Peas & The Mudd

Two Haitian Shanty Towns in Marsh Harbour

--Blogpost written by Bob

This blogpost is about two Haitian communities, sometimes referred to as shanty towns, in Marsh Harbour.  This account is from my personal visits on February 2 and 4, 2018.  My goal was to try to understand the living conditions in the shanty towns.  Prior to my visits I have never had any exposure to Haitian immigrants.  I have been exposed to immigrants from Mexico and Central America in the U.S. and, while there are some similarities, the Haitian immigrants are culturally different.

The shanty towns or Peas and The Mudd
are shown on the above Google map.

I had to look up Google Maps to find where The Mudd was located.  I was surprised to find out it was within easy walking distance of the harbor.  Our sailboat is anchored in the harbor which is the blue area within the hook in the above map.  We frequently walked through the town of Marsh Harbour to Maxwell's Supermarket or to the BTC (wireless) office.  We never even knew of the two shanty towns that were just a stone's throw from the roads we commonly traveled. 

The Mudd is located on crown land which is now a sort of public land--no individual owns it. The land where Peas is located is owned by an individual who collects a small rent from the residents. 

The Names of the Two Shanty Towns

The word “mudd” (ending in two “d”s) means to be unattractive, unappealing, or just plain ugly. In some cases, the shanty town’s name is found in print as using just one “d” at the end, which simply means a slimy mixture of water and dirt. The area now occupied by The Mudd was the site of spoil deposits from dredging the harbor. Both meanings can be applied to the shanty town.

Peas (sometimes called Pigeon Peas), on the other hand, was probably named after trees that grew wild in the area maybe 50 years or so ago.  A pigeon pea is a tropical pea-like seed (green before they ripen and reddish brown after they ripen) that is harvested from trees, cooked, and consumed, usually with rice.  The reddish brown pigeon peas taste like small brown beans while the green versions taste more like green peas.

A common side dish in the Bahamas is peas and rice.
The peas are actually pigeon peas that grow 
wild on trees in tropical climates.

Poverty in Haiti: The Reason for Immigration

Levels of poverty in Haiti are generally regarded as among the most severe in the Western Hemisphere. The United Nations estimated that in 2014, the national poverty rate in Haiti was 58.6%, with 24.7% living in abject (lowest form) poverty.

According to Wikipedia, “Haiti has constantly been plagued with low levels of living conditions, with many Haitians moving into the capital city of Port-au-Prince in a bid to escape poverty in the more rural areas of the country.”  Immigration to the Bahamas began in the 1960's and has continued through the past several decades.  Haitian immigrants, while fleeing Haiti, have brought along the culture of poverty to their communities in the Bahamas.  

Attitudes Toward the Shanty Towns

We have observed that in the Abacos, and in Marsh Harbour in particular, there are three social “classes” among the locals: the business-class whites, the Bahamian working-class blacks, and the Haitian community. The business-class whites seem to have the edge in terms of wealth. The Bahamian working-class blacks are the middle class and they have the political clout in the government. The Haitian community are the lowest social class of locals with neither wealth nor political clout and are generally considered as “outsiders.” They become the scapegoat for all the problems in the Abacos, some of it deservedly.

Prior to visiting the two shanty towns I did some research on line and I talked to a couple of acquaintances in Marsh Harbor about what they knew about the shanty towns.  One of the acquaintances went off on a little tirade in her less-than-perfect english about why "they" (meaning the Haitian immigrants) couldn't be like everyone else and just buy a home and take care of it.  It is obvious that she had absolutely no understanding of what it is like to be poor and living in a country without citizenship.

Most locals outside the Haitian community, don’t like the buildings “going up by the day” without any regulation. They dislike the dangerous sewerage issues that contaminate water tables. They feel that the Haitian communities are breeding rodents and their piles of garbage present a deadly environment for the spread of diseases like cholera and dengue. Some are simply prejudice, even Bahamian blacks. We were told openly by a local (in this case, a white Bahamian) that they have to send their own children to private schools at a cost while Haitian children are educated (for free) in public schools. Since Bahamians are well educated by their public school system, the aforementioned statement was purely prejudicial.  Some locals complain of the fire hazards. 

Population of the Haitian Communities

It has been estimated (before the recent fire in The Mudd) that there were 300 homes in Peas and 600 homes in The Mudd. Based on my observation, I believe these numbers are exaggerated but I will use them anyway for lack of better information.

After the recent fire in The Mudd, the firefighters counted the number of homes destroyed as 55 and the number of people displaced as 170. The number of people per home works out to be 3.09. If we apply 3.09 people per home to the number of homes estimated in each community, we can develop a rough estimate of the populations.

          Peas - 927 people

          The Mudd - 1,854 people

          Total for both communities - 2,781 people

The population of Marsh Harbor was approximately 6300 in 2012, not including the Haitian communities.  So, the total population is more like 9,081 with the Haitian communities representing 31% of the population of Marsh Harbour—this is a very significant percentage!

House Fires

However real the fire hazards are, they seldom extend outside the borders of the Haitian communities themselves.

On Sunday morning, January 28, 2018 a fire destroyed 55 homes in The Mudd.  We were in Hope Town at the time. This event is what caused my interest in these two shanty towns. 170 people were displaced by this fire.

The site of the recent fire in The Mudd
that destroyed 55 homes.

About 15 months ago (on Tuesday, October 18, 2016) a similar fire broke out in The Mudd shortly after 9:00 PM.  A single story wooden structure was destroyed. The fire was quickly extinguished and the burnt remains of a child were found in the ashes.

This photograph illustrates the close proximity of the
homes in The Mudd.  Fire can easily spread
from one home to the next.

In 2014, four years ago, a similar incident prompted a government pledge to relocate more than 150 people who were displaced after a fire.

An example of an unsafe propane installation
on the side of a home in The Mudd.

Fighting the house fires are complicated by poor roads, homes being so close together, and the multitude of additional hazards encountered like unsafe outside propane tank installations, unsafe electrical installations, generators, and all the disabled vehicles in the area.

The Living Conditions We Encountered

Don McKay Boulevard is lined with all types of businesses from hardware stores to auto stores to banks and even a KFC fast food restaurant.  Peas and The Mudd lie just behind the businesses on Don McKay Boulevard.  In fact, the businesses have erected wire fences in back of their buildings to shield their property from the shanty towns.  

Maggie and I walked southward on Don McKay Boulevard until we got to the Canadian Bank Building and then we turned right into the two shanty towns.  A burned out car sat along the road into the shanty towns.  This was a sign of what we would soon find.

A burned out car sits along the road entering the
shanty towns of The Mud and Peas.

We first turned left into Peas.  The gravel road was full of craters.  Feral chickens roamed around on the sides of the road among an enormous amount of litter.  We, then, found what looked like a car repair business surrounded by shanties.  We didn't go any further in this direction because we felt like we would be intruding.  Instead, we turned around and walked northward toward The Mudd.

There are an awful lot of cars sitting around with their hoods up.
Could this be a car repair business among shanty homes?

Along the street we passed several Haitians and they were very friendly to us, greeting us with "Good morning" in perfect English.  In fact, every occasion for us to talk to the Haitian immigrants was very positive.  Before we walked to the shanty towns, I expected to see tiny homes that were constructed from crates and drift wood with tarpaper roofs.  However, most of the homes we saw were painted in bright colors (green seemed to be a favorite), had shingle roofs, and jalousie windows (windows that open and close like louvers).

One of the roads into The Mudd.

Several homes in the north
section of The Mudd.

Both Peas and The Mudd were full of broken down vehicles.  It seems that they could be repaired and used or sold for scrap metal but there were probably no funds to do the repairs or haul them away.

Another road into The Mudd, this one with some foot traffic.  
All the vehicles on the right side of this image were 
broken down with flat tires, etc.

More broken down vehicles along a different road--this
one in the north section of The Mudd.

On Super Bowl Sunday a lot of people were home.
Here you can see some very modern vehicles
apparently in good condition.

Community Businesses

There are many businesses within the Haitian communities, as shown in the two photographs in this section.  Another one we noticed sold onions, potatoes, and eggs on a very small scale.  There are 30 businesses in the Peas and 45 businesses in The Mudd.  Most are small businesses run out of the home.  (A business license in Marsh Harbour is simply a small business tax based on the last year's business income--it is no where near the level of taxation on businesses in the U.S.  I believe most of these businesses are unlicensed.)

This is a barber shop in The Mudd.  Note that the
deck is constructed from old shipping pallets.

A home-based business in The Mudd
selling used clothing and shoes.

Human Waste: The Real Danger

There are no waste treatment facilities anywhere in Marsh Harbour except for septic tanks, which are basically large underground vessels holding sewage and gray water, usually from a single home. Septic tanks allow a small amount of solid waste and a larger amount of liquid waste to seep into the surrounding ground where further decay occurs. Ground water pollution is likely to occur if the drainage field for liquids is not sufficiently large to handle natural filtration. Because human waste usually accumulates faster than the rate of decay in a septic tank, the sludge needs to be pumped out from time to time using a vacuum truck. (Septic tanks are common systems in the rural areas of the U.S.)

It has been estimated that for the Peas’ 300 homes, 150 had septic systems and 15 used outside toilets. This means that 135 homes (45%) did not have a system to handle human waste from their home.

In The Mudd, the numbers are even greater—of their 600 homes, 100 have septic tanks and 10 used outside toilets. This means that 490 homes (82%) did not have a system to handle human waste from their home.

A big question is what do the people do in the homes without a system for handling their human waste? The mental picture gets even uglier from here. Do they share toilets with nearby homes? Do they simply use a bucket? What do they do with the contents of the bucket? Incidentally, in Marsh Harbour the water table is only six feet below the ground’s surface in most places. This situation is like a ticking time bomb.

The Culture of Poverty

This home had a purple curtain as a front door.  Immediately
outside the home was a vacant area that was full of
 trash and even a discarded fiberglass bathtub.

The above photograph is the one that disturbs me the most.  My thought was that it doesn't take any amount of money to keep your living area clear of trash and discarded appliances.  However, the more thought I gave this issue, I've concluded it must involve a cultural difference between the Haitian immigrants and almost everyone else. 

In a report, Andrews University addressed the shanty towns as a challenge to city planning.  They argue that a pathway to legal land ownership (through lease-to-purchase contracts) must be provided for the Haitian communities.  Through proper waste treatment, water and electrical services, vegetable gardens, better roads and housing, and public parks could greatly improve the living conditions of the Haitian communities.  However, the cultural aspect of the Haitian immigrant community would likely torpedo this well-intended effort.

Correcting the living conditions in the shanty towns will involve a long-term effort and I agree that some legal way to introduce land ownership (and Bahamian citizenship) has to be part of any successful long-term effort.   Most of the Haitian immigrants that occupy the shanty towns don't have a country to return to--the Bahamas is their homeland.  The cultural of poverty will take generations to substantially improve but I believe it can be done.

Thanks for following our blog!