work during a zafra season, the sugar harvest.

Report produced from December 2004 to April 2006.

THE BOOK

SLAVES IN PARADISE



A naked man with folded arms stands in a small, dark opening, surrounded by wooden walls painted turquoise green.
A farmer cuts sugar cane in a field in broad daylight.
Group of people standing in a wagon in the open air.
A man holding a machete embedded in his arm, wearing a grey t-shirt with a logo, in a straight line in a rural landscape with fields and a cloudy sky.
Five men standing in front of a wooden building painted turquoise green, some unclothed or in casual clothes, in an open-air environment.
Five men in a small room with mud walls, hanging clothes, a bed and bags. One wears a blue cap, another a plaid shirt, and they all have varied expressions.
Woman standing on railroad tracks, holding clothes in her hands, with a rural landscape in the background.
A hand holds an identification card for an anthrax vaccination campaign, in a rural neighborhood with mud houses, people sitting or standing in the street.
A young boy with severe burns on his arm and torso in a run-down neighborhood.
Two men in a modest bedroom, one seated on the floor, the other lying on a high bed, in a room with bare stone walls.
Straw hat on a garment hanging from a stone wall.
A man harvests corn in a field with a cloudy sky in the background.
A man in a white hat and pink shirt, from behind, looks up at a large steel structure with lots of stacked pieces of wood or metal, under a clear blue sky.
Black hands in contact with bamboo canes
Two people in a sugarcane field cutting with a forest fire in the background and smoke rising into the sky.
Group of people walking in a desert landscape with abandoned iron horses and palm trees in the background, blue sky with a few clouds.
Three native children play with sticks in a rural area with a wooden house in the background and a cloudy sky.
A young man poses outside a yellow vehicle, wearing a dark floral shirt and holding a wooden gun. He looks into the camera with a serious expression.
A naked man with very dirty arms and hands holds a sheet of paper or a written note, in an open-air environment.
Young boy sitting in a rusty old locomotive in a rural setting
Group of people in an outdoor environment, with a man showing his rough, dirty hand, wearing a badge, other people in the background, a yellow bus visible.
Young black man eating from a metal bowl in the open air, with a natural landscape in the background.
Two elderly men, covered in mud, wearing hats and rubber boots, walking along a dusty path in a rural village, one of them holding a tool.
Two people in a field, wearing worn clothing and work clothes, with rubber boots, one holding a beige plastic bottle.
A naked boy in beige pants, holding a flag or cloth, stands on a vacant lot during sunset. In the background, another child is present. The sky is clear with shades of blue.
An elderly man wears a light-colored shirt and hat, holding a wooden cane and a document, in a rural setting with palm trees in the background.
A young boy presses a syringe to his mouth in a dusty outdoor environment.
Children play and stand in front of a house in a rural setting, with a street sign reading 'Calle Libertad'.
A young boy stares at the camera in a simple room, with another person lying next to him.
An elderly woman rests with a cane, her head buried in her crossed arm.
Portrait of an elderly woman wearing a blue scarf, staring into the lens against a blurred background.
A man lies on a makeshift bed in a rudimentary room with wooden walls. He appears to be sleeping or resting, dressed in worn clothing.
Shirtless man holding a metal bucket on a farm
A man holds a drink can in one hand. He's wearing worn-out clothes, torn black shorts, worn sneakers, and is standing against a turquoise wall. There's a bottle on the floor beside his feet.
An image of a small wooden shelf attached to a worn wooden wall, containing a religious icon of Saint Therese of Lisieux with an infant Jesus in colored light. The wall is made of wood painted a faded red, with imperfections and flaws.
Two African children in a dark room with cement walls. One child on the left, in his underwear, holds a box, while another on the other side, leaning against the wall, holds a stick.
A black child gently touches the fabric of a garment, expressing curiosity or tenderness.
A decrepit wall with holes, a wooden hook and a red coat hanger hanging from a nail, a dark, abandoned atmosphere.
A person behind a net or pierced canvas, wearing red clothing, with a dark face and serious expression.
The feet of a person with nails painted red, placed on a stone and earth floor, under a wooden chair.
A woman and a girl pose indoors, wall background with pencil drawing. The woman is wearing orange, the girl a white dress. The girl looks directly at the camera.
A black saucepan on a wood fire with glowing logs, in a rustic kitchen environment lit by natural light.
Carved wooden hands clinging to a wooden surface, interior with green wall and beige cloth garment hanging on the wall.
A man lies on a bed, unclothed, in a room with green walls and a window with wooden shutters, a white drapery floating above him.
A smiling child sitting in a worn plastic chair under a large tree in a rural setting.