Viewing
I undertake a pilgrimage through Santiago de los 30 Caballeros, the city in the Dominican Republic where I was born, with the intention of witnessing the shifts that have been happening within the urban space and more specifically in relationship to personal landmarks. Today, the Dominican Republic is one of the fastest growing economies in Latin American and the Caribbean, raising questions as to how are financial resources being distributed with the population at large. With this influx of money, the reckless severing of the soul of Santiago has been set in motion, with very little room for pedestrians to enjoy the city and with the disappearance of places that were dear to generations. Gorgeous Caribbean Victorian houses have been razed to make room for parking lots, and the downtown has been slowly replaced by shopping malls. In the Dominican Republic there is a saying stating that, “El que anda a pie’ no e’ gente, those who walk and do not have a car are not human beings” This pilgrimage allowed me to witness the parts of me that have been effaced by so-called “progress.”
There has been recent attempts to rescue the historic center, and there are initiatives trying to preserve some of Santiago’s downtown. A good example of this is the revitalization of Los Pepines, an iconic barrio that is now visited every weekend by thousands of locals. However, the trend has been for people with any resources to flee the historic center, thus emulating the US white flight phenomenon. The difference to this being that The Dominican Republic is a majority Black and Brown nation.
USA Paradisiaca / Super Merengue / Las Frutas Tropicales / Learning to Drive / La Papa Móvil / The Fountain of Youth / Recuento de mis 15 / She tans. He sails. She swims. He surfs. She shops. He dives / 3 1/2 Hours to Paradise / The Passerby Museum / Amigo Express / Fellatious