Tanti At The Oval

“Tanti at the Oval” was a piece done by writer, performer and most importantly; storyteller, Paul Keens-Douglas. Although Trinidadian by birth, he spent his early childhood in Grenada. He is well renowned for his ability to convey cultural equality in his work by ensuring it is appealing to virtually everyone, especially in such a cosmopolitan region. This particular piece entails the main character, Tanti Merle, and her journey to and from a cricket match at the Queen’s Park Oval in Trinidad and the series of events that occur. In Keens-Douglas’ recital of the piece, humour is strongly prevalent and it is easily digested by his captivated audience. When taking a closer and more analytical look at his piece however, it becomes quite clear to see that its content is far deeper than it may appear from a surface view or from that of a non-critical thinker. In Tanti at the Oval, Paul Keens-Douglas successfully achieves the masking of entrenched issues that have been and still currently hold a strong existence in contemporary Caribbean society through the effective use of humorous social commentary. Of the points he engages in, I intend to expand and elaborate on the following.

1. The unwritten rule that there is a competition and a tension between the islands of the Caribbean.
2. Pride and patriotism in identifying one’s nationality while they …show more content…
He is able to show that there is indeed an unwritten rivalry and competitiveness between the islands of the Caribbean, yet still illustrates the importance of the cricket to the Caribbean. He also exemplifies the pride and patriotism that West Indians possess for their country and how important it is to their