0:00:02 > 0:00:05'I'm on a journey around the Caribbean Sea,
0:00:05 > 0:00:08'with its thousands of beautiful islands...'
0:00:08 > 0:00:10..and an incredible mainland coast,
0:00:10 > 0:00:13home to millions of extraordinary people.
0:00:16 > 0:00:19'This is a vast area with a rich and brutal history.'
0:00:22 > 0:00:24And some of the most dangerous places on the planet!
0:00:25 > 0:00:27GUNFIRE
0:00:28 > 0:00:31'It's one of the most vibrant and exciting regions on Earth.'
0:00:33 > 0:00:34It's the Caribbean.
0:00:36 > 0:00:39On this first leg of my journey around the Caribbean Sea,
0:00:39 > 0:00:43I travel east from the island of Hispaniola to the American
0:00:43 > 0:00:45territory of Puerto Rico.
0:00:49 > 0:00:52'In the Dominican Republic, I'm picked up by the officers battling
0:00:52 > 0:00:54'drug pushers and cartels.'
0:00:54 > 0:00:57That is a block of cocaine.
0:00:57 > 0:00:59'And beneath the sea, I come face-to-face with
0:00:59 > 0:01:02'the reality of living in America's back yard.'
0:01:02 > 0:01:05It's quite peaceful and still down there, apart
0:01:05 > 0:01:07from this massive bomb!
0:01:09 > 0:01:12'And I head further off the tourist trail to see another
0:01:12 > 0:01:15'side of a country with a tragic reputation.'
0:01:15 > 0:01:18And this... THIS is the real treasure of Haiti.
0:01:34 > 0:01:37I'm starting my journey around the Caribbean Sea,
0:01:37 > 0:01:40here on the exotic island of Hispaniola.
0:01:46 > 0:01:49It's an island divided between two countries,
0:01:49 > 0:01:51the Dominican Republic, where I am now,
0:01:51 > 0:01:53and poor, long suffering Haiti,
0:01:53 > 0:01:56where I'll be heading to later on in my journey.
0:02:03 > 0:02:07'I headed to Santo Domingo, the capital of the Dominican Republic.
0:02:07 > 0:02:10'It's one of the largest cities in the Caribbean,
0:02:10 > 0:02:14'and it's where European settlement of the Americas first began.'
0:02:14 > 0:02:19This was the first Spanish city in the Americas.
0:02:19 > 0:02:22It was home to the first European cathedral,
0:02:22 > 0:02:25university and monastery in the New World.
0:02:28 > 0:02:32'Christopher Columbus landed on Hispaniola in 1492.
0:02:32 > 0:02:37'His brother founded the Caribbean's first European city here.'
0:02:37 > 0:02:38Hola.
0:02:40 > 0:02:43For centuries, this was a Spanish colony.
0:02:43 > 0:02:46It was from here that Europeans set off to conquer
0:02:46 > 0:02:48the rest of the Americas and, of course,
0:02:48 > 0:02:52annihilate many of the indigenous people already living there.
0:02:52 > 0:02:54The fate of the New World was set here.
0:02:57 > 0:03:01Today, the Dominican Republic boasts some of the fastest
0:03:01 > 0:03:03economic growth in the region.
0:03:07 > 0:03:09With hundreds of miles of beaches, the country's
0:03:09 > 0:03:12a bit of a Caribbean holiday cliche.
0:03:12 > 0:03:15You probably know somebody who's been here on their holidays, because
0:03:15 > 0:03:18this is the most popular tourist destination in the Caribbean.
0:03:18 > 0:03:21'Ten million people live here.
0:03:21 > 0:03:24'They're joined by about five million tourists each year.
0:03:24 > 0:03:28'There's sun, sea, sand and plenty of adventure sports,
0:03:28 > 0:03:31'without too many boring worries about health and safety.'
0:03:31 > 0:03:33Oh, my God.
0:03:33 > 0:03:36This is one of those things that sounded like a really good idea.
0:03:38 > 0:03:41I was told this was a flying boat.
0:03:42 > 0:03:45It looks more like a flying dinghy to me.
0:03:48 > 0:03:50Where do you sit?
0:03:50 > 0:03:51OK.
0:03:53 > 0:03:54HE SCREAMS
0:03:55 > 0:03:58What am I going to hold on to?
0:04:00 > 0:04:03'It wasn't the ideal experience for a traveller with vertigo.'
0:04:05 > 0:04:09HE YELLS
0:04:10 > 0:04:13'But eventually I calmed down and started to enjoy
0:04:13 > 0:04:14'the incredible view.'
0:04:23 > 0:04:28More than 25 million tourists visit the Caribbean islands each year,
0:04:28 > 0:04:30half coming from the United States.
0:04:33 > 0:04:35Many Caribbean islands have become completely
0:04:35 > 0:04:39dependent on their income from the travel industry.
0:04:51 > 0:04:54Bloody hell! You crazy Frenchmen!
0:04:54 > 0:04:56That was incredible. Thank you.
0:04:56 > 0:04:58You're welcome.
0:04:58 > 0:05:01I tell you what, it takes budget airline to a whole new level.
0:05:03 > 0:05:06I know this entire gig looks like a bit of a cushy number,
0:05:06 > 0:05:08but the Caribbean isn't all paradise.
0:05:09 > 0:05:11Away from the tourist resorts
0:05:11 > 0:05:15and lush beaches, there's another side to this country and the region.
0:05:16 > 0:05:20This island's always been a key hub for trade in the Caribbean.
0:05:20 > 0:05:24Now it's being targeted by the international drug cartels
0:05:24 > 0:05:26smuggling cocaine from the production areas
0:05:26 > 0:05:30in South America to users in North America and Europe.
0:05:31 > 0:05:34The trade is fuelling poverty in the Dominican Republic
0:05:34 > 0:05:36and an increasing drug and crime problem.
0:05:36 > 0:05:39We're just arriving at the headquarters...
0:05:39 > 0:05:42of the Police Anti-Narcotics Division.
0:05:57 > 0:06:01'Colonel David Rodriguez was briefing his special operations unit.
0:06:01 > 0:06:04'The unit is tasked with tackling violent drug gangs.'
0:06:06 > 0:06:09This is the other side of paradise, I guess.
0:06:12 > 0:06:15'I was joining them on a drugs raid.'
0:06:15 > 0:06:19What we're doing is dividing the teams. There's a couple of guys who
0:06:19 > 0:06:22are going to enter the premises on a motorcycle.
0:06:22 > 0:06:23They're like what we call the point.
0:06:23 > 0:06:27- OK.- They're going to radio us and tell us,
0:06:27 > 0:06:29"OK, fine, go in."
0:06:31 > 0:06:34I never really know whether to feel safer...
0:06:34 > 0:06:37wearing this or to feel more of a target.
0:06:43 > 0:06:44OK, we're off.
0:06:46 > 0:06:50'We were heading to one of the city's poorest districts.
0:06:50 > 0:06:53'Millions of Dominicans are still stuck in poverty,
0:06:53 > 0:06:56'and around a third of the people here live on less than £3 a day.
0:06:58 > 0:07:01'We were soon in the gang area, ready for the raid.
0:07:01 > 0:07:04'Then, suddenly, two undercover police officers ahead of us
0:07:04 > 0:07:07'spotted a wanted gang member, and we all set off in pursuit.'
0:07:17 > 0:07:19It's a right warren, isn't it?
0:07:24 > 0:07:26How can you operate in an area like this?
0:07:26 > 0:07:28HE LAUGHS
0:07:31 > 0:07:34We've basically run into a complete warren.
0:07:35 > 0:07:39And obviously, the people we were looking for have legged it.
0:07:43 > 0:07:45DOG BARKS
0:07:45 > 0:07:48- Come and take a look where a guy just jumped.- Jumped?
0:07:48 > 0:07:53He came down this, those stairs, and jumped through here.
0:07:53 > 0:07:58This goes through a tunnel that goes under the road where we parked.
0:07:58 > 0:07:59Wow.
0:07:59 > 0:08:03Apparently, he threw part of what he had in this room.
0:08:09 > 0:08:12You could hide kilos of drugs in here.
0:08:12 > 0:08:13Look at this place.
0:08:15 > 0:08:16We've got something.
0:08:16 > 0:08:18You've got something? What have we got there?
0:08:18 > 0:08:21Marijuana and cocaine.
0:08:21 > 0:08:23How much is there, approximately?
0:08:25 > 0:08:28Over 180 grams, maybe.
0:08:28 > 0:08:31So there's a couple of thousand dollars' worth of cocaine there?
0:08:31 > 0:08:33- Yeah.- So are you happy with this as a result?
0:08:33 > 0:08:37- Super happy. Super happy. - Let's go.
0:08:37 > 0:08:39'But there are now tonnes of cocaine being
0:08:39 > 0:08:41'trafficked into the Dominican Republic.
0:08:41 > 0:08:43'The police here know that a small bust like this is just
0:08:43 > 0:08:45'scratching the surface.'
0:08:45 > 0:08:48It's always the same. They've got about eight sellers,
0:08:48 > 0:08:53and each seller or distributor has the same amount
0:08:53 > 0:08:54each and every day.
0:08:54 > 0:08:58So that means this, just this gang, is shifting
0:08:58 > 0:09:02a couple of kilos of cocaine here, just this area, every day?
0:09:02 > 0:09:05- Yeah, yeah. - Thanks for bringing us along.
0:09:10 > 0:09:13In recent years, anti-narcotics operations in South
0:09:13 > 0:09:16and Central America have made the overland drug smuggling routes
0:09:16 > 0:09:18to North America more difficult.
0:09:20 > 0:09:22The international trade is increasingly shifting
0:09:22 > 0:09:24to the Caribbean islands.
0:09:25 > 0:09:30The international drug cartels are now paying
0:09:30 > 0:09:31local drug smugglers
0:09:31 > 0:09:34here in countries like the Dominican Republic.
0:09:34 > 0:09:38They're paying them in kind with their own products,
0:09:38 > 0:09:42so with cocaine and guns, basically.
0:09:42 > 0:09:45And that, of course, leads to a massive increase
0:09:45 > 0:09:50in both drug usage and, of course, crime as well,
0:09:50 > 0:09:54and all the attendant poverty and suffering that goes with that.
0:10:01 > 0:10:04Local drug gangs are getting wealthier
0:10:04 > 0:10:07and more dangerous as they get access to more powerful weapons.
0:10:09 > 0:10:12The murder rate in the Dominican Republic is several times
0:10:12 > 0:10:14higher than in the United States.
0:10:14 > 0:10:18To help deal with violent crime, Colonel Rodriguez's unit trains
0:10:18 > 0:10:21at a commando base in mountains to the north of the country.
0:10:24 > 0:10:25HE SHOUTS
0:10:25 > 0:10:27THEY SHOUT IN REPLY
0:10:30 > 0:10:34David, can you give us a sense of the scale of the threat
0:10:34 > 0:10:36your men and your women are facing?
0:10:36 > 0:10:40We have boats coming in full of cocaine shipments.
0:10:40 > 0:10:43We're talking about 1,000 kilos, 1,200 kilos.
0:10:43 > 0:10:47Now we have more drug-related murders.
0:10:47 > 0:10:49And you see that more and more here now?
0:10:49 > 0:10:52Every day. It's my 24 hours.
0:10:54 > 0:10:58Officers here are being trained in close-quarter armed combat,
0:10:58 > 0:11:01and to meet violence with an overwhelming response.
0:11:01 > 0:11:05GUNFIRE
0:11:10 > 0:11:12DAVID LAUGHS
0:11:12 > 0:11:14They're definitely dead.
0:11:15 > 0:11:17'The Colonel was keen to show me
0:11:17 > 0:11:21'why anyone with a gun can be a threat to his officers.'
0:11:21 > 0:11:23- On the left.- I'm on the left.
0:11:23 > 0:11:26- The other way.- The other way. - Yes, OK.
0:11:27 > 0:11:28There you go.
0:11:32 > 0:11:38GUNFIRE
0:11:38 > 0:11:41- There you go. To the throat. - Now, that's terrifying.
0:11:43 > 0:11:47I'm a complete... Yeah, I'm not a former soldier or anything,
0:11:47 > 0:11:49and you've just... This is the first time we've done it.
0:11:49 > 0:11:54It's horrific, frankly, that a weapon that is as powerful,
0:11:54 > 0:11:59as deadly as this is so fundamentally easy to use.
0:11:59 > 0:12:02To use. A 14-year-old kid can use it.
0:12:02 > 0:12:05- That's the horrifying point, isn't it?- Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm.
0:12:05 > 0:12:09But your officers will confront weapons like this?
0:12:09 > 0:12:12Let's put it this way, it's called organised crime.
0:12:12 > 0:12:14What we've got to do is organise ourselves.
0:12:16 > 0:12:19'The Dominican Republic is now caught up in the international
0:12:19 > 0:12:21'war on drugs.'
0:12:21 > 0:12:25It's some sort of training exercise now, in which we're the suspects.
0:12:26 > 0:12:30'It's a struggle that is devastating countries across the Caribbean region.'
0:12:31 > 0:12:32Oh, bloody hell!
0:12:32 > 0:12:35'Local Caribbean police forces are often out-gunned
0:12:35 > 0:12:38'and under-resourced. The challenge is huge.
0:12:40 > 0:12:43'In recent years, the quantity of cocaine smuggled through here
0:12:43 > 0:12:48'and on to the US and Europe has increased by around 800%.'
0:12:48 > 0:12:51So all these we have here, was received, you know,
0:12:51 > 0:12:54last week from different towns of the Dominican Republic.
0:12:54 > 0:12:58- And how much is just in... How much in there?- Nine kilos.
0:12:59 > 0:13:03Astonishing. So that's 9kg of cocaine.
0:13:03 > 0:13:05So that's worth in the region of
0:13:05 > 0:13:08£400,000 to £500,000...
0:13:08 > 0:13:11if a smuggler can get that to Europe.
0:13:12 > 0:13:15Half a million quid, just there!
0:13:15 > 0:13:18'We helped to create this problem.
0:13:18 > 0:13:20'Drugs sold and bought on the streets of Britain
0:13:20 > 0:13:22'are being smuggled through here.
0:13:22 > 0:13:26'The UK consumes a quarter of all the cocaine in the EU.'
0:13:28 > 0:13:30Look at that.
0:13:31 > 0:13:35That is a block of cocaine.
0:13:35 > 0:13:38Now, where would that have been going? To the United States?
0:13:38 > 0:13:41To the streets of Britain? Who knows?
0:13:41 > 0:13:44But more likely than not, it was heading on overseas,
0:13:44 > 0:13:46because that's where the big money is.
0:13:49 > 0:13:52'Drugs with a street value of around half a billion pounds
0:13:52 > 0:13:55'are now being burnt each year at this secure facility
0:13:55 > 0:13:57'inside an army base.'
0:14:05 > 0:14:07Astonishing.
0:14:08 > 0:14:10The heat is really intense.
0:14:12 > 0:14:16I think what you see there is the Caribbean, of course,
0:14:16 > 0:14:20not just as paradise, which it may well be,
0:14:20 > 0:14:23but the Caribbean as victim.
0:14:24 > 0:14:28It's in the middle, between the supply,
0:14:28 > 0:14:31which is coming out of Central and South America,
0:14:31 > 0:14:34and the major markets for demand,
0:14:34 > 0:14:36which are in Europe and North America.
0:14:54 > 0:14:56'It was time for me to leave the cops
0:14:56 > 0:14:59'and continue my journey across the island.
0:14:59 > 0:15:01'My local guide, Carlos,
0:15:01 > 0:15:04'suggested a pit-stop at a quirky local watering-hole.
0:15:05 > 0:15:07'I didn't know quite what to expect.'
0:15:09 > 0:15:11It's a drive-thru bar.
0:15:11 > 0:15:14Isn't it amazing? It's lovely.
0:15:14 > 0:15:17Incredible. So what can they do?
0:15:17 > 0:15:19Look, it's a full pub!
0:15:19 > 0:15:21I wanted to have a nice drink to impress my friend,
0:15:21 > 0:15:24- like a very colourful cocktail. - I want a really big umbrella in it.
0:15:24 > 0:15:28HE SPEAKS OWN LANGUAGE
0:15:28 > 0:15:29He didn't think to say,
0:15:29 > 0:15:31"Maybe it's not a good idea for you to have a drink, sir,
0:15:31 > 0:15:34"as you seem to be behind the wheel of a vehicle?"
0:15:34 > 0:15:37No? Nothing like that? I'm astonished.
0:15:37 > 0:15:40I don't think I've seen this anywhere in the world.
0:15:41 > 0:15:44What's your view, Carlos? Do you think this is a good idea?
0:15:44 > 0:15:47People here say that the most they drink,
0:15:47 > 0:15:49the safer they drive.
0:15:49 > 0:15:51Well, that's just stupid.
0:15:51 > 0:15:54Carlos, I'm very sorry to say, but that is just stupid.
0:15:54 > 0:15:56I think if you drive in the Dominican Republic,
0:15:56 > 0:15:59you can drive anywhere in the world.
0:15:59 > 0:16:00Well...if you survive.
0:16:02 > 0:16:06- Yeah, you're right.- Oh, look, the gentleman's got some drinks for us.
0:16:06 > 0:16:09- Thank you very much. - Fantastic. Thank you very much.
0:16:09 > 0:16:10That's a passionfruit cocktail.
0:16:10 > 0:16:13- Let's give it a try. We should say cheers.- Cheers, sir.
0:16:13 > 0:16:14- Cheers.- Cheers.
0:16:17 > 0:16:19Flipping heck, that's quite strong.
0:16:19 > 0:16:22This is delicious, but this is not a good idea.
0:16:24 > 0:16:25I agree with you.
0:16:25 > 0:16:27But, still, a lot of people drink and drive here.
0:16:32 > 0:16:33Gracias, senor.
0:16:33 > 0:16:35Mad.
0:16:35 > 0:16:37- Let me take that off you, Carlos. - Yes.
0:16:37 > 0:16:40- Don't you have any more. - Ooh, look at that!
0:16:40 > 0:16:42- I was about to have an accident. - Yeah, there you go,
0:16:42 > 0:16:45and that's not going to look good, is it?
0:16:45 > 0:16:48'Thousands of people die on the roads here every year.
0:16:48 > 0:16:51'According to the World Health Organization, the Dominican Republic
0:16:51 > 0:16:55'is actually the world's most dangerous place to drive.'
0:16:55 > 0:16:57Do you know anybody who's been injured,
0:16:57 > 0:16:59or worse, in road accidents?
0:16:59 > 0:17:00The son...
0:17:00 > 0:17:03of a good friend of mine...
0:17:03 > 0:17:05had a car accident just right here, in this corner,
0:17:05 > 0:17:07- a couple of years ago.- Good Lord.
0:17:07 > 0:17:10And I'm still suffering. Everybody in the office is suffering that.
0:17:10 > 0:17:12- Died?- Yeah. - And was alcohol involved?
0:17:12 > 0:17:14Yes, yes, yes, yes.
0:17:14 > 0:17:16He was drinking or somebody else was drinking?
0:17:16 > 0:17:20Somebody else was drinking, yes. It was not him. Somebody else.
0:17:23 > 0:17:25'It's a sad but common story.
0:17:25 > 0:17:28'There are laws here about drink-driving and dangerous driving,
0:17:28 > 0:17:30'but nobody seems to enforce them.
0:17:33 > 0:17:36'With that firmly in mind, and with our seat-belts applied,
0:17:36 > 0:17:38'we set off across the country.'
0:17:46 > 0:17:49'Carlos was driving me to the border between the Dominican Republic
0:17:49 > 0:17:51'and its neighbour on the island - Haiti.
0:17:54 > 0:17:57'Nearly 200 miles north-west,
0:17:57 > 0:17:59'we arrived in the town of Dajabon.
0:18:02 > 0:18:05'It looked like it was the monthly market,
0:18:05 > 0:18:07'but apparently it's this busy every day,
0:18:07 > 0:18:10'with thousands of people crossing the border.
0:18:10 > 0:18:13'I'd been catapulted into chaos and colour.'
0:18:13 > 0:18:17You stand here for a minute and you start to realise
0:18:17 > 0:18:20how the human traffic is flowing.
0:18:20 > 0:18:23This way, you've got people going back into Haiti,
0:18:23 > 0:18:25who are taking back stuff they have bought
0:18:25 > 0:18:28in the Dominican Republic to sell,
0:18:28 > 0:18:31because Haiti doesn't produce a lot.
0:18:34 > 0:18:37'Haiti's by far the poorest country in the Western hemisphere.
0:18:39 > 0:18:41'Many Haitians have fled abroad.
0:18:43 > 0:18:45'Up to a million have moved to the neighbouring,
0:18:45 > 0:18:46'richer Dominican Republic.
0:18:50 > 0:18:53Relations between the two countries are not great at the moment.
0:18:53 > 0:18:56The Dominican Republic's in the process of kicking out
0:18:56 > 0:18:59thousands of Haitians, many who've lived here for generations.
0:18:59 > 0:19:03And, historically, relations between the two states
0:19:03 > 0:19:05have not been good.
0:19:05 > 0:19:07This is part of the reason why.
0:19:07 > 0:19:09This is the River Massacre,
0:19:09 > 0:19:12and it commemorates a period in the 1930s
0:19:12 > 0:19:16when, perhaps, 25,000 or more
0:19:16 > 0:19:20Haitians were killed by Dominican soldiers.
0:19:21 > 0:19:24These were Haitians who were living in the country.
0:19:24 > 0:19:26Many of them had been here for many years,
0:19:26 > 0:19:30but the Dominicans identified who was Haitian or not
0:19:30 > 0:19:33by getting them to say the Spanish word for "parsley",
0:19:33 > 0:19:37which Creole-speaking Haitians had trouble saying properly.
0:19:37 > 0:19:39And, on that one word,
0:19:39 > 0:19:42often people lived or died.
0:19:42 > 0:19:45Many of them were hacked to death. It's appalling.
0:19:48 > 0:19:51'Haiti's become a by-word for poverty and suffering.
0:19:51 > 0:19:54'It's endured colonial rule, terrible leaders, bad luck
0:19:54 > 0:19:57'and a catastrophic earthquake in 2010.
0:19:57 > 0:19:59'It has a pretty grim reputation,
0:19:59 > 0:20:02'but I was hoping to see a different side to the place.'
0:20:03 > 0:20:04Simon, how are you?
0:20:04 > 0:20:05Jean Daniel?
0:20:05 > 0:20:07It's a pleasure to meet you.
0:20:07 > 0:20:08HE CHUCKLES
0:20:08 > 0:20:10Very nice to meet you.
0:20:10 > 0:20:11So this is Jean Daniel.
0:20:11 > 0:20:12He spotted us.
0:20:12 > 0:20:14We have a camera with us.
0:20:14 > 0:20:16The first time we've met. Thank you for coming over.
0:20:16 > 0:20:18Thank you for being here.
0:20:18 > 0:20:21And Jean Daniel is going to be our guide across Haiti.
0:20:21 > 0:20:23CAR HORN BLARES
0:20:23 > 0:20:26JEAN DANIEL SPEAKS OWN LANGUAGE
0:20:26 > 0:20:28Merci, monsieur.
0:20:28 > 0:20:29We are now in Haiti.
0:20:29 > 0:20:31It's quite busy here, mate, isn't it?
0:20:31 > 0:20:33It's quite beautiful, too.
0:20:33 > 0:20:34This is normal, is it?
0:20:34 > 0:20:36Yeah, it's really normal.
0:20:36 > 0:20:40Things are not as bad as people have portrayed it.
0:20:40 > 0:20:41- Oh, right.- You know?
0:20:41 > 0:20:43Well, I'm really excited to visit
0:20:43 > 0:20:48and I'm really looking forward to our travels around the country.
0:20:48 > 0:20:50Yes, I'm looking forward to it as well.
0:20:52 > 0:20:54Haiti wasn't always poor.
0:20:55 > 0:20:58In the 1700s, it was a French colony
0:20:58 > 0:21:01and fortunes were made here from growing sugar, coffee, cocoa,
0:21:01 > 0:21:04tobacco and cotton in the fertile climate.
0:21:06 > 0:21:09It was said to be the richest slave colony in the world,
0:21:09 > 0:21:11but not for long.
0:21:11 > 0:21:14The story of Haiti isn't all about suffering.
0:21:14 > 0:21:18It's also an extraordinary tale of struggle and victory
0:21:18 > 0:21:20against the greatest powers in the world.
0:21:21 > 0:21:23OK, you want me to get on this one?
0:21:27 > 0:21:30Look at my masterful control of this beastie.
0:21:30 > 0:21:32Whoa! Whoo!
0:21:32 > 0:21:35'I was off to see one of the wonders of the Caribbean.'
0:21:37 > 0:21:38Look at that!
0:21:39 > 0:21:40Like a castle in the clouds.
0:21:42 > 0:21:44'Perched on top of a mountain,
0:21:44 > 0:21:46'the whopping Citadelle Laferriere
0:21:46 > 0:21:49'is the largest fortress in all of the Americas.'
0:21:58 > 0:22:00It's an astonishing place, this.
0:22:00 > 0:22:03This is not what people think of
0:22:03 > 0:22:05when they think of Haiti.
0:22:05 > 0:22:06But I have, I think,
0:22:06 > 0:22:09an unfortunately negative view of the country.
0:22:09 > 0:22:10This is absolutely stunning.
0:22:10 > 0:22:14'It took 20,000 workers 50 years
0:22:14 > 0:22:16'to build the colossal structure.'
0:22:16 > 0:22:18Look at the scale of this!
0:22:18 > 0:22:20'Its walls, up to four metres thick,
0:22:20 > 0:22:22'seem as sturdy as the mountain itself.
0:22:24 > 0:22:29'Its ramparts stand almost 1,000 metres above sea-level.
0:22:29 > 0:22:30'It's an epic structure,
0:22:30 > 0:22:32'built to last for ever.'
0:22:35 > 0:22:36Oh, wow.
0:22:45 > 0:22:46It's breathtaking.
0:22:47 > 0:22:50Goodness me, look how it dominates the area.
0:22:52 > 0:22:54This Citadelle
0:22:54 > 0:22:58represents something truly extraordinary.
0:22:59 > 0:23:03Haiti is the only country to have been formed
0:23:03 > 0:23:07as the result of a successful slave rebellion.
0:23:07 > 0:23:08In the late 1700s,
0:23:08 > 0:23:12Haiti's slaves rose up against their brutal French masters.
0:23:12 > 0:23:15In wars that followed, they managed to do the unthinkable -
0:23:15 > 0:23:19they defeated the forces of the French, the British,
0:23:19 > 0:23:21even the army of the Emperor Napoleon.
0:23:21 > 0:23:25In 1804, Haiti was declared independent,
0:23:25 > 0:23:27the first free black nation in the modern world.
0:23:29 > 0:23:32Their plan to protect the new nation
0:23:32 > 0:23:36from the former slave masters,
0:23:36 > 0:23:37particularly the French,
0:23:37 > 0:23:43was that if they saw French ships coming in to retake the country,
0:23:43 > 0:23:44they would see them arriving...
0:23:44 > 0:23:47In the far distance, we can just see the sea.
0:23:47 > 0:23:51..they would retreat from the coast, burning everything as they went,
0:23:51 > 0:23:53to this fort and others.
0:23:53 > 0:23:55And they would then be able
0:23:55 > 0:23:59to ambush and attack the French soldiers on mountain passes
0:23:59 > 0:24:01and at choke points.
0:24:03 > 0:24:06The Citadelle had hundreds of cannons and water and food stores
0:24:06 > 0:24:10that could supply thousands of soldiers for a year.
0:24:10 > 0:24:12But an attack never came.
0:24:12 > 0:24:14Instead, the French used a different tactic.
0:24:16 > 0:24:19The French effectively blockaded the island
0:24:19 > 0:24:22and that was only lifted when a Haitian ruler,
0:24:22 > 0:24:26rather foolishly, agreed to pay massive reparations to France,
0:24:26 > 0:24:30basically paying them for the loss of their slave plantations.
0:24:31 > 0:24:34Those payments went on for decades
0:24:34 > 0:24:36and completely crippled Haiti.
0:24:37 > 0:24:39By the end of the 1800s,
0:24:39 > 0:24:43Haiti was still sending almost 80% of its national revenue
0:24:43 > 0:24:44to France as reparations.
0:24:48 > 0:24:53Foreign powers continued to meddle in Haiti into the 20th century.
0:24:53 > 0:24:58America invaded and occupied for two decades from 1915,
0:24:58 > 0:25:00imposing forced labour on the people
0:25:00 > 0:25:03and taking huge tracts of land for plantations.
0:25:03 > 0:25:07Since then, the country has suffered from years of coups
0:25:07 > 0:25:08and political violence.
0:25:09 > 0:25:13But through it all, Haiti has kept its unique faith,
0:25:13 > 0:25:17one rooted in both Africa and rebellious slave culture.
0:25:17 > 0:25:21It's a faith that has often inspired mistrust and fear among outsiders.
0:25:23 > 0:25:24- Bonsoir.- How are you, monsieur?
0:25:25 > 0:25:29This place is a bit off the beaten track, eh?
0:25:29 > 0:25:32'Jean Daniel was taking me to a voodoo ceremony.'
0:25:32 > 0:25:34It's important to see voodoo,
0:25:34 > 0:25:38because voodoo is an essential part of our culture, of Haiti's culture.
0:25:40 > 0:25:42It has a pretty bad reputation,
0:25:42 > 0:25:44it's seen as something scary.
0:25:44 > 0:25:45This is the soul of Haiti
0:25:45 > 0:25:48and this is why people don't understand Haiti.
0:25:48 > 0:25:50But there is nothing scary about it for Haitians.
0:25:53 > 0:25:55Its origins are said to be as old as Christianity,
0:25:55 > 0:26:00but let's be honest - voodoo is seen by many as sinister mumbo-jumbo.
0:26:00 > 0:26:02THEY SING
0:26:04 > 0:26:08The ceremony takes place here, right next to the centre pole.
0:26:08 > 0:26:11What do the white markings on the ground signify?
0:26:11 > 0:26:15They are signs that we've inherited from the Amerindians.
0:26:15 > 0:26:17Amerindians who were living here before...
0:26:17 > 0:26:20- Who were living before. - Europeans first came here...
0:26:20 > 0:26:23Way before Christopher Columbus came in.
0:26:23 > 0:26:25Way before.
0:26:25 > 0:26:27Slaves transported from West Africa
0:26:27 > 0:26:29could bring nothing but their faith.
0:26:29 > 0:26:34And here, the French forced them to convert to Catholicism.
0:26:34 > 0:26:37Am I right in thinking voodoo is a very complicated belief system,
0:26:37 > 0:26:39but it's centred around one god?
0:26:39 > 0:26:41One god, multiple spirits.
0:26:43 > 0:26:47Voodoo became the name given to the secret religion of the slaves.
0:26:47 > 0:26:50It combined the faith of their ancestors,
0:26:50 > 0:26:53the religious symbols of the original indigenous peoples
0:26:53 > 0:26:56of the Caribbean, and the Christianity of their masters.
0:26:56 > 0:26:58THEY SING AND CHANT
0:27:00 > 0:27:01They are inviting you to go.
0:27:01 > 0:27:03Goodness. OK.
0:27:06 > 0:27:09'Critics of voodoo say it's simple superstition,
0:27:09 > 0:27:11'that it holds Haiti back because it makes people believe
0:27:11 > 0:27:13'the spirits control their destiny,
0:27:13 > 0:27:16'rather than telling them they have the ability to change their life
0:27:16 > 0:27:18'by their own actions.
0:27:18 > 0:27:20'But perhaps you could say the same of many religions.'
0:27:23 > 0:27:24I have to say,
0:27:24 > 0:27:27I'm not sure if a Haitian TV crew
0:27:27 > 0:27:30turned up at a British village church
0:27:30 > 0:27:35whether they'd receive such a hospitable welcome.
0:27:35 > 0:27:37THEY SING
0:27:41 > 0:27:43Does voodoo feature in your life?
0:27:43 > 0:27:44I live voodoo.
0:27:44 > 0:27:47And I have ceremonies.
0:27:47 > 0:27:49Doesn't that make you a voodoo priest?
0:27:49 > 0:27:50Yes.
0:27:50 > 0:27:52You are a voodoo priest?
0:27:52 > 0:27:54- Indeed.- Do you have a parish?
0:27:54 > 0:27:57Do you have an area that you're responsible for?
0:27:57 > 0:27:58I would love to have a parish,
0:27:58 > 0:28:00but I'm not a Catholic priest!
0:28:00 > 0:28:02HE LAUGHS
0:28:02 > 0:28:06Has white European culture demonised the faith?
0:28:06 > 0:28:08You fear what you don't know.
0:28:08 > 0:28:12A four-year-old kid who heard that darkness was bad
0:28:12 > 0:28:13is afraid of the dark.
0:28:14 > 0:28:16It's the same.
0:28:16 > 0:28:19It's a matter of relaxing,
0:28:19 > 0:28:20understanding...
0:28:20 > 0:28:23and opening your mind to something that you don't know.
0:28:23 > 0:28:25MUSIC AND SINGING CONTINUE
0:28:28 > 0:28:31'I'm used to having my mind opened on my journeys,
0:28:31 > 0:28:34'but I've never seen anything quite like this before.'
0:28:34 > 0:28:36SHE SCREAMS AND CHANTS
0:28:41 > 0:28:42'In front of our eyes,
0:28:42 > 0:28:45'a woman was apparently being possessed by a spirit.
0:28:46 > 0:28:50'It's said to be a great honour among followers of the faith.'
0:28:50 > 0:28:54So really, our Western perception of voodoo
0:28:54 > 0:28:58is really created as a response to the fact that
0:28:58 > 0:29:04it's a faith that inspired a slave uprising on this island,
0:29:04 > 0:29:07and Europeans just couldn't accept that.
0:29:07 > 0:29:11And so, for Europeans, they've turned it into something scary.
0:29:13 > 0:29:16Voodoo's a recognised religion here.
0:29:16 > 0:29:18People say Haiti's 70% Catholic,
0:29:18 > 0:29:2030% Protestant,
0:29:20 > 0:29:22but 100% voodoo.
0:29:33 > 0:29:36The next morning, Jean Daniel drove me along the coast.
0:29:36 > 0:29:39Haiti only has a few hundred miles of paved roads -
0:29:39 > 0:29:42it's one of the reasons behind the terrible state of the economy.
0:29:44 > 0:29:46It's tricky and expensive to move anything around.
0:29:49 > 0:29:51But we stopped off at a place where a bit of money
0:29:51 > 0:29:53is trickling into the country.
0:29:58 > 0:30:01HE CHUCKLES
0:30:01 > 0:30:03This is an amazing sight.
0:30:03 > 0:30:08That is one of the largest cruise ships in the world.
0:30:08 > 0:30:11More than 6,000 passengers on board,
0:30:11 > 0:30:13almost 2,500 crew.
0:30:13 > 0:30:15It's a floating town.
0:30:16 > 0:30:18'Hundreds of thousands of tourists cruise into
0:30:18 > 0:30:21this Paradise Bay every year.
0:30:21 > 0:30:23The cruise company pays the Haitian government
0:30:23 > 0:30:26less than £10 per visitor for exclusive access.
0:30:28 > 0:30:33They generally don't leave this little tiny corner.
0:30:33 > 0:30:37Apparently, most of them don't really know they're in Haiti.
0:30:39 > 0:30:42- Oh, here come a couple of people. - What you got me? What you got me?
0:30:42 > 0:30:44We're just looking at the resort here.
0:30:44 > 0:30:47Have you ever met any of the tourists who come here?
0:30:47 > 0:30:49Do they ever come out of this area?
0:30:49 > 0:30:51Do they ever go into Cap-Haitien?
0:30:58 > 0:31:0210 or 15 off a ship that holds 6,500 passengers?
0:31:13 > 0:31:16Do you think they're benefiting Haiti by being here?
0:31:21 > 0:31:23Very true, sir. Very true.
0:31:23 > 0:31:24Travel safe out there.
0:31:24 > 0:31:26HE SPEAKS FRENCH
0:31:27 > 0:31:29- Au revoir.- Au revoir, madame.
0:31:29 > 0:31:30Bye.
0:31:40 > 0:31:42We continued south to Jean Daniel's hometown,
0:31:42 > 0:31:45the capital of Haiti,
0:31:45 > 0:31:46Port-au-Prince.
0:31:48 > 0:31:50CAR HORNS BLARE
0:31:52 > 0:31:54Built on a natural harbour,
0:31:54 > 0:31:56Port-au-Prince was once one of the major trading ports
0:31:56 > 0:31:58of the Caribbean.
0:32:02 > 0:32:06Now it's scarred by one of the worst natural disasters in recent history.
0:32:09 > 0:32:13So, here you have the back view of the cathedral,
0:32:13 > 0:32:15of what used to be the cathedral.
0:32:17 > 0:32:19Can you see?
0:32:19 > 0:32:20Oh, my God.
0:32:25 > 0:32:28'On 12th January 2010,
0:32:28 > 0:32:31'a massive earthquake rocked Port-au-Prince.'
0:32:34 > 0:32:38What is this here? This isn't left over from the earthquake, surely?
0:32:38 > 0:32:42Every inch of the entire block was destroyed during the quake.
0:32:43 > 0:32:46And it's still a pile of rubble years later?
0:32:46 > 0:32:49This is nothing compared to what it used to be.
0:32:49 > 0:32:51It used to be a mountain of rubble.
0:32:51 > 0:32:54'The earthquake destroyed much of the city.
0:32:54 > 0:32:57'More than 200,000 people were killed.
0:32:57 > 0:32:59'Even more were injured.
0:32:59 > 0:33:02'One and a half million people were left homeless.
0:33:02 > 0:33:04'It was catastrophe on a biblical scale.'
0:33:06 > 0:33:07Jean Daniel, where...
0:33:07 > 0:33:10Where were you when the earthquake hit?
0:33:10 > 0:33:14I was a bank executive at the time.
0:33:14 > 0:33:15- A bank exec?- Executive, yes.- Right.
0:33:15 > 0:33:19But from the window of my office,
0:33:19 > 0:33:21I saw the Citibank building,
0:33:21 > 0:33:24right across the street from my bank,
0:33:24 > 0:33:26crumbling down.
0:33:26 > 0:33:29And then I realised that it was an earthquake.
0:33:29 > 0:33:33And the tremors lasted a very short period of time, didn't they?
0:33:33 > 0:33:36Yeah, it lasted less than 60 seconds.
0:33:36 > 0:33:39But it felt like an hour, guys.
0:33:39 > 0:33:42You think about everything, you know?
0:33:42 > 0:33:44Your family, what's happening.
0:33:45 > 0:33:47You know, that few seconds was...
0:33:48 > 0:33:49It was extremely moving,
0:33:49 > 0:33:52extremely moving, and it's something that,
0:33:52 > 0:33:55as of now, I still cannot explain very well.
0:33:55 > 0:33:58But it changed my life completely.
0:33:58 > 0:34:00What was it like in the street outside?
0:34:00 > 0:34:04In the streets, it was absolutely horrifying.
0:34:04 > 0:34:09The entire country was covered with a white cloud.
0:34:09 > 0:34:10My God.
0:34:12 > 0:34:15All the landmarks, all the reference that I had as a kid,
0:34:15 > 0:34:16had disappeared.
0:34:17 > 0:34:19All the landmarks!
0:34:19 > 0:34:22There are no more landmarks that I knew of as a kid that were there.
0:34:22 > 0:34:25So part of my...
0:34:25 > 0:34:27Really, part of my...
0:34:31 > 0:34:32Part of my...
0:34:34 > 0:34:36..childhood has totally vanished.
0:34:39 > 0:34:40I'm sorry, mate.
0:34:47 > 0:34:49'Foreign governments and aid agencies
0:34:49 > 0:34:51'pledged billions of pounds in aid to Haiti
0:34:51 > 0:34:53'in the weeks after the earthquake,
0:34:53 > 0:34:55'but much of the money has never appeared
0:34:55 > 0:34:58'and many people here are still struggling to survive.'
0:34:58 > 0:34:59Oh, my God.
0:34:59 > 0:35:03There are dozens of places like this still around the city, aren't there?
0:35:03 > 0:35:05Yes, there are,
0:35:05 > 0:35:07particularly around the shanty towns.
0:35:07 > 0:35:10Almost half a decade after the earthquake,
0:35:10 > 0:35:12and in America's backyard,
0:35:12 > 0:35:16more than 150,000 people were still living in tented camps.
0:35:16 > 0:35:19More than 10,000 foreign organisations and charities
0:35:19 > 0:35:22have worked in Haiti since the quake.
0:35:22 > 0:35:25But fundamental problems like sewers and sanitation
0:35:25 > 0:35:27haven't been adequately addressed.
0:35:27 > 0:35:29Many local people say money that was donated to help them
0:35:29 > 0:35:32hasn't always been spent wisely.
0:35:32 > 0:35:33Many feel abandoned.
0:35:34 > 0:35:38I do sense that too many aid agencies think in the short term
0:35:38 > 0:35:41because they need quick results to please their donors
0:35:41 > 0:35:44and in reality, what this country needs
0:35:44 > 0:35:46is a long-term plan.
0:35:46 > 0:35:49'Jean Daniel agreed, but also explained that
0:35:49 > 0:35:53'Haitians need to take matters into their own hands.'
0:35:53 > 0:35:58I think that we rely too much on outside promises and influence.
0:35:58 > 0:36:02But I think that once we get together,
0:36:02 > 0:36:04that we will move forward,
0:36:04 > 0:36:06that we will move into,
0:36:06 > 0:36:09really, the development of Haiti.
0:36:09 > 0:36:12Haiti's problems go back well beyond the earthquake.
0:36:12 > 0:36:14Haitians need education,
0:36:14 > 0:36:17employment and the entire structure of a functioning state.
0:36:17 > 0:36:20They can get help from outsiders, but ultimately,
0:36:20 > 0:36:22the answers will have to come from within.
0:36:33 > 0:36:36The next morning, we went to see how Haitians are trying to tackle
0:36:36 > 0:36:38some of their deep-rooted problems.
0:36:42 > 0:36:44Adeline Bien-Aime is working with some of the city's
0:36:44 > 0:36:46most vulnerable children.
0:36:47 > 0:36:51Adeline, tell us about this place. What's going on here?
0:36:57 > 0:37:00'Restaveks are children given away by parents
0:37:00 > 0:37:01'who can't afford to look after them.
0:37:01 > 0:37:03'Often they're sent to live with a relative,
0:37:03 > 0:37:06'but sometimes they're given to strangers.'
0:37:06 > 0:37:09And what sort of life does a Restavek have?
0:37:09 > 0:37:12Are they expected to work for their new family?
0:37:31 > 0:37:34Is it servitude or is it...
0:37:34 > 0:37:36Is it, as some people have said,
0:37:36 > 0:37:37a form of slavery?
0:37:42 > 0:37:46There are thought to be at least 300,000 Restaveks in Haiti.
0:37:46 > 0:37:49They're a symptom of desperate poverty.
0:37:49 > 0:37:51Many parents think they're doing the best
0:37:51 > 0:37:53for their children by sending them away,
0:37:53 > 0:37:56but often Restavek children endure long hours of work,
0:37:56 > 0:37:58are vulnerable to horrific abuse
0:37:58 > 0:38:00and are seldom sent to school.
0:38:00 > 0:38:01Bonsoir.
0:38:01 > 0:38:03ALL: Bonsoir.
0:38:03 > 0:38:04HE CHUCKLES
0:38:04 > 0:38:07'Adeline works for the Restavek Freedom Foundation.
0:38:07 > 0:38:10'They find Restaveks, then teach and train them,
0:38:10 > 0:38:13'giving them life-skills, a chance at a job, and a future.'
0:38:18 > 0:38:20What age range do we have here?
0:38:20 > 0:38:23I set up the group. I work with them,
0:38:23 > 0:38:27and I have from 12 to, like, 20.
0:38:27 > 0:38:30So can we ask then, who is the youngest here?
0:38:30 > 0:38:32Soufonie?
0:38:32 > 0:38:35Soufonie. I would say Soufonie is the youngest.
0:38:35 > 0:38:36Soufonie, she's tiny.
0:38:36 > 0:38:40- Yeah, she is. - And Soufonie, can you tell us...
0:38:40 > 0:38:42Can you tell us a little bit about your story?
0:38:53 > 0:38:55THEY GIGGLE
0:39:04 > 0:39:06And does she hit you with her hand
0:39:06 > 0:39:08or does she hit you with something?
0:39:11 > 0:39:14Soufonie, do you have any hopes for the future?
0:39:14 > 0:39:16Do you have a dream of what you would like to be?
0:39:18 > 0:39:21CHEERING AND APPLAUSE
0:39:25 > 0:39:28I'm very honoured to hear stories from you
0:39:28 > 0:39:30and learn more about the lives that you live.
0:39:32 > 0:39:35'The Restavek Freedom Movement in Haiti is gaining momentum.
0:39:35 > 0:39:38'Adeline's Foundation has helped hundreds of children,
0:39:38 > 0:39:41'like Soufonie, to go through school.
0:39:41 > 0:39:43'But part of the key to ending the whole Restavek system
0:39:43 > 0:39:45'is raising public awareness.'
0:39:48 > 0:39:50And while I was in Haiti, the Restavek Freedom Foundation
0:39:50 > 0:39:53were putting on a little concert in the capital,
0:39:53 > 0:39:56to help remind Haitians that the life of a Restavek
0:39:56 > 0:39:57is no life for a child.
0:40:05 > 0:40:06Oh, my goodness!
0:40:07 > 0:40:10It's an incredible number.
0:40:10 > 0:40:13I thought it was going to be a small, almost private little affair.
0:40:13 > 0:40:15But there are...
0:40:15 > 0:40:18Well, there are thousands of people here.
0:40:19 > 0:40:21'It was the finals of a national competition.
0:40:24 > 0:40:27'Singers from around the country were performing songs
0:40:27 > 0:40:29'they'd written about the Restavek issue.'
0:40:29 > 0:40:31APPLAUSE
0:40:31 > 0:40:34Adeline! Hello, dearest, how are you? Can we have a kiss?
0:40:34 > 0:40:36Two, please.
0:40:36 > 0:40:39Adeline, what is the point of this concert?
0:40:39 > 0:40:41What is the aim of it?
0:41:03 > 0:41:05- Good luck, OK?- OK.
0:41:05 > 0:41:08And good luck to you, Amanda. Bonne chance.
0:41:08 > 0:41:10- Bye-bye!- Bye-bye!
0:41:10 > 0:41:13She wants to get rid of us, she wants to enjoy the concert.
0:41:13 > 0:41:14Go on, go and dance.
0:41:17 > 0:41:21'Many of the girls from the school were also enjoying the concert.'
0:41:21 > 0:41:23They seem a little excited.
0:41:23 > 0:41:25SHRIEKING
0:41:34 > 0:41:37It's really quite uplifting. It feels like we might be here
0:41:37 > 0:41:42at a turning point in Haiti's history on this subject.
0:41:42 > 0:41:45For them to hold this concert in the National Stadium
0:41:45 > 0:41:48and for there to be that many people there
0:41:48 > 0:41:52shows that this is no longer Haiti's dirty little secret.
0:41:52 > 0:41:55There's a degree of openness about it.
0:41:55 > 0:41:57And that, hopefully, will lead to change.
0:42:04 > 0:42:08But real change will only come to Haiti if the economy improves
0:42:08 > 0:42:09and people are lifted out of poverty.
0:42:12 > 0:42:13'Across much of the Caribbean,
0:42:13 > 0:42:17'tourism has helped to lift national economies.
0:42:17 > 0:42:19'Tourists spend billions of pounds a year
0:42:19 > 0:42:22'to experience the beauty of these islands.
0:42:22 > 0:42:26'Back in the 1970s, Haiti was a tourist hot spot.
0:42:26 > 0:42:28'Even wary American tourists came here.
0:42:28 > 0:42:31'But the country's desperate troubles since then
0:42:31 > 0:42:34'have left hundreds of miles of beautiful beaches empty
0:42:34 > 0:42:36'and totally undeveloped.'
0:42:36 > 0:42:39Flipping heck! Look at this place!
0:42:40 > 0:42:43- This is stunning!- It is stunning.
0:42:43 > 0:42:44No, not just stunning.
0:42:44 > 0:42:46This looks like a bit of paradise.
0:42:48 > 0:42:51And that place here, this really tells a story, doesn't it?
0:42:51 > 0:42:54Look at its position right on the beach here.
0:42:54 > 0:42:56This gorgeous beach!
0:42:56 > 0:42:59I don't know about you, but if that was a hotel, I'd stay here.
0:43:06 > 0:43:08Merci, monsieur.
0:43:09 > 0:43:12'We'd arranged to meet an American teacher from Florida
0:43:12 > 0:43:15'who's fallen in love with this bit of Haiti's coast.'
0:43:15 > 0:43:19Hello! Jamie?
0:43:19 > 0:43:21- Hello, Jamie.- Hi!
0:43:21 > 0:43:22- Can we come aboard? - Absolutely. Come on.
0:43:22 > 0:43:25- Jamie, hello. Simon. - Hi. Nice to meet you.
0:43:25 > 0:43:26Lovely to meet you, too.
0:43:26 > 0:43:28- It's a pleasure to meet you. - Pleasure!- Hi.
0:43:28 > 0:43:31He doesn't... He doesn't really like the sea.
0:43:31 > 0:43:33That's OK. We'll make him a fan of the sea soon.
0:43:43 > 0:43:46'Jamie Aquino set up and runs the Haiti Ocean Project.
0:43:48 > 0:43:50'When she first visited here eight years ago,
0:43:50 > 0:43:53'Jamie soon released that this undiscovered part
0:43:53 > 0:43:54'of the Caribbean was exceptional.'
0:43:56 > 0:44:00There is an underwater topography in Haiti that's unique.
0:44:00 > 0:44:02There's two giant underwater canyons.
0:44:02 > 0:44:04Starting at one mile off the coast,
0:44:04 > 0:44:07they drop to about 2,000 or 3,000 feet.
0:44:07 > 0:44:09In the middle, about ten miles out,
0:44:09 > 0:44:11they're down to 15,000 feet.
0:44:11 > 0:44:15It's incredible! So just off the coast, you basically...
0:44:15 > 0:44:18The ground drops away underneath the sea
0:44:18 > 0:44:19and there is a vastness.
0:44:19 > 0:44:22The vast, deep ocean is right there,
0:44:22 > 0:44:25it's just off the coast of Haiti. And what lives there?
0:44:25 > 0:44:28Lots of marine mammals. Pilot whales, bottle-nosed dolphins.
0:44:28 > 0:44:30There's quite a population of sperm whales.
0:44:30 > 0:44:33I've also run into about a thousand spotted dolphins
0:44:33 > 0:44:34around the boat, as well.
0:44:34 > 0:44:36- Well, that would be spectacular. - Yeah.
0:44:36 > 0:44:39I'm not going to be able to take my eyes off the sea now.
0:44:42 > 0:44:45'Jamie is encouraging local youngsters to get involved with conservation
0:44:45 > 0:44:49'in the hope they can establish a marine tourism industry in the area
0:44:49 > 0:44:52'and help to protect this unique environment.'
0:44:52 > 0:44:55- Let it go?- Yeah, just don't want to get it tangled.
0:44:55 > 0:44:58'By popping the microphone into the water,
0:44:58 > 0:45:02'she can detect noisy dolphins or whales within a two-mile radius.'
0:45:02 > 0:45:05I've never heard the ocean like that.
0:45:05 > 0:45:08- That's not the waves at the surface. - Right, right.- That is the sea.
0:45:08 > 0:45:11- There you go, listen. - JAMIE CHUCKLES
0:45:11 > 0:45:14WATERY RUSTLING
0:45:14 > 0:45:16Isn't that special?
0:45:16 > 0:45:18Rather than just being a body of water,
0:45:18 > 0:45:21- this shows it much more as a living thing, I think.- Mm-hm.
0:45:21 > 0:45:23CLICKING
0:45:25 > 0:45:27Hold on. I think I hear dolphins.
0:45:27 > 0:45:30I'm hearing, like, a "eeer". Listen.
0:45:30 > 0:45:32CLICKING
0:45:34 > 0:45:37- Can you hear?- I can hear dolphins! - Yeah.
0:45:38 > 0:45:40- They really are. - Yeah, they're really close.
0:45:40 > 0:45:42"Eeer-eeer!"
0:45:42 > 0:45:44- Wow, they're having a right old gossip.- Yeah.
0:45:48 > 0:45:51'With dolphins nearby, we were all on high alert.'
0:46:02 > 0:46:04Where?
0:46:04 > 0:46:07Straight down. The same line as the boat.
0:46:07 > 0:46:09- Oh, yeah! - Just here, coming right across!
0:46:09 > 0:46:11Look, dolphins!
0:46:13 > 0:46:16Oh, my goodness! Look at them!
0:46:16 > 0:46:20'There was a pod of at least 30 pantropical spotted dolphins.
0:46:21 > 0:46:24'There have been few scientific studies about life
0:46:24 > 0:46:26'in this unique corner of the Caribbean Sea,
0:46:26 > 0:46:29'but Jamie's convinced that deep below us is a breeding
0:46:29 > 0:46:33'and feeding ground for a population of endangered sperm whales.
0:46:33 > 0:46:36'What is clear is that this is a home for some of the most
0:46:36 > 0:46:38'magnificent creatures in our seas.'
0:46:38 > 0:46:41And this... THIS is the real treasure of Haiti.
0:46:45 > 0:46:48'Judging by the excited reaction of the youngsters on the boat,
0:46:48 > 0:46:51'Jamie's project has a real chance of success.
0:46:54 > 0:46:57'It's her hope that spectacles like this will encourage more tourists
0:46:57 > 0:46:58'to visit this beautiful country,
0:46:58 > 0:47:00'which could help it economically...
0:47:02 > 0:47:04'..but could also change the image of Haiti
0:47:04 > 0:47:07'as just a place of trouble and suffering.
0:47:13 > 0:47:16'It was time for me to leave the island of Hispaniola
0:47:16 > 0:47:19'and head east on my journey around the Caribbean Sea.'
0:47:35 > 0:47:37Look at the size of it!
0:47:37 > 0:47:40We're off to America...sort of.
0:47:41 > 0:47:43Caribbean Fantasy!
0:47:43 > 0:47:46'The whole Caribbean exists in the shadow of the United States,
0:47:46 > 0:47:50'but now I was off to a place that's basically the 51st state.'
0:47:50 > 0:47:52Oh, blimey! A bit of razzamatazz.
0:47:55 > 0:47:56Hello, ladies.
0:47:59 > 0:48:02Right, I think I'd better find my cabin.
0:48:05 > 0:48:066139.
0:48:09 > 0:48:10Phew!
0:48:11 > 0:48:15Oh! Oh, I'm glad to get that off.
0:48:15 > 0:48:17Let's have a look, quick!
0:48:17 > 0:48:19View!
0:48:22 > 0:48:25What a glorious view. It'll change soon.
0:48:27 > 0:48:29We're off across the Caribbean.
0:48:33 > 0:48:35'We sailed through the night across the Mona Passage
0:48:35 > 0:48:38'to the island of Puerto Rico.'
0:48:44 > 0:48:46Well, that's how to arrive!
0:48:52 > 0:48:55'This island is the spoils of war.
0:48:55 > 0:48:57'Puerto Rico is actually a territory of the USA.
0:49:01 > 0:49:04'The United States took control of the island in 1898
0:49:04 > 0:49:06'following the Spanish-American War.'
0:49:06 > 0:49:08Look at this!
0:49:10 > 0:49:13We've just come into the capital of Puerto Rico,
0:49:13 > 0:49:17and, honestly, we've arrived in the States.
0:49:21 > 0:49:24'It couldn't be more different to Haiti.
0:49:24 > 0:49:27'At first glance, it looked like people here
0:49:27 > 0:49:29'are living the American dream.'
0:49:30 > 0:49:32Are you from here, Jose?
0:49:32 > 0:49:34Born and raised down here, yeah.
0:49:34 > 0:49:36Life looks pretty good here.
0:49:36 > 0:49:37Well...
0:49:39 > 0:49:41It's... It's...
0:49:41 > 0:49:43It looks like that.
0:49:43 > 0:49:46But you're a territory of the richest country in the world.
0:49:46 > 0:49:49Surely everything is just going absolutely swimmingly here.
0:49:51 > 0:49:52It doesn't work like that.
0:49:52 > 0:49:54We're not on equal terms.
0:49:58 > 0:50:00'Driving around the capital, San Juan,
0:50:00 > 0:50:01'I could see there were areas
0:50:01 > 0:50:04'hit hard by bankruptcy and an economic downturn.'
0:50:05 > 0:50:07See how buildings are closed over here?
0:50:07 > 0:50:11Oh, yes, look at this. Closed. Closed.
0:50:11 > 0:50:16Closed. Sale or rent signs up over here. Closed.
0:50:16 > 0:50:19- Not good.- No, not at all.
0:50:20 > 0:50:23'Energy, food and other costs are much higher in Puerto Rico
0:50:23 > 0:50:25'than on the US mainland.
0:50:25 > 0:50:28'And the local government here has got itself into financial troubles,
0:50:28 > 0:50:31'spending more than it can afford and getting deep into debt.'
0:50:31 > 0:50:34So, how is all this impacting on people here?
0:50:34 > 0:50:38People are scared. Job opportunities are reduced.
0:50:38 > 0:50:43Most of the professionals that are graduating from our university,
0:50:43 > 0:50:47they jump into a plane and they go to the United States
0:50:47 > 0:50:49and find a job over there.
0:50:49 > 0:50:54From 2000 to 2013, over 200,000 people left Puerto Rico.
0:50:54 > 0:50:58My wife is one of them. She just moved to Florida.
0:50:58 > 0:51:01- Your wife...- Yeah. - ..has moved to Florida?!- Yeah.
0:51:01 > 0:51:05She landed a job with the same company she was working for here.
0:51:05 > 0:51:09She's going to be making over three times what she was making here.
0:51:09 > 0:51:11- Three times more? - Three times. Same company.
0:51:11 > 0:51:14How on earth does that work for you as a couple?
0:51:14 > 0:51:19Well, it's a sacrifice, but I'll be moving shortly.
0:51:21 > 0:51:24'There are now more Puerto Ricans living in mainland America
0:51:24 > 0:51:25'than in Puerto Rico.
0:51:25 > 0:51:28'The problem's often called the brain drain
0:51:28 > 0:51:30'and it's a huge issue across the region.
0:51:30 > 0:51:32'In some Caribbean countries,
0:51:32 > 0:51:36'70% of the educated workforce have emigrated.'
0:51:36 > 0:51:38Cheers, Jose!
0:51:45 > 0:51:49'I headed to a small island off the coast called Vieques.'
0:51:58 > 0:52:00Wild horses.
0:52:01 > 0:52:03It's quite a special place, eh?
0:52:06 > 0:52:10'It's also a place where the impact of America has left deep scars.'
0:52:14 > 0:52:16Great view.
0:52:16 > 0:52:21It looks, um...peaceful and magnificent now, doesn't it?
0:52:21 > 0:52:25But for decades, this was actually
0:52:25 > 0:52:30one of the United States' military's principal firing ranges.
0:52:30 > 0:52:32It was a bomb-testing area, basically.
0:52:35 > 0:52:38'For more than 60 years, the United States Navy used Vieques
0:52:38 > 0:52:41'to test weapons it would use in conflicts around the world.'
0:52:42 > 0:52:46Huge quantities of munitions were kept at that end of the island,
0:52:46 > 0:52:49then flown up to that end and dropped.
0:52:50 > 0:52:53It's still restricted and we're not allowed to go there,
0:52:53 > 0:52:55but that end of the island is said to be
0:52:55 > 0:52:58as cratered as the surface of the moon.
0:53:01 > 0:53:04'The US military bombarded the island
0:53:04 > 0:53:07'with hundreds of thousands of tons of bombs.
0:53:07 > 0:53:09'They even used the chemical Agent Orange.
0:53:09 > 0:53:12'I met up with local fisherman, Cacimar Zenon,
0:53:12 > 0:53:15'who lived through the bombing, to find out what it was like.'
0:53:28 > 0:53:30'The constant explosions shook houses
0:53:30 > 0:53:32'and made life here intolerable.
0:53:33 > 0:53:36'Islanders began a campaign of protest and direct action.'
0:53:38 > 0:53:40People from the island are coming in
0:53:40 > 0:53:42on a protest boat
0:53:42 > 0:53:43to try and disrupt
0:53:43 > 0:53:45the firing and shooting.
0:53:45 > 0:53:47Goodness me.
0:53:47 > 0:53:49I mean, this is such
0:53:49 > 0:53:51a graphic illustration
0:53:51 > 0:53:53of the heavy hand
0:53:53 > 0:53:55of the United States.
0:53:57 > 0:54:00'After a local man was killed by a stray bomb,
0:54:00 > 0:54:02'protests reached fever pitch.
0:54:02 > 0:54:05'And in 2002, the US was finally forced to end the bombing.'
0:54:19 > 0:54:22'The US military claims it's now carrying out an enormous clean-up
0:54:22 > 0:54:25'operation on the island, but they denied us access to film it.
0:54:27 > 0:54:30'Many islanders who make their living from the Caribbean
0:54:30 > 0:54:33'say there's also an enormous threat in the sea.
0:54:33 > 0:54:35'Cacimar took me out for a dive.
0:55:01 > 0:55:04'Out of the depths, I could see a dark shape looming.
0:55:13 > 0:55:17'At least 12 feet long, with its nose buried in the ocean floor.
0:55:26 > 0:55:29'Fishermen here say there are thousands of unexploded bombs
0:55:29 > 0:55:31'and munitions littering the seabed.
0:55:33 > 0:55:36'They fear a disaster if any get drawn into their nets.'
0:55:48 > 0:55:51It sure is quite peaceful and still down there...
0:55:51 > 0:55:54apart from this massive bomb!
0:55:54 > 0:55:56Unbelievable.
0:55:56 > 0:56:00That was the most terrifying thing by a long way I've seen underwater.
0:56:01 > 0:56:05I...I can't quite get my head around it, I really can't.
0:56:05 > 0:56:07There's, um... And I don't know what's madder,
0:56:07 > 0:56:11diving down onto it, or sitting on a boat on top of it.
0:56:14 > 0:56:16Look how close we are to the coast.
0:56:16 > 0:56:18People fish in these waters.
0:56:20 > 0:56:21Completely surreal.
0:56:25 > 0:56:27'Fishermen here are pleading with the US military
0:56:27 > 0:56:29'to clean up the seabed.
0:56:29 > 0:56:31'Until they do, we can't be sure
0:56:31 > 0:56:33'whether the device I saw is likely to explode.
0:56:34 > 0:56:36'Aside from the risk of detonations,
0:56:36 > 0:56:40'Cacimar and experts believe the bombs pose other dangers.
0:56:40 > 0:56:41'They fear the munitions are
0:56:41 > 0:56:44'leaching dangerous chemicals into the food chain,
0:56:44 > 0:56:47'affecting the fish that the local population then eat.'
0:57:05 > 0:57:07'A report by a Puerto Rican scientist showed
0:57:07 > 0:57:10'that there were 30% more deaths from cancer on Vieques
0:57:10 > 0:57:12'than on the Puerto Rican mainland.
0:57:14 > 0:57:17'The US government refuses to accept there's a link
0:57:17 > 0:57:19'between the bombing and cancer rates.
0:57:20 > 0:57:24'But Cacimar and many islanders are not ready to give up the fight.
0:57:24 > 0:57:26'They want compensation and a faster clean-up.
0:57:36 > 0:57:39'I'd reached the end of the first stage of my journey
0:57:39 > 0:57:41'around the Caribbean Sea.'
0:57:42 > 0:57:43HE EXHALES
0:57:51 > 0:57:53It's completely breathtaking.
0:57:54 > 0:57:57It's been a fascinating adventure so far.
0:57:57 > 0:57:59A bit frightening at times,
0:57:59 > 0:58:02but through an absolutely stunning region of our world.
0:58:04 > 0:58:07And I can't wait to continue my journey around the Caribbean Sea.
0:58:09 > 0:58:12'On the next leg of my journey, I visit one of the Caribbean's
0:58:12 > 0:58:16'most gorgeous islands and get an unusual taste of paradise.'
0:58:16 > 0:58:17Yes, baby!
0:58:17 > 0:58:20'I travel through Venezuela's lawless border country.
0:58:22 > 0:58:24'And in the coastal mountains of Colombia,
0:58:24 > 0:58:27'I meet one of the oldest surviving civilisations in the Americas.'
0:58:30 > 0:58:32THEY LAUGH