Judith Mendelsohn, U of Winnipeg
M. NourbeSe Philip’s Coups and Calypsos: Dramatizing the Effects of Colonization in Trinidad and Tobago

Canadian playwright M. NourbeSe Philip sets her play, Coups and Calypsos (1999), in Tobago against the backdrop of an attempted coup which took place in Trinidad in 1990. Through the characters Elvira and Rohan, a separated Trinidadian couple, Philip explores the broader problems that victims of European imperialism face both within and beyond the borders of their birth countries. In response to their subjugation under European powers, Indians and Africans have traditionally lashed out against each other in Trinidad and Tobago. The disputes between Elvira, who is of African descent, and Rohan, who is Indian, mirror the racial tension that exists in a larger context between the two groups. Through their individual experiences of racism, both characters share a similar existence as the “Other,” in their native country and in England. They struggle to find a place of belonging, a home where they can reclaim and discover their unique cultural identities. Philip does not provide definitive solutions to post-colonial issues in Coups and Calypsos since Elvira and Rohan’s problems remain largely unresolved at the play’s conclusion. By creating a space in drama to expose the complex and lasting effects of colonization, Philip resists the power of the White hegemony over minorities. While presenting the hardships for Africans and Indians in Trinidad and Tobago, she also celebrates the vibrancy and resiliency of the two communities asserting that Indians – and Africans – have a right to belong throughout the Diaspora, including the Caribbean.