50 years of keeping it clean, real — Paul Keens-Douglas: Ent Dat Nice

FOR half a century, Paul Keens-Douglas has been the voice of Caribbean storytelling – the one who reminds us that laughter, language and love of culture can all coexist in a clean, family-friendly space. This weekend, the prolific writer, dramatist, poet and producer celebrates that remarkable journey with Ent Dat Nice, a special 50th anniversary edition of his signature Tim Tim show, at the Central Bank Auditorium, Port of Spain.

It’s a milestone that few performers reach and one that Keens-Douglas himself hadn’t imagined when he first stepped onto the stage of the Little Carib Theatre in 1975. “The first show started in 1975 and that really started me off on my career,” he recalls. “At the time, I was just writing and decided to have a show to read my stuff – poems and stories from the book. We taped it and I made an album with the tape. That became the Tim Tim album and it just took off.”

That debut performance – intended as a simple reading – birthed not only an album, but an entire movement in Caribbean oral literature. Over the next five decades, Tim Tim became synonymous with wit, wisdom and wordplay, helping to define the region’s storytelling tradition in a modern theatre format.

From Little Carib to the world

Since that modest beginning, Keens-Douglas has published numerous books, CDs, DVDs and videos that have carried his unique brand of humour far beyond the shores of TT. His work has been featured on BBC, Canadian, and American radio and television and translated into German, French Creole – and even Japanese, where his beloved story Tanti at de Oval was published for a new audience of cricket lovers.

“I became really international because I started going to storytelling festivals abroad,” he says. “You meet people who translate and publish your work. You don’t meet them in Trinidad – you meet them when you go outside. That helps to widen your base.”

His iconic characters – Tanti at de Oval, Vibert, Timultaneous, Sugar George, Tingalae, Bobots, Dr Ah-Ah and others – have become fixtures in Caribbean folklore. These characters are as real as the people who populate the streets, markets and panyards of Trinidad and Tobago, yet they live in that special space where humour meets truth and where social commentary feels like a good story told under a mango tree.

It’s no surprise that Keens-Douglas’s stories have found their way into several major anthologies, including A Quiet Hush (the MCC anthology of cricket verse), Caribbean Lives: Brian Lara and Shouts from the Outfield. His reach extends even further – he appeared in the National Geographic’s award-winning wildlife film Vampires, Devilbirds & Spirits and produced the radio series When Winds Blow on disaster preparedness.

The accidental producer

Looking back, Keens-Douglas admits he never set out to become a cultural institution. “You had the energy and you wanted to write and produce stuff,” he says. “You weren’t looking down the road – just living in the moment. You didn’t have anybody to help you, so eventually you had to do it yourself. That’s how I became a producer.”

Without sponsorship, he invested his own resources. “It was costly, but you had to believe in yourself. Once you invested in yourself, you had to work real hard to recover that investment. That was the incentive to work harder, to increase and multiply the investment.”

That self-belief – and his ability to connect with audiences – became his foundation. “Once you have something that works and you get public support, people come out because the work is there,” he explains. “Back then we didn’t have social media. We only had Radio Trinidad, 610 Radio, and TTT, so when you played something, the whole country heard it. Now, with more media, we actually get less play.”

His background in broadcasting – working with Radio Trinidad and Rediffusion – also sharpened his skills as a writer and performer. “It’s a blessing,” he says simply. “You are called upon to do, and you just follow, and doors open.”

The principle of clean storytelling

What has kept Paul Keens-Douglas relevant after 50 years is not just his talent but his unwavering commitment to integrity. From day one, he made a choice to keep his work clean and family oriented. It is a decision he says he’s never regretted.

“I’m always conscious of the audience – of the children and the wide spread of people who listen,” he says. “You have to decide early what kind of image you want to have, and you stick to it. I don’t take part in a lot of shows because that’s not my style. You have to protect your image. It pays off in the long run because people trust you.” That trust, he believes, is why Tim Tim still draws audiences spanning generations. “People grew up with my stories – they heard them in schools, in churches,” he says. “They tell me they use them in classrooms. Corporate sponsors also trust me because they know I won’t say the wrong things. You build that kind of trust over time.”

A regional and cultural ambassador

Although based in Trinidad, Keens-Douglas considers himself a regional artist. “I moved right up the islands from Guyana straight to St Croix,” he says proudly. “All the islands celebrate the same culture, so I never depended on Trinidad alone.”

His regional and international impact has not gone unnoticed. In Voices in the Century, a special millennium edition of Caricom Perspective, he and Jamaica’s Louise Bennett were honoured for their contribution to Caribbean cultural development. He was also part of Caricom’s 30th anniversary celebrations in Montego Bay, Jamaica, and its 40th anniversary in Chaguaramas in 2013.

This year, at Carifesta XV in Barbados, he received a Carifesta Award for his lifetime contribution to regional arts. It’s a fitting recognition for someone who has spent his life building cultural bridges through humour and storytelling.

Ent Dat Nice – A celebration of the journey

He explained the title of his 50th-anniversary show, Ent Dat Nice, comes from an old piece that celebrates the little joys of Caribbean life. “It’s about seeing a little bird sitting in the window and you say, ‘Ent dat nice,’ or when you go to the beach and see a lady in a bathing suit and say, ‘Ent dat nice’. It’s about all the nice things we do and say in Trinidad – the kind of love for country you can’t get anywhere else.”

He describes the show as a celebration of his body of work – “the stories that reflect the journey.” It will feature some of his most beloved pieces, including those for children and those that celebrate the steelpan, storytelling, and life in literature.

“It’s also about celebrating the audience – the people who supported me, because without them there would be no storytelling.”

Guest performers include Avion Crooks (well known for her “Tanti Merle” portrayals), Miguel Browne, Candice Alcantara and saxophonist Tony Paul – continuing a long tradition of live saxophone accompaniment in his shows.

“I couldn’t let the occasion pass without commemorating it,” he says. “There are no big plans beyond this – I’m not really a public person – but I just wanted to celebrate the journey.”

The man behind Tim Tim

In addition to the Tim Tim show, Keens-Douglas is also known for founding Talk Tent in 1983, a popular Carnival-season platform for humorous social commentary. “But Tim Tim was always my kind of work,” he reflects. “It’s storytelling with guest artistes. Not a year passed without us putting it on. Some years were great, some were small – but we did it.”

Now, at 50 years strong, he’s still writing – currently working on his memoirs – and still performing with the same sharp wit and clarity of purpose that defined his early years.

“I didn’t even realise it was 50 years until I started planning this show,” he laughs. “I’m getting old too – not as young as I used to be – but I’m still enjoying life.”

And that, perhaps, is the secret behind Paul Keens-Douglas’s enduring magic: joy. The joy of telling stories, of celebrating language and laughter, of connecting generations through clean, clever humour. In his world, as in the best of Caribbean culture, the answer to whether that’s something worth celebrating is simple.

Ent dat nice?

Ent Dat Nice runs October 11, at 7.30 pm and October 12, at 6.30 pm at the Central Bank Auditorium. Tickets are available at several outlets including Crosby’s, Metropolitan Book Store, and RIK branches.