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The Price of Sugar

Haitian workers are lured to work on Dominican sugar plantations under harsh conditions, harvesting sugarcane for over 14 hours a day without proper accommodation, pay, or rights. A Catholic priest advocates for their humane treatment and organizes protests against the wealthy plantation owners. The documentary exposes the systemic abuse of Haitian workers and lack of human rights in the sugar industry. Viewers learn that commodities like sugar often involve exploitation, and that speaking up and organizing are ways to enact change for equitable treatment of all people.

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Erika Joy Mangaser
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210 views2 pages

The Price of Sugar

Haitian workers are lured to work on Dominican sugar plantations under harsh conditions, harvesting sugarcane for over 14 hours a day without proper accommodation, pay, or rights. A Catholic priest advocates for their humane treatment and organizes protests against the wealthy plantation owners. The documentary exposes the systemic abuse of Haitian workers and lack of human rights in the sugar industry. Viewers learn that commodities like sugar often involve exploitation, and that speaking up and organizing are ways to enact change for equitable treatment of all people.

Uploaded by

Erika Joy Mangaser
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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NAME: Erika Joy A.

Mangaser SECTION: BEED GEN1B


DATE: June 6, 2022

“THE PRICE OF SUGAR”


1. What is the video all about? Provide a brief summary.
 When it comes to sugar canes, the cost of sugar from the title itself is about the business
of profit. Thousands of Haitians are lured to work for low wages under armed guard on
plantations on an island called the Caribbean island of the Dominican Republic to
harvest the sugar canes that are most likely exported to the US. They just use a
machete to cut the sugarcane and work almost 14 hours every day without any rest.
Without proper accommodation to rest, no power to use, or clean water to drink, they do
this kind of job. They were also not given schooling, healthcare, or proper meals. There
is a Catholic priest named Christopher Hartley in this film who starts to advocate
improving their working conditions. He provides medical treatment as a missionary and
organizes a protest. Because of his actions, the wealthy abusive plantation owners who
stoke the animosity of the Dominicans against the Haitians resulted in resentment.

2. Does this film teach you lessons? What are these lessons?
 This movie was horrible and really showed us that in the production of a commodity that
is heavily used by billions of people in the world, there is neither equality nor human
rights present. Yeah, we may assume that the sugar we eat is produced naturally, but
there are also parts of the world that have abnormal processing practices and this
documentary has opened the public's eyes. The heart of the film is its reference to the
sugar industry's systemic abuse of Haitian workers. We see how Dominican businesses
are using better life promises to draw busloads of poor Haitians over the border at mass
illegal crossings, whilst the government and military are turning a blind eye.

3. How can you relate yourself to those who are in the video?
 Even if they're different from me. There is still abuse of authority everywhere in the
world. I have often witnessed the violence of individuals who have more influence than I
have. I couldn't do anything about it, because once I got out of it, I wanted to play
healthy. And you can make a step from there to diminish their influence. But that's
different from the people in the film. Just because they lack control, they don't deserve to
feel that way and to be treated that way. Every one of us deserves to be treated equally
everywhere, colored or not.

4. If you are in their shoes, what would you do? If you are present or near the
situation, what do you think you can do as a person?
 If I was in their shoes, I would most likely launch a revolt in order to make a change. I will
not only benefit from it, but also from everyone else who feels the same feeling as I do.
The situation we are facing is a violation of the human rights we have, and we need to
avoid it. Also, I will act first if I have been present or close to the situation, so that
everyone else will comply. As you can see, if no one stops to help him / her, no one can
help or notice a beggar on the street. In order for others to act and obey, one must act
first. I'm going to make the first step in order for people to gain the confidence and
burning passion to move forward and stop the unfairness of this world in which we live.

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