Papa Bois: King of Paradise

Papa Bois: King of Paradise is a play about a contemporary Caribbean society, battling against the detrimental effects of globalisation, its fruits of prosperity from returning Caribbean Diaspora migrants, and the consequences for their Caribbean-heritage children. Based on the Caribbean folktale, Papa Bois, this play satirises social conventions and practices held dear by an aged, local Caribbean community, that clash with modern perspectives among the youth, that lead to tragic consequences. In this Play, Novelist, Poet and Playwright, Roselle Thompson, boldly turns conventions and institutions upside down, by exploring characters who embrace foreign cultural mores, social class separation, ’legitimised’ debauchery, drug and human trafficking and government impropriety. However, these lifestyles encounter resistance, based on the standards of propriety and belief in the existence of Papa Bois; an African-derived folktale character in the Caribbean region. This framework is set against a multitude of issues that range from Caribbean migrants’ pursuit of the American Dream, the Caribbean returnee’s creation of ’new’ social classes, which are at odds with the cultural and traditional ’backhome’ environment. Themes explored include religion, social inequality, owning land, identity, violence, poverty, exploitation and political corruption; versus long-held cultural and traditional practices. Ms Thompson uses her artform to expose the reader to society’s arbitrary and often hypocritical, moral and political structures, as well as human/societal flaws, that provoke and challenge viewpoints.