"The Dominican Republic is the land Columbus loved best" runs the
advertising slogan. In celebration of the 500th anniversary of the
explorer's arrival on the island of Hispaniola, the government has spent
a reported US$40 millions on building a bizarre commemorative
lighthouse. In the process, it has bull-dozed the homes of thousands of
slumdwellers to clear the memorial site. "Beyond the Lighthouse" looks
at a country where extreme poverty exists alongside a booming tourist
industry. Where workers from neighbouring Haiti are literally enslaved
in an almost bankrupt sugar industry. Where political leaders date back
to a dictatorship which ended more than 30 years ago. In its
comprehensive analysis of the Dominican Republic's turbulent history and
its current political crisis, "Beyond the Lighthouse" exposes the
inequality and corruption which lubricate the country's economy. It
explores the complex and tragic relations between Dominicans and
Haitians and the ambiguous role played by the United States. The author
also assesses the popular movement which is challenging a decaying
political system and proposing a radical new form of democratic
participation.