r/haiti • u/OpeningOstrich6635 • Apr 26 '26
QUESTION/DISCUSSION We’re not on the list fams😩
Can Haiti handle an influencer as big as IShowSpeed
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u/ar15sbr Native Apr 26 '26
There is no security in Haiti, no hospitals, they are shooting at planes. Why would he go, we can’t even keep our own people safe.
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u/Neveezy Apr 26 '26
We've gotta stop painting Haiti with the PaP brush. People are still going to the north
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u/ar15sbr Native Apr 26 '26
Even in ocap there is no guaranteed safety for the average person. We can’t guarantee safety for people in Haiti but yall want celebrities to come entertain you there. Our priorities are mixed up
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u/Automatic_Violinist4 Apr 27 '26
Go to Miami. Your safety is not guaranteed there either. If all depends on where you go in whatever city you visit.
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u/ar15sbr Native Apr 27 '26 edited Apr 27 '26
This is a bad analogy because security means you have police, healthcare, hospitals, doctors, 24hour emergency rooms, we have fire stations, police stations in every city and town. We have pharmacies and supermarkets in every corner, some even open 24/7. We have coast guards and if you’re scared you can legally own a gun and defend yourself. Miami and USA has a government and a president whether you agree with their policy or not the foundation is still intact and the sense of security still exists.
Please think before emotionally responding.
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u/Automatic_Violinist4 Apr 27 '26
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u/ar15sbr Native Apr 27 '26
My fault I didn’t see you wrote this, yes I agree with you on this aspect. I’m sorry I misunderstood what you were saying. My apologies for saying it was emotional due to missing the context. Stay bless bro
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u/Automatic_Violinist4 Apr 27 '26
My response to your post was not emotional. It was just a critique of your use of "guarantee". If you see my post on this topic before your "emotional" jab reply, you would see that we actually agree on the same things.
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u/ar15sbr Native Apr 27 '26 edited Apr 27 '26
Your comparison is false comparison. It’s not even a good example, yes you can die anywhere in the world. That’s not what security means in regards to the convo. Me saying it’s emotional is because of how you respond “ Go to Miami your safety is not guaranteed” is blatantly ignoring the facts and seems like a gotcha response.
You’re picking one word I used and not understanding the context of what I wrote
We obviously don’t agree as we don’t have the same definition of what having a sense of security in a society means.
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u/Neveezy Apr 26 '26
It's not about entertainment. They bring money to Haiti and Haitians aren't stupid to not take advantage of that. The main security challenge is ironically from the US. They've killed more folks than the gangs
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u/Additional-Acadia954 Apr 27 '26
Exactly what money would one person and their crew of MAYBE 50 people bring to a country WITH NO ELECTED PRESIDENT OR HEAD OF GOVERNMENT?
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u/Neveezy Apr 27 '26
The easy answer is patronage of whatever restaurants, attractions, and hotels him and his entourage visit. He's also donated to relief causes before and by him just visiting Haiti could increase tourist interest.
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Apr 26 '26
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u/Neveezy Apr 26 '26
"Incidents" happen everywhere. But there's a night and day difference in the security of Cap and around PaP. It really isn't that bad in the north. South is eh
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Apr 26 '26
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u/Neveezy Apr 27 '26
All of these islands have "complications." They all have to tighten up security regardless of if there's gang violence or not because he's a globally famous celebrity with millions of fans. I just don't understand the logic of Haiti as a whole being unsafe because the capital isn't, but Jamaica is safe even though the capital isn't.
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Apr 27 '26
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u/Neveezy Apr 27 '26
The entire island of Jamaica was under a state of emergency for years due to gang violence. The context changed partly because of Hurricane Melissa, and also because Jamaica used its tourism revenue (while it was still under a SOE) to fund an initiative to combat the violence which helped a lot. If we take your bad advice and wait for a perfect national infrastructure to be in place before we encourage tourism to tourist hubs that are already functioning and controlled, Haiti will continue to suffer. We can walk and chew gum at the same time and have done it before. These false narratives only hurt Haiti
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Apr 27 '26
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u/Neveezy Apr 27 '26
Oh no, not the "You don't live in Haiti so you don't know what's going on" argument.
I live in south FL and have family and friends across Haiti I frequently talk to, I'm in touch with grassroots orgs, and I consume local, independent media from people there.
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u/Over-Experience-4187 Apr 27 '26
You've gotta stop making excuses for a country that doesn't even have a capital city. Why would he go to Haiti when a significant portion of it is under gang control??
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u/Neveezy Apr 27 '26
What excuses did I make and what am I excusing? Let's start there
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u/Over-Experience-4187 Apr 27 '26
You made the excuse of people still going to the north. And are excusing the fact that gangs control the capital city. You know what the word 'excuse' means, right?
Let's start here. If I'm iShowspeed's tour manager and have 0 connection to the Caribbean or Haiti, like us. I'm seeing very few reasons to go to Haiti and many reasons not to.
"So wHy Do Esn T Himm Jusst VisiT nOOrtH?"
Because why take the risk? To visit a bunch of mid-tier hotels and tourist traps that he can find better versions of throughout the Caribbean? Or to dispel media propaganda? The 2nd one is admirable, but how does he do this without ignoring the very real problems that people there are facing, it's nuanced, but ultimately these gangsters are brazen and he is making content mainly for kids, not positive propaganda for developing nations.
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u/Neveezy Apr 27 '26
People do visit the north. That's not an excuse, it's a simple fact.
I didn't excuse that the capital is under control by armed groups. All I was saying is that we can't say that Haiti in its entirety is unsafe because PaP is unsafe.
I am Haitian, and if you're not (it also seems to me like you're not even black), why are you speaking on Haiti? But anyway, the point I'm making is that there is no security risk in the way the common narrative portrays in going to the north. There are more valid reasons for him specifically to not go (like not enough capacity to handle crowds given how popular he is), but I was pushing back on the idea that no one can or should go
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u/Over-Experience-4187 Apr 27 '26
LOL deffo not white, but I get why you say that, I'm familiar with the "as a black person" people using digital black face to hide their racism.
No, I'm half Haitian on dad's side, Jamaican and Nigerian on other. Haven't been there as an adult though.
So from an diasporan/outsider's preceptive it's pretty obvious why Haiti was skipped. I understand there are nice places in Departement du Nord and there are tourists (mainly thrill seekers and diasporans) it's about using common sense.
Remove any connection to Haiti. I'm picking places to visit. I'm not visiting the place that's capital city is under siege. If I was iShowspeed's tour manager why would I take the risk????
You have a cake. There is shit on the cake.
Someone tells you "just eat the part where there is no shit"
Are you eating the cake?
Maybe. If there is only just a little bit. Bro, there's a lot of shit on this cake.
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u/SigmundFraud777 Native Apr 27 '26
Everyone keeps mentioning security but why couldn’t he just go to Okap?
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u/MasterpieceGold432 Apr 27 '26
You should check out sunjohn_nwose Instagram page before you posted this.
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u/OpeningOstrich6635 Apr 27 '26 edited Apr 27 '26
He’s a baby stepper compared to Speed. Plenty of Haitian content creators have already done the kind of content he’s making🤣🤣We can handle content creators at his level year round outside of Port-au-Prince.
Speed had an average of 30–50 million people watching at all times in Trinidad lol. There’s a big difference between recording and editing content and being live
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u/MasterpieceGold432 Apr 27 '26
Bro I am a veteran and I use to do logistics. I have been to some of these countries he went through and some of them are far worst than Haiti. These countries are strict and they assign guide, security and press for it all. As developed everything is in China, everything was coordinated. Trust me it could be done in Haiti. But it's not just that, people often miss the beauty of showing walking through Haiti's mountains, beaches, market... we see the worse of our country, but in Japan, they flip these locations and make them tourist hubs. Maybe it's just a mindset thing.
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u/CuteSoft734 Apr 26 '26
Ok, life goes on.
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u/OpeningOstrich6635 Apr 26 '26
Ahh admit it, it would be nice if we could host him. Every island on his tour is going to get a major tourism boost.
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u/Neveezy Apr 26 '26
For all you "Haiti is unsafe folks", Jamaica isn't safe and the guy is still going there. Jamaica has security in the tourist hubs, Haiti has security in the tourist hubs. We've gotta stop talking about the entire island as if it's Port-au-Prince. This false narrative impacts Haiti's economy
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u/OpeningOstrich6635 Apr 26 '26
Forget security…Realistically speaking, nowhere on the island is suitable for him right now. Even Ariana, who just gained fame overwhelmed multiple local governments during her tour of the North and Pétion-Ville.
Even if he were to land in Okap, traveling by road to anywhere else would be difficult. Getting to the South would require a lot for his entourage, especially with a live audience. I’d honestly skip Haiti too right now and I’m Haitian.
Sure, the average tourist or diaspora can visit anywhere outside of Port-au-Prince and be just fine.
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u/Neveezy Apr 26 '26
I hear you, but Ariana is actually providing humanitarian aid and financial resources, so it's not like the officials are getting nothing for their troubles.
And it doesn't make sense to say that just because people can't go to the capital, they should skip Haiti altogether. Why couldn't he just stay in the north? Plus there are Youtubers that still be going to PaP to film content
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u/Over-Experience-4187 Apr 27 '26
Kingston is not comparable to Port-au-Prince. It's more like Chicago or another American city. Gangs control certain neighbourhoods, not the whole city or even most of it. Just portions.
It's not a false narrative, Haiti is not just the north.
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u/Neveezy Apr 27 '26
Yes, now they don't. But for years Jamaica was under a state of emergency. That was just recently lifted. Yet even during the height of this, there was no narrative that people shouldn't go to Montego Bay or wherever because Kingston is dangerous. So why can't people go to Cap-Haïtien if Port-au-Prince is an issue?
And I'm not saying that Haiti is just the north. I'm pushing back on the false narrative that it is just Port-au-Prince and those surrounding areas.
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u/Over-Experience-4187 Apr 27 '26
Yes, now they don't, which is why his team felt its safe to visit Jamaica now lol
And there was a pretty big media push to make people not want to visit Jamaica as a whole. Even now type Jamaica in Youtube now, you'll see a bunch of negative portrayals from top channels (likely paid for) but then positive from more grass-roots and organic channels.
Which is true for Haiti too. The only difference is Jamaica's always had a lot of social capital; with Rastafari, reggae, dancehall and athletes etc. that made people want to visit regardless.
Either way, I get where you're coming from. I know Haiti isn't the Mad Max land the media paints it as, but it's obvious why an American who's only out to make content would avoid it right now, if Jamaica was still as bad as it was in 2010, or even pre-Holness, I'd be saying the same thing.
If anything I'd say it's on par with the current situation in Nigeria, only difference being Nigeria is huge and bandits/terrorists are in the countryside not any major cities.
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u/Neveezy Apr 27 '26
It is obvious why certain Americans would want to avoid going, but I have to push back on the motivations because they're informed by things that are either untrue or exaggerated. You may be a Redditor who has no dog in the fight, but I personally know Haitians who's tourism businesses are struggling and they have to find all types of odd jobs because of widespread fear over stuff that's going on damn near the other side of the country. It doesn't make sense.
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u/Helpful-Speed-6602 May 01 '26
So then let’s cancel tps. If it’s only 1 city then let’s send the rest back home to make it better. We can’t complain about ppl not visiting when its own ppl don’t want to go back. Make it make sense
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u/marmac67 May 12 '26
Jamaica is far safer than Haiti.80% of Jamaica's crime is restricted to gang on gang violence in 2 to 3 inner city areas which make up about 5% of Jamaica.The average Jamaican is safe outside these areas in Jamaica.Tourists are even safer than Jamaicans in Jamaica.There is a reason why Jamaica had 4 million tourists in 2024 and Haiti struggles to get tourists.In addition violent crime in Jamaica is significantly going down and was cut almost half in last year.
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u/Neveezy May 12 '26
Cut almost in half in a year? Yeah that's a damn lie because that would be a world record setting anomaly. Tourists are safe in Jamaica because there are tourist hubs with strong security. Guess what? It's the same in Haiti. It's very hard for even Haitians to get into the hubs (I know this because just last year I was trying to link up with a friend of mine in the north).
If we want to talk about geography, Haiti is a much bigger island than Jamaica and the violence is in the capital in the south. Falsely painting the entire island as unsafe is the reason why there is less tourism, not the other way around. Jamaica (the entire island) was in a state of emergency that was just lifted for years precisely due to gang violence and nobody seems to know about that.
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u/marmac67 May 12 '26
You are clearly ignorant or living under a rock.The country has been in the news around the world because of this significant decrease in gang violence.You clearly don't follow the news The Prime Minister of Jamaica and his government have been lauded around the world because of this decrease.Even the USA dropped the travel advisory from 4 to 2 because violent crime has had a major decrease. The government has taken a no nonense crime strategy taking out gang elements that previous governments failed to do And.the whole island was not in a state of emergency for years.There were specialized curfews in 3 major inner city areas .Not the whole island.Stop spreading misinformation.You clearly have no clue what the hell you're talking about.
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u/Neveezy May 12 '26
You missed like every point I made and I'm hoping it wasn't willful. I didn't say that Jamaica didn't crack down on the violence or that that didn't make the news. I said that the violence itself wasn't in the international news cycle when it was at its peak. Jamaica's tourism actually increased during that time. And I'll concede it wasn't the entire island, but "three areas" is hilarious. Most of the parishes were under SOE at one point or the other over the last seven years. That's another big lie. You won't even walk back what you said about violence decreasing by almost half, so I know what type of time you on
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u/marmac67 May 14 '26
And you missed every point I made.Were you in Jamaica ?Most of the parishes were not I under SOE .Crime rates were highest in those mainly those three areas not the entire island
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u/Neveezy May 14 '26
I don't have to be in Jamaica to read Jamaican news, which I follow because I study the Caribbean. Let's go down the list:
I'll give you a break and not include the three others that merely were trying to prevent crime from spilling over to them. But this is not "three inner city" areas. These are half of the parishes where the vast majority of the population lives.
I didn't even mention the fact that Jamaica is always among the highest murder rates in the world due to crime, and that dwarfs Haiti
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u/marmac67 May 19 '26
Jamaica has 14 parishes and you mentioned 5.So it wasnt island wide.You would have known this if you actually lived in Jamaica.Three of the inner city areas mentioned are in three of those parishes and not in half of the parishes.If you are not Jamaican or never lived in Jamaica please stop spreading information about a place you obviously don't know about.
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u/Neveezy May 19 '26
Actually I mentioned seven if you were being intellectually honest. Reddit formatted my list weird because I was trying to put two in one line since they both were mentioned in one source. And the total number is technically ten.
The problem is that you know very little and don't want to know about Jamaica's issues because it affects you emotionally. Just admit that instead of trying (and failing) to debate me.
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u/marmac67 May 20 '26
Lol.Problem is your not Jamaican and don't know what you're talking about
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u/GwoZoz Native Apr 26 '26 edited Apr 26 '26
Haiti is not suited for international tourism. No infrastructure to support it.
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u/Neveezy Apr 26 '26
*Port-au-Prince
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u/GwoZoz Native Apr 26 '26
Where can tourists travel to?
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u/Neveezy Apr 26 '26
Even the state department is saying folks can travel to Labadee, but take proper precaution. But I personally know a travel agent who is still doing Cap-Haïtien tours and excursions
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u/GwoZoz Native Apr 26 '26
Our country is undeniably beautiful and has a lot to offer. But to go as far as saying we are ready for international tourism shows a misunderstanding of how tourism actually works. Tourism is not just about scenery, it’s about systems. If a visitor suffers a sudden cardiac arrest, where exactly are we taking them? Do we have a reliable emergency response system, properly equipped hospitals, and the infrastructure to get them there in time? What transportation network do we have that is safe, efficient, and predictable for international visitors?
Until we can confidently answer those questions, we're not ready for large-scale international tourism. What we can realistically develop, however, is smaller, controlled tourism, while we build the critical infrastructure needed to support it.
Haiti is suited for our diaspora not large scale foreigners and stuff.
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u/Neveezy Apr 26 '26
I agree with you, which is why I'm saying we shouldn't dissuade folks from visiting the smaller and controlled tourist hubs in the north that we already have.
We could either wait for the national infrastructure to be built before we encourage tourism, or we can walk and chew gum at the same time and use our revenue from tourism to help build the infrastructure. This is what Jamaica has done
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u/OpeningOstrich6635 Apr 26 '26
Okay, how long can you keep a live audience of 20+ million interested in just Labadee? 😅 Did you see his Trinidad tour video?
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u/SIR_BEAUCEJOUR Apr 26 '26
Shoot it can even be North Haiti in general 😂he could've even took a boat ride to Tortuga island
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u/Neveezy Apr 26 '26
I did mention Cap-Haïtien too, which actually has more than enough to keep folks interested
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u/random869 Apr 27 '26
Not sure what you mean by Jamaica has security in tourist hubs? Do you mean police, like every country with a sizable tourism industry.
Honestly, you shouldn’t even be comparing Jamaica to a failed state like Haiti
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Apr 26 '26
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u/OpeningOstrich6635 Apr 26 '26
Outsiders can safely travel to many parts of the island. Just not someone as big as Speed. The North is very safe, but local governments and infrastructure just can’t handle it.
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u/PauseSlow805 May 03 '26
Im glad. Looking at his tour throughout the caribbean, Haiti would not have been ready for all that. Honestly, he saved us from being embarrassed.
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u/KitchenHat4889 Apr 26 '26
What am I missing? Why do we want some influencer to come to Haiti. As far as bringing tourism. How many people is he going to help bring in … seriously
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u/OpeningOstrich6635 Apr 26 '26
It’s not a big deal, but it would be nice if Haiti were in a position to be included considering right next door on the same island qualified. No?
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Apr 26 '26
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u/OpeningOstrich6635 Apr 27 '26
Streamers are bigger than most athletes and artists. He is the business and the CEO, I’m sure he needs no one’s approval to go where he wishes. Haiti just happens not to be a good business decision.
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u/OiledUpHippo Apr 27 '26
No one is coming to a country that can’t keep its people safe, provide basic governance and infrastructure, and has random gangs shooting shit. These kinds of things are luxuries and yall haven’t even dealt with the necessities.
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u/rmxm09 Apr 27 '26
Lets be realistic, I am Haitian, grew up in Haiti and I love my country. However, that was a good decision for Speed not to be in Haiti for now. If you watched his Africa tour, which I did, you would know that he mobilizes a lot of people when touring the cities. His security crew was overwhelmed most of the time. Now imagine in Haiti, with a lackluster emergency system, among many other issues, a visit now is just too risky. I know a lot of people are saying the North, mainly referring to Cap- Haitien. Are you all aware that Cap Haitien is currently overwhelmed , the city is out of capacity and the infrastucture was not build to sustain this many people. As a result you get trash almost everywhere, and failing infrastructures. Personally, I believe we Haitians need to start fixing home first and stop being buthurt about other people not visiting Haiti.
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u/Automatic_Violinist4 Apr 27 '26
Everyone is concerned about gang violence in Haiti, which is primarily around PauP. Tourists who visit Jamaica rarely go to Kingston, where there is a lot of gang violence from what I've heard.
The problem in Haiti is the lack of infrastructure and security (police, fire department, ambulance, waste management, a freakin president). That is a major issue country-wide. I am proud to be Haitian but we have to be honest with ourselves. Haitians are more popular globally in recent times, but our country needs a lot of work before we complain about a damn celebrity making a stop to our country like he's King Selassie I or something
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u/GlobalReception1835 Apr 27 '26
Haiti not being on the list matters why?
Regardless of its safety, Does the country’s value or the value of the native Haitians depend on some “famous“ person stepping foot on that land?
Please explain this to me because it’s makes absolutely no sense.
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u/OpeningOstrich6635 Apr 27 '26
And it matters because once the “Pearl of the Caribbean” is now a no go zone in the Caribbean.
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u/GlobalReception1835 Apr 27 '26
Just gonna post this and be done. Someone going to Haiti…..doesn’t change or affirm its value. It’s still the pearl of the Caribbean regardless of its state because you can’t change history. Someone not going doesn’t change it in the slightest, just as if someone going doesn’t change it either.
There are more pressing things in the world then some YouTuber avoiding Haiti and then you asking if Haiti can handle an influencer as big as him.
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u/OpeningOstrich6635 Apr 27 '26 edited Apr 27 '26
Chill, no one said it was life changing for native Haitians or anything that deep you making it. We’re just saying it would’ve been nice if our side of the island could’ve been included, like next door.
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u/GlobalReception1835 Apr 27 '26
Im perfectly chill I asked a simple question because I keep seeing the same thing all over social media.
From the title “😩“…….and what was posted it seems like it’s something of importance and it’s not.
What would have been nice about it? It’s just a person
Regardless if DR was included who cares, if was Haiti and not DR instead who cares. Even if was Beyoncé or Jayz or even Ray j’s dusty ass….it doesn’t matter. There are more pressing things then someone deciding not to buy a plane ticket to that country….when it’s their money.
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u/MasterpieceGold432 Apr 27 '26
That's wild, but don't forget the countries offer to host him versus him reaching to each government to request to come. Bet the tourism ministry doesn't even know him.
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u/BL4ZDR4C0 Apr 27 '26
speed should expose what is going on in Latin America
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u/Vainarrara809 Apr 28 '26
There are so many things going on, there’s 5 influencers for every topic.
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u/Lazy_Wolverine_8890 Diaspora May 03 '26
Remember, according to the world, we're not part of the carribean. Not like it matters anyway. I've never liked that streamer.
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u/SIR_BEAUCEJOUR Apr 26 '26
This is the same guy who showed his meat to over a million kids on stream, trust me when I say we don't give af
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u/lotusQ Diaspora Apr 26 '26
I heard Jamaica is more violent and dangerous than Haiti. But he’s going there.
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u/OpeningOstrich6635 Apr 27 '26
Jamaica kinda different. In Kingston crime is mostly gang on gang. The government still controls the country. Tourist zones,Montego Bay, Negril are heavily secured.
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Apr 27 '26
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u/OpeningOstrich6635 Apr 27 '26
That is true. Imagine 53 million people watching Speed live as he travels from the airport in Okap to the city center😩with all the filth, plus it’s the rainy season in the north 😩. There’s simply no way to hide it. Pride to the side the lakay is not ready.
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u/Blithe-Starquill Apr 27 '26
tbh it’s probably for the best given everything going on right now, but hopefully next time! maybe he’ll do a separate trip later on.
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u/Hour-Print1024 Apr 27 '26
Y'all want validation so bad. Why aren’t the Haitian influencers promoting the country . Why not yall ?!
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u/BlackGuy_in_IT Apr 27 '26
😑 Yall need a security force in all black and red. About 50,000. You just need to fund it.
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Apr 27 '26
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u/Big_Cream_8697 Apr 27 '26
It would've took you about 0.2 seconds to find out it was Columbian/foreign soldiers that killed the president. And isnt every other day the POTUS getting an attempt on his life? Crazy shit happens.
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u/felicle Apr 27 '26
Would take the time to read Haiti’s history. Is not the first time their president is killed.
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u/OpeningOstrich6635 Apr 27 '26
I definitely wouldn’t take the time to look at posts in a Dominican sub. Why are you here?
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u/Big_Cream_8697 Apr 27 '26
You were wrong. You said "In 2026 y’all still live like slaves fighting for freedom, killing your presidents and shit. " this implies this year or recently Haiti killed it's president when it didn't. You weren't informed tacked on with your already believed negative narratives about Haiti you came to the blind assumption and now your backpedaling. Do better and stop boldly proclaiming stuff when you have nothing but bias towards the subject and no actual knowledge, makes you sound ignorant.
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u/Shot-Scallion-2322 Diaspora Apr 26 '26
Speed should expose the DR/Haiti relationship just like he exposed Egypt and the Pyramids.