Downloads, Dhivehi Media Industry, Maldivian Culture, Photography, Free Culture Hani Amir Downloads, Dhivehi Media Industry, Maldivian Culture, Photography, Free Culture Hani Amir

My archive of concert photos from Male' City from 2007 to 2009

Addo from Fasy Live showing us that it was okay to dream of being a rockstar | Rockstorm, Malé City Carnival Stage | Nikon D70s | (2008)

Addo from Fasy Live showing us that it was okay to dream of being a rockstar | Rockstorm, Malé City Carnival Stage | Nikon D70s | (2008)

This is my archive of concert photos from Male’ City from 2007 to 2009. They are available under the following creative commons free culture license:

Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International (CC BY-SA 4.0)

You are free to:

  • Share — copy and redistribute the material in any medium or format

  • Adapt — remix, transform, and build upon the material for any purpose, even commercially.


    The licensor cannot revoke these freedoms as long as you follow the license terms.

Under the following terms:

  • Attribution — You must give appropriate credit, provide a link to the license, and indicate if changes were made. You may do so in any reasonable manner, but not in any way that suggests the licensor endorses you or your use.

  • ShareAlike — If you remix, transform, or build upon the material, you must distribute your contributions under the same license as the original.

  • No additional restrictions — You may not apply legal terms or technological measures that legally restrict others from doing anything the license permits.

Ahmed “Fuloo” Nashid from Zero Degree Atoll tuning his guitar before the show begins | Resurrection, Malé City Carnival Stage | Nikon D70s | (2008)

Ahmed “Fuloo” Nashid from Zero Degree Atoll tuning his guitar before the show begins | Resurrection, Malé City Carnival Stage | Nikon D70s | (2008)

This was a really interesting time for Maldivian music, with a surge in new bands and enthusiasm for live performances within a short period of time. A lot of the shows at carnival stage captured a feeling that most of us had only dreamed of experiencing at that point. Especially for fans of genres that were less popular in the mainstream like heavy metal. To see other Maldivians put on such great shows was a very empowering experience.

The photos are available in their unedited form. Please respect the terms of the license. I hope this is useful for fans of Maldivian music and for artists who will hopefully create remixes of these images.

Google Drive
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My archive of concert photos from Male' City from 2007 to 2009
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The Laadheenee Digest #1
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The photographic triangle can be used to interpret the light meter reading in order to achieve your desired exposure.

 

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Maldivian Myths by Hasan Ahmed Manik [ Retyped PDF / MOBI / EPUB / DOCX ]
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The Laadheenee Digest #1

L for Laadheenee.gif

The Laadheenee Digest is written by Laadheenee people for Laadheenee people.

Now on Laadheenee.com!

Download from the links below

Google Drive
PDF

Update: The mobi and epub versions have been removed for now because people reported some rendering issues.

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Maldives Twitter VS Francesca Borri

Nothing brings Maldivians together like a good roast 🔥.

*smartphones 😫🔫

The Maldives is one of the most oppressive countries in the world. It has a constitution that makes the lives of non-Muslim and LGBT Maldivians illegal. This makes life incredibly difficult for any progressive Muslims that want to bring about reforms as well as saying anything against extremist sheikhs will get you labled an apostate. Progressive Muslims like @moyameehaa (Ahmed Rizwan / Rilwan) and @yaamyn (Yameen Rasheed) who have spoken out for Maldivian minorities, progressive Islam, and secularism have been taken away from us. Sheikhs are not safe either, as one of the only moderately progressive sheikhs, Afrasheem Ali, was also brutally murdered in 2012.

The greatest battlefield in the war for the hearts and minds of Maldivians is the internet. Bloggers like Hilath Rasheed have been the targets of escalating campaigns of harassment and death threats. In 2012, Hilath himself barely survived his neck being slashed. This was after years of attacks against people deemed laadheenee.

Maldivian extremists have used the internet for their terror and propaganda activities. One of the earliest Maldivian extremist groups, of which Rilwan was an ex-member, called “dot” or “dotu” literally got it’s name from “dot com”. Right now there are dozens of terrorist recruitment facebook and twitter pages, telegram, whatsapp, and viber groups, and websites brainwashing Maldivians with extremist propaganda.

Their latest efforts including making a list of Dhivehi Kaafarun (Maldivian infidels) on twitter (which twitter support refused to remove, the account is still active), and a telegram group called “MV Murtad Watch” (Maldives apostate watch). This has also not been removed despite even making the local news.

Maldivian extremists are free to spread hate on the internet. Especially if they use Dhivehi, a language that cannot be automatically translated. This means that the support staff of these platforms often don’t even know how to recognise hate and fear speech when it is written in Dhivehi.

I hope I have set the scene for you. An intolerant constitution that outright bans thinking and freedom of conscience. Extremists getting away with murder, and using technology as a means of oppression in a highly connected and tech literate society, while the multi-million dollar companies that run them turn a blind eye.

Enter Francesca Borri with the radical insight that there is only one bookstore in Male’, all the while seeming to imply that most Maldivians don’t know English.

And that there is no local cuisine.

And that Maldivians are amazed by smartphones.

But perhaps most insulting is the fact that we’d give a damn about the Olympics when we could be watching football. Also how the heck do you reckon people cut up the “Battle of Aleppo” for broadcast television? Do you think they had an HBO style miniseries?

You get the picture. A hastily strung together piece of orientalist trash that makes the situation worse for people suffering because of Maldivian extremists. The last thing progressive Muslim, non-Muslim, and LGBT Maldivians need is more misinformation out there. Especially not from someone with a savior complex.

How can you trust anything written in this book when it features so many blatant fabrications? Fabrications deliberately worded to make Maldivians sound like backwards people rife with extremism who can’t read and are technology inept.

Well I’ll have you know us Maldivians are backwards people who are incredibly tech literate. And we can read too, to the shock of the author who is currently at the receiving end of the wrath of Maldives twitter.

Here are some of the funniest and most insightful tweets directed at this latest savior who thought they could turn a profit on the suffering of the global south. These are the words of Maldivians speaking about their own country. Listen to them.

(rough translation of the dhivehi sentence: “All puffed up, saying something about Islam and how we need to kill the gays with the other breath.” [FK stands for Firihen Kulhin - homosexual men, or Firihen Kulhi - gay sex. Both are often used as a slur by homophobes. It’s common sight growing up to see it scrawled across the walls of school toilets, usually followed by the name of the person. Like “FK Adam”. This is done to intimidate LGBT students and students suspected of being LGBT. ] )

(“Dhon meehaa” literally means “fair skinned person”. It is the word used by Maldivians for “white people”. And it’s true, turn a Maldivian upside down and shake them little. The contents of an Apple Store will fall out).

(vaguthu [“time” lol] is a Maldivian tabloid rag that primarily posts moral panic inducing “journalism” about Maldivian minorities).

Nothing brings Maldivians together like a good roast 🔥.

Update: Just to add to the absurdity

Guess I must have hallucinated seeing this local craftsman .

IMG_6939.jpg

And this one as well.

2009-05-16+-+Coir+Rope+maker+-+G10+-+Kulhudhufushi+sia+trip+(30).jpg

I must be delirious from all the poisonous reef fish I’ve been eating.

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A collection of Yameen Rasheed's writings on Maldives, Secularism, Standing up for Maldivian Minorities, and Fighting Religious Radicalism #WeAreYaamyn #FindMoyameehaa
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The Laadheenee Among Us

Chapter 03 of my work in progress book "Sinking Streets". 

Chapter 01 - The Male’ City Swimming Track

Chapter 02 - Doorways to the Sea

 

Eid celebrations. Lhaviyani Atoll Kurendhoo, Maldives. Nikon D70s. (2007)

Chapter 03 of my work in progress book "Sinking Streets". 

Chapter 01 - The Male’ City Swimming Track

Chapter 02 - Doorways to the Sea

 

A short note on the word “laadheenee”.

  • Literal meaning: Not (laa) Religious (dheenee)

  • Not really Dhivehi in origin. Nobody uses “laa” to mean no in Dhivehi. It is an arab loan word.

  • Used to call someone irreligious in some way. Also directed at LGBTQI people whether or not they’re religious. Many Muslim LGBTQI people are also called laadheenee simply for being themselves.

  • Could be used to call someone a secularist, or a hypocrite (munafiq) or an apostate (murtad), or a blasphemer. I think the actual Dhivehi word for secular is illmaanee.

  • The word has even been spray painted on the walls of houses of people who have been suspected to be “laadheenee”. This may have been more related to its political usage as a slur against opposing parties rather than its usage against Maldivian minorities. However, the slur is ultimately accusing these political parties of belonging to or supporting non-Muslims or LGBTQI people. To date there isn’t a single political party that has even acknowledged the existence of Maldivian minorities other than as a boogeyman or scapegoat.

  • A dog whistle for “kafir” (infidel). Ultimately always means this (if not used ironically by progressive people).

  • The goal of this word is to stereotype and group Maldivian non-Muslims and LGBTI people as a homogenous entity that is actively working against “Islam” and the very fabric of the nation itself. It is much easier to ascribe conspiracy theories to “laadheenee” meehun (people) this way. This is similar to the way white supremacists say things like “the jews” or “the blacks”. The laadheenee meehun are apparently out to destroy the Maldives, it’s culture, it’s heritage, and it’s national unity. This is despite laadheenee meehun being regular Dhivehin just like everybody else.

Fishermen from Baa Atoll Kudarikilu. Nikon D70s. (2009)

The wind is rushing through your hair, extra salty with the mist generated by the dhoni as it gently falls on the waves ahead.

                One of you is sick, throwing up. Why are we going fishing? Your vomit leaves an orange trail on the cobalt blue waters behind us.

                As we anchor at the edge of a reef, the fires in the sky fizzles into the waves. Soon the moon rises and one of you comments on how your grandfather always said that’s a good omen for fishing. We remember we say, you tell us all the time.  

                As the moon grows brighter, the pile of fish in the center of the dhoni grows ever higher. Rai mas, filolhu, handhi, faana, and even a few tholhi. One of you mention how great mamma’s havaadhu is going to taste.

The hold of a dhoni full of reef fish. Baa Atoll. Nikon D70s. (2009)

                We return to the island. A fire is lit. The fish are gutted and cleaned. The havaadhu is liberally applied into the slits cut into the side of the fish. Save me the eyes! One of you says excitedly.

                The aroma of the fish fills the air. Comforting smells of roasting cumin, turmeric, garlic, onions cut with the sharp tang of scotch bonnet chilies mixed with lime ignites a hunger in your belly. The smoke spirals up with the sparks towards the moonlight. The day feels long. Is it done yet?

Lhaviyani Hinnavaru, Maldives. Nikon D7100. (2007)

                We eat all of the fish. Nothing is wasted. You say the one you caught tastes the best. You like the oily taste of charred rai’ mas skin better than the dull taste of the bony tholhi you caught. I caught the tholhi! The youngest cousin exclaims angrily. Everyone laughs and we share the last of the fish as we reminisce about past trips.

Baa Atoll Eydhafushi, Maldives. Nikon D3100. (2013)

                Remember the time you cut your foot as you ran out onto the beach? Remember the time we all played lava baazee on the dhoni when we went to that distant atoll? Remember the time the spicy eid chicken gave you a stomach ache? Remember the time you thought your shirt was ruined because of a surprise water fight? Remember how we sat at the water’s edge staring at the stars?

The octopus hunters. Baa Atoll Eydhafushi, Maldives. Nikon D3100 (2013).

                What about the trip where we couldn’t catch enough fish, so we went walking on the reef at low tide looking for snails? You were grossed out but found them delicious. Or when your uncle nearly had a heart attack because of the sound of a falling coconut? You laughed and said maybe he should start wearing a helmet. Remember how you hugged me the day the tsunami hit? You held me close and told me everything would be okay.  

                Remember when the protests happened and we all felt so scared? When the news said everything was alright, but we could hear the shouts and screams? When we could see the smoke but couldn’t see the fire?

                Remember when we celebrated your freedom? Your right to vote? Your right to political representation? You were drunk that night. But it was alright because Friday was coming soon.

                Remember when you told me to stop saying we? As if all at once I’m banished from our memories. As if it was a stranger who laughed at your jokes. As if it was a stranger who shared your joy, your love, and your sorrow?

Lhaviyani Atoll Kurendhoo, Maldives. Nikon D70s (2007)

                Remember when you decided I was one of them? The vile, the deceitful, the enemy? Remember when you made me doubt my memories? My life? My existence? Was it not with you whom I shared my joy, my love, my sorrow?

                And now, in my time of greatest misery, you twist the knife and pretend the blood that spills onto your hands isn’t that of your brother. Your sister. Your mother. Your father. Your aunts, your uncles, your cousins. Your friends and your lovers.

                The blood pools around your ankles. But you feel nothing. You feel no guilt. For you have forgotten me. Forgotten what it means to be human. So your heart grows cold, while mine grows weary.

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The Sustainable Fishing Practices of Dhivehi Reef Fishermen (and how the resort industry is screwing them over).
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Maldives Twitter wakes up to a fever dream where everyone is Ali Rameez

At 12AM on Friday the 23rd of November 2018, a whole bunch of Maldivian twitter users changed their profile pictures to the one above. It shows a young Ali Rameez leaning back, relaxing his head against his arm. The incident is referred to by some as #NationalAyyaDay.

IMG_7973.JPG

At 12AM on Friday the 23rd of November 2018, a whole bunch of Maldivian twitter users changed their profile pictures to the one above. It shows a young Ali Rameez leaning back, relaxing his head against his arm. The incident is referred to by some as #NationalAyyaDay.

IMG_7991.JPG

Mass confusion spread as everyone’s notifications looked the same.

notification 1_LI (2).jpg

To make things worse, many users changed their names to song lyrics by the one time Maldivian king of pop. There was once a time when you could not walk two feet in the Maldives without hearing one of his songs on the TV or radio. I’d post more screenshots of the incident, but most people have already changed their pictures and names back. Guess the world can only take so much Ayya.

Ali Rameez Timeline Photos - kill apostates.png

Of course I say one time because Ali Rameez is currently a violent extremist “sheikh” who constantly spreads hate and fear speech against Maldivian minorities such as non-Muslims and LGBTI+ people. While being a massive sexist of course. On top of this, he also regularly promotes such lovely things as child marriage.

In the above screenshot, the Dhivehi text reads “Islam dheenun beyru vejje meehaa; gathul kuraasheve’”, which roughly translates to “Slaughter those who leave Islam”.

The first comment below it reads “It is best if such children move to a country where they can get the freedoms that they want. No space for atheist in this country”.

It doesn’t take a genius to see how this encourages vigilante violence against non-Muslims. I suppose it is also worth pointing out again for the thousandth time that the Maldives is one of the few countries in the world whose constitution bans freedom of conscience.

Ali Rameez promotes these views on his official twitter account and his facebook page, where he also pimps out his extremist buddies from religious NGOs like Jammaiyathul Salaf.

A tale of two Ayyas. 32 x 32 pixel grid. Something I created in Pixaki in honor of the day.

A tale of two Ayyas. 32 x 32 pixel grid. Something I created in Pixaki in honor of the day.

With all this in mind, it shouldn’t be surprising to anyone that Ali Rameez hates his pop star past. He did famously dump all of his CD’s into the ocean after all.

So while people took the opportunity to mock / celebrate him by sharing his music and reminiscing about the days when he wasn't a psychopath, others took the opportunity to gaslight Maldivian minorities by claiming that the good sheikh was being bullied.

This kind of gaslighting is typical from “liberal” Maldivians who fall head over heels to defend extremists yet never utter a single word in support of Maldivian minorities whose very existence is criminalized. As such I am sure these people are not ignorant of Ali Rameez’s extremism. Instead I think they are sympathetic. I think extremists like that say what these people are afraid of saying. What they really think.

You will never get any of these people to admit whether they support something as basic as freedom of conscience. However they will rarely admit they don’t support it either. Instead, they will prop up the extremists who have the courage to actually express such darkness. This is why I respect honest extremists who will say to my face that they want to kill me. I have no respect at all to closet conservatives like this who pretend to sit on a fence while they crap on minorities below. It is not an equal conversation when one side has their existence criminalized.

Can you believe the audacity of such a statement from people who do not think their fellow Maldivians deserve constitutional recognition?

Comments like this one are referring to an incident in the past when a woman on twitter made extremely homophobic remarks. For once a lot of people on Maldivian twitter called out this woman for her blatantly bigoted remarks. Not this crowd of closet conservatives though. Much like this incident, back then they sided with the bigot being roasted. How could you bully such an innocent person they all decried.

This past event, and the common occurrence of conservatives and extremists to claim to be victims of “bullying”, is what has led to the creation of the local meme of “bleeing”.

This type of gaslighting would be funny if it wasn’t the norm. Gaslighting, for those unfamiliar, is when an oppressor makes a person doubt their own memories and self. It is a common tactic used by abusive people against their partners.

Wikipedia defines it as “a form of psychological manipulation that seeks to sow seeds of doubt in a targeted individual or in members of a targeted group, making them question their own memory, perception, and sanity. “

They states that the signs of gaslighting are:

  1. Withholding information from victim;

  2. Countering information to fit the abuser's perspective;

  3. Discounting information;

  4. Verbal abuse, usually in the form of jokes;

  5. Blocking and diverting the victim's attention from outside sources;

  6. Trivializing the victim's worth; and,

  7. Undermining victim by gradually weakening them and their thought process.

Observe this clear example from a tweet calling the original one out.

Look at the response above. Ali Rameez is well known for blaming rape victims and his support for child marriage. Yet the original tweet dismisses this as having a “different understanding”.

The day led to some clashes within the more progressive parts (relative to the Taliban) of Maldivian twitter as well, with some people thinking that the incident downplayed Ali Rameez’s extremism.

Some responses from the twitter cult leader responsible for this madness:

Now that we’ve dealt with the drama and my existential bitterness, here are some of the funnier tweets from the day:

Ali Rameez towards the end of his music career was in a band called “Freeze Band”. Once he gave up music, he capitalized on this by creating “Freeze Brand” - a company that sells dried fish and other products. Gotta admit that some of their stuff is pretty delicious though.

The cat is screaming out lyrics to one of Ali Rameez’s hit songs “Finifenmalakey” (like a rose).

Ali Rameez had a particularly saucy hit video where he sensuously marinates a chicken with a beautiful woman. Probably one of the sources of his paranoia about his past sins.

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Maldives Twitter VS Francesca Borri
Maldives Twitter VS Francesca Borri

Nothing brings Maldivians together like a good roast 🔥.

Maldives Twitter wakes up to a fever dream where everyone is Ali Rameez
Maldives Twitter wakes up to a fever dream where everyone is Ali Rameez

At 12AM on Friday the 23rd of November 2018, a whole bunch of Maldivian twitter users changed their profile pictures to the one above. It shows a young Ali Rameez leaning back, relaxing his head against his arm. The incident is referred to by some as #NationalAyyaDay.

#MenAreTrash hashtag sparks widespread debate and outrage on Maldivian twitter
#MenAreTrash hashtag sparks widespread debate and outrage on Maldivian twitter

The polarising hashtag caused an uproar and week long drama across the Maldivian twitterverse and tweeps debated the controversial topic. Are men trash? Are men trash, but is the wording wrong? Have people who say men are trash actually not met enough men who are not trash? Are women responsible for the men in their life being trash? Can they simply just filter them out? All this and more below. This is of course just a taste. I also did not include some of the nastier stuff from obvious troll accounts.

Maldives twitter last week #6
Maldives twitter last week #6

Here are some interesting things Maldivians talked about on twitter last week. 

Maldives twitter last week #5
Maldives twitter last week #5

Here are some interesting things Maldivians talked about on twitter last week. 

Maldives twitter last week #4
Maldives twitter last week #4

Here are some interesting things Maldivians talked about on twitter last week. 

Maldives twitter last week #3
Maldives twitter last week #3

Here are some interesting things Maldivians talked about on twitter last week. 

Maldives twitter last week #2
Maldives twitter last week #2

Here are some interesting things Maldivians talked about on twitter last week. 

Maldives twitter last week #1
Maldives twitter last week #1

Here are some interesting things Maldivians talked about on twitter last week. 

A collection of Yameen Rasheed's writings on Maldives, Secularism, Standing up for Maldivian Minorities, and Fighting Religious Radicalism #WeAreYaamyn #FindMoyameehaa
A collection of Yameen Rasheed's writings on Maldives, Secularism, Standing up for Maldivian Minorities, and Fighting Religious Radicalism #WeAreYaamyn #FindMoyameehaa

I initially began this post as an interactive timeline of Yameen Rasheed's best tweets, but it soon became too inaccessible due to the sheer amount of relevant posts that he was putting out. 

So instead, here is a collection of some of his best writings. He deals with topics that very few people in the Maldives have the courage to openly write about. More importantly, the fact that he talked about these issues is being erased from the conversation about his murder.

Furthermore, the dangers and threats that he faced were not a characteristic unique to the current administration. He faced these same threats under Mohamed Nasheed's government as well, who is arguably the best and worst president that the Maldives has ever had. Nasheed promised freedom, but ended up granting those liberties only to religious extremists; and in the process condemned those who opposed those extremists to their fate. In an open letter to Nasheed written in March 2009, Yameen says that he was under investigation by the Maldives Police Service, and accused the president of failing to protect the rights of secular liberal minded Muslims like himself. 

He was not your average journalist, blogger, or rights activist. He was of the rare breed that promoted secularism and actively acknowledged the existence of minorities within the Maldives such as LGBTQI people and apostates. There is absolutely no way that the work he was doing was comparable to the output of people who to this day deny the existence of such minorities. 

He was a staunch opposer of the Maldivian constitution, which he called intolerant, for it's lack of the basic right of freedom of conscience. There is absolutely no way that he is comparable to the people who, even in their articles about his death, have failed to mention this extremely important fact of life in the Maldives. 

Challenging religious radicalism was not some one off thing for Yameen. It was his bread and butter. His mashuni and roshi. To say Yameen didn't write a lot about religion is like saying Stephen King doesn't write a lot of horror. Post after post on his blog deals with these issues directly. Yameen was also the founder of the Facebook group "Ban The Adhaalath" - arguably one of the first ever online groups formed to directly tackle religious extremism within the Maldives. 

How can there be a genuine democracy in the Maldives, how can there be genuine freedom, if the right to think differently is illegal?

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Doorways to the Sea

Chapter 02 of my work in progress book "Sinking Streets". 

Our lives are framed by doorways. These portals that open onto the street. In Male’ City, there is no such thing as a front yard. There are more cemeteries than parks – a good thing as a lot of the trees that have not been felled exist within their walls. A lot can happen in these doorways. Lovers flirt, children play, the old watch a rapidly changing world pass them by. If you are lucky the doorway will open to a path instead of straight inside your home.

Machangoalhi
Vivitar Ultrawide & Slim with Kodak BW400 CN
(2008)

Chapter 02 of my work in progress book "Sinking Streets". 

Chapter 01 - The Male’ City Swimming Track

Chapter 02 - Doorways to the Sea

Chapter 03 - The Laadheenee Among Us

Our lives are framed by doorways. These portals that open onto the street. In Male’ City, there is no such thing as a front yard. There are more cemeteries than parks – a good thing as a lot of the trees that have not been felled exist within their walls. A lot can happen in these doorways. Lovers flirt, children play, the old watch a rapidly changing world pass them by. If you are lucky the doorway will open to a path instead of straight inside your home.

02 - Bike.png

Machangoalhi
Vivitar Ultrawide & Slim with expired 35mm film.
(2008)

I was one of the lucky ones.

Machangoalhi
Sony Erickson W810i
(2008)

So lucky that I even had a room to call my own. This is the view from its window. Just enough sky to sometimes see the moon.

Machangoalhi
Nikon D70s
(2007)

It is easy to feel trapped when you’re in Male’ City. Encircled by the ocean, there is no escape. There is no country side to escape to. Many people I’ve spoken to don’t seem to understand just how small Male’ City is. Five square kilometers is not much room. Yet more than half of the population of the Maldives live here.

Galolhu
Nikon D70s
(2008)

You’re trapped on this tiny island with nowhere to go. You’d tell someone, anyone, how you feel. But you can’t. Not when the national economy is fueled by gossip.

Maafannu.
Nikon D70s.
(2007)

You learn to play with the concrete. It smells familiar. It smells comfortable.

Machangoalhi ward
Nikon D70s
(2008)

You get used to overloaded lorries speeding past. You learn to hear them through the growl of the city. Just as they’re about to hit you, you step to the side, off onto that little ledge that is apparently the pavement. Guess you’ll live long enough to see what comes next.

Machangoalhi
Vivitar Ultrawide & Slim with expired and cross processed Kodak Elite Chrome 100
(2008)

I wonder what the older generations must think of the concrete monstrosity that Male’ has become. My father says that when they used to play football, they played without shoes on the unpaved streets. This apparently made their feet tough like leather.

 

Machangoalhi
Vivitar Ultrawide & Slim with Kodak BW400 CN
(2008)

People seem happier when it rains. I don’t know what it is. Perhaps I am imagining it. But to me, they have always seemed happier. Maybe because it provides a welcome escape from the heat. Maybe it is the hypnotic sound of rain hitting hundreds upon hundreds of tin roofs. Maybe it is how satisfyingly huge the droplets are; for when it rains, it pours.

Galolhu
Vivitar Ultrawide & Slim with Kodak BW400 CN
(2008)

When I was a child the streets weren’t paved and there were no gutters. This meant that the whole island would flood. At night we would hear frogs croaking. I cannot remember the last time I heard a frog in Male’. With the ground covered in bricks they have nowhere left to go. Despite the gutters, the roads still flood, and paradoxically the floods seem to be even dirtier than before. All sorts of grime are lifted out as many people use the gutter as a handy spot to dump their trash. Cigarette butts, supari packets, used condoms, and all manner of debris float around, mixed with the scarlet spit of people who chew various betel nut preparations.

Machangoalhi
Nikon D70s.
(2007)

The rich escape to their rooftops. Yet even they are not immune to the allures of gravity.

Machangoalhi
Nikon D70s
(2007)

From the tops of these towers you can survey your domain. You can even see a bit of the horizon. But that is always a temporary thing. New buildings are constantly being built higher and higher. This photograph was taken in 2007. The change since then has been immeasurable. Look at all the construction sites and let your mind fill in the gaps.

Maafannu
Nikon D70s.
(2007)

This seems like a good moment to mention that the Maldives has not been built by Maldivians. Instead, it has been built by migrant workers, mostly from other South Asian countries such as Bangladesh. For this they get no thanks and their slave like working conditions are the least of any Maldivians worries. For these migrants’ escape is sometimes literally impossible, as it is common practice for their “employers” to confiscate their passports. To get it back they must rid themselves of the “debt” they have incurred upon arrival in this supposed paradise.

Raalhugandu
Henveiru
Pentax Optio M30
(2008)

You’re trapped on this tiny island with nowhere to go. You run to the edge and you’re greeted by the seawall that surrounds the island. Not a beach. Just more concrete. But people don’t go to the edge to see the wall. They go to see the horizon.

Raalhugandu.
Henveiru 
Pentax Optio M30.
(2008)

When you’re in the thick of it the horizon is a rare sight. The afternoons and early evenings are full of people making their rounds around the island. In Dhivehi we call it “buru jehun”. Couples on motorbikes are a common sight. No surprise since driving aimlessly around Male’ is one of the first romantic activities people engage in. It’s much harder for families to spy on a moving target.

Galolhu
Nikon D70s.
(2008)

People take a lot of pride in their motorbikes. Many dream of the day they will buy one for themselves, and many go into debt in the process of chasing that dream. Do you find it strange that the ultimate desire of a people of a nation that consists of far more ocean than land is to have more motor vehicles? I certainly do. Although I understand why. I’ve done my fair share of aimless driving. Who needs a boat when you’ve got a motorbike you’ll never push over third gear?  

Raalhugandu.
Henveiru 
Vivitar Ultrawide & Slim with Kodak BW400 CN
(2008)

Even if you had a boat, where would you keep it? Space in the harbor is limited and the fees aren’t cheap. So people make do with the horizon. One of the best places to experience it used to be Raalhugandu.

The seawall blends into the ocean.
Raalhugandu.
Henveiru 
Vivitar Ultrawide & Slim with Kodak BW400 CN
(2008)

Here you could see far into the distance. Being on the side of Male’ away from Thilafushi, the air is always fresh. The sound of waves constantly crashing against the miniscule stretch of “beach” provides enough white noise to drown the howling of the city.

Raalhugandu
Henveiru
Nikon D70s
(2007)

Local surfers and boarders make their way to the short strip of reef where the waves break, floating over armies of spiky sea urchins.

Raalhugandu.
Henveiru 
Canon G10
(2008)

Once you’re past their treacherous spines you are met with the full force of crashing waves. You must duck underneath to get past them. If you go deep enough you can slip past with ease. Time it wrong and you end up in the “washing machine”. Thrown about by the waves, short of breath, blood rushing into my head, sometimes I’ve wondered whether I should have just let go. Let the ocean carry me out and decide my fate. Fortunately for me I’m very good at holding my breath, so I’ve always managed to surface. Always managed to survive to see what comes next.

Local legends Fuku and Kuda Ayya.
Raalhugandu
Henveiru 
Canon G10
(2009)

Here, past the urchins, corals, and crushing waves, surfers and body boarders perfect their craft in the early mornings and afternoons. Many have persevered through incredible odds and have gone on to win international competitions. I could not be prouder.

Raalhugandu.
Henveiru 
Nikon FM2 with Kodak Tri-X 400
(2009)

At the hut by the side of Raalhugandu they stack their boards and enjoy the ocean breeze. While society called them useless they carved out their own space and made the most of it.

Raalhugandu
Henveiru 
Canon A630
(2008)

On sunny days it can be glorious. The air is crisp. The sky is blue. Carried by the waves, the rays of the sun warm your heart, body, and soul.

Raalhugandu.
Henveiru 
Canon G10
(2009)


Even here the specter of the city is inescapable. But as the waves roll in, they push up high, high above the buildings. There amongst the waves at the end of the reef you feel safer than you ever did in that labyrinth. You’re so far away that the din of the city becomes a muffled hum.

Raalhugandu.
Henveiru 
Canon G10
(2009)

As the wave rolls on down the city rises, looming over you once again.

So, you’re trapped on this tiny island with nowhere to go.

More from Photo Essays
The Laadheenee Among Us
The Laadheenee Among Us

Chapter 03 of my work in progress book "Sinking Streets". 

Chapter 01 - The Male’ City Swimming Track

Chapter 02 - Doorways to the Sea

 

Doorways to the Sea
Doorways to the Sea

Chapter 02 of my work in progress book "Sinking Streets". 

Our lives are framed by doorways. These portals that open onto the street. In Male’ City, there is no such thing as a front yard. There are more cemeteries than parks – a good thing as a lot of the trees that have not been felled exist within their walls. A lot can happen in these doorways. Lovers flirt, children play, the old watch a rapidly changing world pass them by. If you are lucky the doorway will open to a path instead of straight inside your home.

The Male' City Swimming Track
The Male' City Swimming Track

Chapter 01 of my work in progress book "Sinking Streets". 

Chapter 02 - Doorways to the Sea

Chapter 03 - The Laadheenee Among Us

I am floating on my back with my eyes closed. The sun is beating down on my face from above. The rumbling monster of the city is silenced and for a moment I forget about the stress that brought me here. The fresh morning air is tainted with the smell of diesel. I exhale and sink further down under the water’s surface.

The Sustainable Fishing Practices of Dhivehi Reef Fishermen (and how the resort industry is screwing them over).
The Sustainable Fishing Practices of Dhivehi Reef Fishermen (and how the resort industry is screwing them over).

During my time at the Marine Research Centre of the Maldives as a research trainee, I was fortunate enough to go along on one of their reef-fish tagging expeditions to Baa Atoll in February of 2009.

We would go out with the fishermen on their fishing trips during which we would record the daily catch, tag specimens and retrieve tags from specimens which had been released earlier.

We would almost always leave in the early twilight hours and would often not return until it was nearly midnight; dropping off hundreds of kilos of fish to one of the many resorts in the atoll.

For me the most interesting part about all this was not how they catch tons of fish with their hands, instead of nets or rods, or even how they get paid next to nothing by greedy resort operators (more on that later in this article), it was how they would almost always start off the cycle with nothing.

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Contemporary Maldives, Maldivian Politics, Writing, Laadheenee Rights Hani Amir Contemporary Maldives, Maldivian Politics, Writing, Laadheenee Rights Hani Amir

Go Vote

The message this election from all sides of the Maldivian political spectrum has been clear. We do not want you. We do not respect you. We will not tolerate you.

Election Season. Male’, Maldives. (2009).

Election Season. Male’, Maldives. (2009).

            The message this election from all sides of the Maldivian political spectrum has been clear. We do not want you. We do not respect you. We will not tolerate you.

            Yes. The message is clear. There is "no space" for us. No space for the kinds of Maldivians deemed unacceptable by the conservative majority. It may come as a shock to those unfamiliar with the Maldivian political context that even the opposition - those martyrs of democracy - also echo these far-right sentiments.

            Indeed, the current election, like all Maldivian elections thus far, is not about democracy but about who gets to lead the theocracy. What else do you call a nation without freedom of conscience? What else do you call a place where LGBTQIA+ lives are criminalised?

            There is a lot to unravel here, but since I began with the election, let’s keep this about politics. The fact of the matter is that it is completely illegal for certain kinds of Maldivians to organise themselves politically. The constitution bans non-Muslims from being recognised as Maldivian. It also makes LGBTQIA+ lives illegal by deeming their existence un-Islamic. It is worth noting that this is not stated specifically. It is instead assumed from the various clauses in the constitution that outlaw anything against "Islam". LGBTQIA+ people are thus assumed to be against Islam, even though many who live in the Maldives are Muslims themselves.

            So, no constitutional recognition and thus none of the rights that come along with it. We cannot make our own NGOs, political parties, newspapers, artist collectives, nothing. So when you hear these so called "democracy" and "human rights" activists speak of "worsening" press and political freedoms know that they are only speaking of the degradation of the rights of the "right" kind of Maldivian. Know that when Maldivian NGOs, even those with international affiliation, speak of "human rights abuse" they are only speaking of the abuse of those Maldivians which they consider human. Cis-gendered heterosexual Sunni Muslims. Yes, even Muslims of other sects or beliefs are excluded from this very narrow definition of what it means to be Maldivian. Even our great Muslim dictator Maumoon crushed other forms of Muslim belief to the point where it bred extremism and discontent. So much for Muslim solidarity.

            If you think I am being facetious, here is a challenge for you. Find research from any of these NGOs, or even government agencies, about Maldivian minorities such as non-Muslims, Muslims of other sects or beliefs, and LGBTQIA+ people. Demographic research. Qualitative research on their lived experiences. Research on their needs, research about how they feel living in a country where their very existence is criminalised. Research about the effects of being born to a place that denies you the right to even identify with that place. A few stories even. Anything. I guarantee you that at the time of this writing nothing substantial exists. Why would it? These NGOs are run by people who are a part of the conservative majority as well. The idea that simply being tangentially involved in democracy or human rights makes one a true supporter of such rights is laughable.

            So here we are. At the cusp of another theocratic war. To add insult to injury these democracy activists have no qualms about asking minorities whom they themselves neither recognise or respect for their vote. By guaranteeing our erasure they ensure that the votes are halal. 100% Muslim. Despite all of this they will guilt trip you into voting for the opposition, by saying that if you don't vote things will get worse.

            And it is true. Things will get worse. For the right kinds of Maldivian. For the wrong kinds of Maldivians. For the dheenee Maldivians as well as the laadheenee Maldivians. So, go vote for the hypocrites who oppress you. The vile lions of democracy who use the lives of people like us to slander their opponents. Vote so they can win, and claim a victory against people like us. Vote for the lesser monster so you can (hopefully) live to vote another day. Vote so you can one day tell them all the things they wish you'd forget.

So in the spirt of remembering things that our oppressors would like us to forget, I’d like to end this essay with a quote from Ahmed Rilwan AKA Moyameehaa, who at the time of writing has been missing for more than 1502 days.

“When Shariah overrides law, and this Shariah is the word of any bearded Sheikh; I don’t think this is a very democratic picture. We all need to uphold the law and respect it. But for this to happen, the laws should treat everyone equally, it should be clear and understood by all, it should not be too vague, it should not be overridden by anything (including the words of random Sheikhs). Since the constitution does not define ‘Islam’ or ‘Islamic’ Shariah, it is left for the gang of Mullahs who are in bed with the ruling government to define it as they wish.

Such unquestionable and absolute power held by one small group of people will never yield any good results. It is a door to corruption and absolutism. This is exactly why I support secularism, a state where religion cannot be used against people and for political gains. This is not the un-Islamic thing, but rather the only islamic thing to do. The Quran clearly forbids such worship of Sheikhs (9:31). it also tells that individuals are responsible for their OWN actions and that God gave us free will and intellect to test if we do the right thing. All the three estates of the state and the personal lives of individuals need not be policed by a bunch of Sheikhs who claims to be men of God. May Allah save us from his followers that have gone astray. Amen.”
— - Ahmed Rilwan AKA Moyameehaa in 2009
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Contemporary Maldives, Maldives, Maldivian Politics Hani Amir Contemporary Maldives, Maldives, Maldivian Politics Hani Amir

Visualising the votes that sold the Maldives

Here is question for Maldivians: Can you name your constituency and your elected official without having to check it somewhere? 

These are some visualisations of the public voting records of the people's Majlis session in 2015 that amended the constitution to allow for foreign ownership of land or freeholds. Land is an incredibly scarce resource in the Maldives, with the majority of Moldavians living in cramped quarters, never getting to access most of their own country. 

Here is a question for Maldivians: Can you name your constituency and your elected official without having to check it somewhere? 


These are some visualisations of the public voting records of the people's Majlis session in 2015 that amended the constitution to allow for foreign ownership of land or freeholds. Land is an incredibly scarce resource in the Maldives, with the majority of Maldivians living in cramped quarters, never getting to access most of their own country. 

For more context here is a clipping from a Maldives Independent article: 

"The parliament has amended the constitution to authorise foreign ownership of land or freeholds in the Maldives with overwhelming support of 70 votes in favour, a day after the amendments were introduced to the People’s Majlis.

Ten MPs of the main opposition Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) and nine MPs of the Jumhooree Party (JP) also voted in favour of the unprecedented changes. Some 14 MPs voted No.

MPs opposed to the move expressed concern over possible Chinese military expansion in the Maldives, and the lack of time to review the amendments. The bill was submitted on Monday, debated and sent to committee for review at an extraordinary sitting last night, and put to a vote today.

The opposition MPs’ backing was necessary as a three-quarters majority or 64 votes was required to amend the constitution. The ruling Progressive Party of the Maldives (PPM) and coalition partner Maldives Development Alliance (MDA) controls 48 seats in the 85-member house.

Shortly before the vote was called, former president Maumoon Abdul Gayoom, leader of the PPM and half-brother of President Abdulla Yameen, urged the president to seek public opinion before ratifying the amendments. This is the first time Gayoom has publicly opposed president Yameen’s actions.

The amendments will allow foreigners who invest more than US$1 billion to purchase land within the project site. At least 70 percent of the area when the project is completed must also be reclaimed land. The constitution previously prohibited foreign ownership of any part of Maldivian territory, but allowed leasing of land for up to 99 years."

And yes this is the same country that cannot allow for freedom of conscience because that would mean changing the sacred constitution. All it took was a day! They didn't even need time to consult their constituents whom they apparently represent. I guess there must be some equation where money plays a part in these sacred games.

Anyways, here are some visuals. They were created in excel after creating a data set with the voting records. I'm not trying to win any graphic design awards here, so they are just the default built in ones. If you want to double check the data, see more details, or use it for any other purpose, you can download the excel file as well as my sources + notes from the links below:  

 

Download Excel File
Download Majlis Voting Record
Download Current Majlis Member List

Votes by Party

From a total of 84 votes, 70 voted yes while only 14 voted no. 

This means that 83% voted yes while 17% voted no. 


The parties with the most votes for Yes were PPM and MDP. These are also the two largest parties in Majlis. It is worth noting that the member composition at election, voting, and currently are not the same. Many members have changed their party; with both the MDP and JP losing members to PPM. Several MPs who were independent also joined PPM. 12 people who were MPs at the time of voting have also been unseated due to the anti-defection laws that were introduced this year. 

This chart shows an overview of how the parties voted by showing the percentage of yes/no votes within each party. 

The MDP (Maldivian Democratic Party) had a total of 21 votes. 11 members voted yes while 10 voted no. 


The 11 members that voted yes for MDP are: 

  1. Abdul Gafoor Moosa [Haa Dhaalu - Kulhudhuffushi Uthuru]
  2. Mohamed Nazim [Haa Dhaalu - Vaikaradhoo]
  3. Abdul Bari Abdulla [Lhaviyani - Kurendhoo]
  4. Mohamed Abdul Kareem [Male' City - Henveiru Dhekunu]
  5. Abdulla Shahid [Male' City - Henveiru Uthuru]
  6. Moosa Manik [Male' City - Hulhuhenveiru] (now in PPM)
  7. Ali Azim [Male' City - Henveiru Medhu]
  8. Ibrahim Naseer [Meemu - Mulaku]
  9. Ali Nizar [Seenu - Hithadhoo Dhekunu]
  10. Ibrahim Shareef [Seenu - Maradhoo]
  11. Ahmed Marzoog [Vaavu - Felidhoo]

The 10 members that voted no for MDP are: 

  1. Fayyaz Ismail [Laamu - Gan]
  2. Ibrahim Mohamed Solih [Lhaviyani - Hinnavaru]
  3. Mariyam Ahmed Didi [Male' City - Machangoalhi Uthuru]
  4. Eva Abdulla [Male' City - Galolhu Uthuru]
  5. Mohamed Falah [Male' City - Maafannu Hulhangu]
  6. Imthiyaz Fahmy [Male' City - Maafannu Uthuru]
  7. Mohamed Rasheed Hussain [Raa - Alifushi]
  8. Mohamed Aslam [Seenu - Hithadhoo Uthuru]
  9. Ahmed Nashid [Shaviyani - Komandhoo]
  10. Rozaina Adam [Seenu - Meedhoo]

PPM (Progressive Party of Maldives] had a total of 44 votes, with all members voting yes. This must be what a homogenous society looks like. 12 MPs were in different parties at the time of election but were in PPM at the time of voting. 

The members that voted yes for PPM are: 

  1. Ahmed Thariq [Alif Dhaal - Mahibadhoo] (Independent at time of election)
  2. Abdulla Khaleel [Faafu - Nilandhoo] (Independent at time of election)
  3. Muaz Mohamed Rasheed [Gaafu Dhaalu - Madaveli] (Independent at time of election)
  4. Abul Latheef Mohamed [Haa Alif - Dhidhoo] (Independent at time of election - unseated)
  5. Ahmed Shiyam [Lhaviyani - Naifaru] (Independent at time of election)
  6. Mohamed Abdulla [Haa Alif - Ihavandhoo] (JP at time of election)
  7. Mohamed Hussain [Shaviyani - Kanditheemu] (JP at time of election)
  8. Hassan Mufeed Abdul Gadir [Shaviyani - Milandhoo] (JP at time of election)
  9. Nazim Rashaad [Baa - Thulhaadhoo] (MDP at time of election)
  10. Ali Mohamed [Noonu - Holhudhoo] (MDP at time of election)
  11. Abdulla Yamin [Noonu - Velidhoo] (MDP at time of election)
  12. Mohamed Musthafa [Thaa - Thimarafushi] (MDP at time of election - unseated)
  13. Ahmed Saleem [Baa - Eydhafushi]
  14. Ahmed Asad [Gaafu Alif - Dhaandhoo]
  15. Jameel Usman [Gaafu Alif - Gemanafushi]
  16. Saud Hussain (unseated) [Gaafu Alif - Villingili]
  17. Hussain Mohamed Latheef [Gaafu Dhaalu - Fares-maathoda]
  18. Ahmed Rasheed [Gaafu Dhaalu - Gaddhoo]
  19. Saudulla Hilmy [Gaafu Dhaalu - Thinadhoo Uthuru] (unseated) 
  20. Abdulla Maseeh Mohamed [Gnaviyani - Fuvahmulah Dhekunu]
  21. Ali Fazad [Gnaviyani - Fuvahmulah Medhu]
  22. Ali Shah (unseated) [Gnaviyani - Fuvahmulah Uthuru]
  23. Ibrahim Shujau [Haa Alif - Baarah]
  24. Ali Arif [Haa Alif - Kelaa]
  25. Mohamed Nasheed [Haa dhaalu - Kulhudhuffushi Dhekunu]
  26. Ibrahim Riza [Kaafu - Guraidhoo]
  27. Mohamed Waheed Ibrahim [Kaafu - Thulusdhoo] (unseated)
  28. Abdul Raheem Abdulla [Laamu - Fonadhoo]
  29. Ahmed Rasheed Ibrahim [Laamu - Isdhoo]
  30. Ahmed Azhan Fahmy [Laamu - Maavah]
  31. Asma Rasheed [Male' City - Maafannu Medhu]
  32. Ahmed Nihan Hussain Manik [Male' City - Maafannu Dhekunu]
  33. Abdulla Rifau [Male' City - Maafannu Dhekunu]
  34. Abdulla Sinan [Male' City - Machangoalhi Dhekunu] (unseated)
  35. Ahmed Faaris Maumoon [Meemu - Dhiggaru]
  36. Mohamed Ali [Raa - Dhuvaafaru]
  37. Ibrahim Falah [Raa - Inguraidhoo]
  38. Mohamed Ameeth Ahmed Manik [Raa - Madduvari] (unseated) 
  39. Jaufar Dawood [Raa - Ungoofaaru]
  40. Ibrahim Didi [Seenu - Feydhoo]
  41. Mohamed Shahid [Seenu - Hulhudhoo]
  42. Ali Saleem [Shaviyani - Funadhoo]
  43. Hussain Manik Don Manik [Thaa - Guraidhoo]
  44. Riyaz Rasheed [Thaa - Vilufushi]

The JP (Jumhooree / Republican Party) had a total of 11 votes. 9 members voted yes, and 2 members voted no. 

The members that voted yes for JP are: 

  1. Hussain Mohamed [Alif Alif - Mathiveri]
  2. Ibrahim Hassan [Alif Alif - Thoddoo]
  3. Qasim Ibrahim [Alif Dhaal - Maamigili]
  4. Ilham Ahmed [Alif Dhaal - Dhagethi] (unseated) 
  5. Ahmed Mubeen [Faafu - Bileddhoo] (now in PPM)
  6. Abdulla Ahmed [Gaafu Dhaalu - Thinadhoo Dhekunu] (unseated)
  7. Hussain Shahudhee [Haa Dhaalu - Hanimaadhoo] (unseated)
  8. Faisal Naseem [Kaafu - Kaashidhoo]
  9. Moosa Nizar Ibrahim [Vaavu - Keyodho]

The members that voted no for JP are: 

  1. Ali Hussain [Baa - Kendhoo]
  2. Abdulla Riyaz [Thaa - Kinbidhoo]

The MDA (Maldives Development Alliance) had a total of 5 votes, with all members voting yes. 

The members that voted yes for MDA are: 

  1. Ahmed Amir [Dhaalu - Kudahuvadhoo]
  2. Ahmed Siyam Mohamed [Dhaalu - Meedhoo]
  3. Mohamed Ismail [Haa Alif - Hoarafushi]
  4. Ali Mauroof [Noonu - Kendhikulhudhoo]
  5. Umar Hussain [Noonu - Manadhoo]

At the time of voting there were two independent members. One of the voted yes, and the other voted no. 

The independent member that voted yes: 

  1. Hussain Areef [Haa Dhaalu - Nolhivaram] (JP at time of election)

The independent member that voted no: 

  1. Ahmed Mahloof [Male' City - Galolhu Dhekunu] (PPM at time of election)

The AP (Adhaalath / Justice Party) had a total of one vote from member Anara Naeem [Haa Dhaalu - Makunudhoo]. Considering that their sole member in parliament is a woman, It's pretty ironic that the AP disapproves of female running mates in the current election. I wonder how Anara feels about that. 

Votes by Region

There are a total of 21 regions represented in the Majlis. I have included Male' City as a separate region from Kaafu atoll despite Male' City being located within in. This is because Male' City has 13 members while the rest of Kaafu atoll only has 3. 

This graph shows how each region voted by showing the percentage of yes/no votes for each region. Maybe this beautiful pattern can be our new flag. 

Male' City had the greatest total amount of votes for a single region with 13. Of this, 8 members voted yes while 5 voted no. 

Votes by Gender

Of the 84 members present at the time of voting, 79 were men while 5 were women. 

This means that only 6% of the people supposed to represent all Maldivians are women. 94% of the people making our laws are men. 

When we look at the percentages, 80% of women voted no while almost 90% of men voted yes. So much for the conspiracy theories about more female politicians being bad news for the future of the Maldives. It's not like the endless stream of Alis, Abduls, Abdullahs, Ahmeds, Ismails, Ibrahims, Hassans, Mohameds, Rasheeds, and Adams have been of much use anyways. 

I also didn't feel the need to include religious demographics as non-Muslims participating in Maldivian politics is illegal as per the Maldivian constitution. So much for those damn atheists selling out the Maldives to the gay zionists amirite? 

I hope you've found these visuals interesting. They are just the tip of the iceberg as far as the insight that could be drawn from just the data set for this voting session. A whole thesis could be written about just the changes of allegiances and their associated events.

Another thing that stands out is the hypocrisy of Maldivian politics. The unchangeable constitution that is used to oppress Maldivian minorities is like tissue paper when it comes to satisfying business interests. Contrast the hateful rhetoric against foreign workers with the reality of how they've allowed the sale of Maldivian land to the most powerful of foreign elites. Marvel at the misogyny and exclusionary policies of Adhaalath Party when their only representation in parliament is a woman.  Consider all the members who were voted in by their constituencies to represent a certain political party who change their allegiances whenever it benefits them. 

If nothing else I hope this gets you thinking more about how little we think of our elected officials as being representatives for their respective regions. Do their votes reflect the views of their constituencies? I somehow doubt it. 

Read More
Contemporary Maldives, Maldivian Culture, Writing, Dhivehi Art, Dhivehi Media Industry, Maldives Hani Amir Contemporary Maldives, Maldivian Culture, Writing, Dhivehi Art, Dhivehi Media Industry, Maldives Hani Amir

Three Classic Maldivian Music Videos That Totally Don't Normalise Street Harassment

Street harassment is a huge issue in the Maldives. Many women share stories about how they get harassed almost every single day while just walking to work. This has led to many social movements, such as #Nufoshey (don't harass).

The Maldivian entertainment industry has historically led the charge against harassment, responding to this atmosphere of fear by creating some groundbreaking music videos that both shocked and enlightened, dramatically reducing the incidence of street harassment in their wake. Here are three shining examples. 

Street harassment is a huge issue in the Maldives. Many women share stories about how they get harassed almost every single day while just walking to work. This has led to many social movements, such as #Nufoshey (don't harass).

The Maldivian entertainment industry has historically led the charge against harassment, responding to this atmosphere of fear by creating some groundbreaking music videos that both shocked and enlightened, dramatically reducing the incidence of street harassment in their wake. Here are three shining examples. This was initially meant to be a list of ten but my poor brain can only handle so much. 

1. Farivefa Fonivefa (Dolled up and prideful)

This timeless classic of Maldivian media stars Reeko Moosa and Mariyam Nisha. The cheery chorus goes "Farifeva fonivefa dhaathee govaa hivvey, ekeega hingaa hivvey" (I want to call out to you as you pass by all dolled up and prideful, I want to walk with you), "Nuruhifa hure' mi dhimaa thibalaalee hey? Varrah aillaa hivvey" (Did you glance in my direction disapprovingly? I really want to touch you).  

Reeko plays a pilot who takes work place harassment very seriously. 

So seriously that he works multiple jobs just to keep up his daily quota. 

Reeko demonstrates how people used to slide into DMs before twitter. 

Observe how the alpha male clings to his target like a great cologne.  

I wonder how Nisha keeps recognising this master of disguise. Maybe its the hair. 

Reeko finally corners his prey on a dhoni. As they head off into the blue yonder, he can rest easy knowing that for her the only escape would be to jump overboard. 

2. Jaaney Dhoove' Jaan



The chorus of this gem is pretty hard to translate. It goes something like "jaaney dhoove' jaan, heeleemaa vaa gurubaan", which roughly translates to something like "I might loose my soul, a sacrifice/devotion (for thee) when you smile". The reason for this might be because the song, like most Dhivehi songs pumped out by the industry, is a "copy song" where Dhivehi lyrics are made to fit into an existing song, which in this case is the classic "Jaanu meri jaan". Even the video tries to copy the plot of the original. Just think of this as the dollar store version made by the high class yokels of the Indian Ocean. 

The story begins with the wholesome premise of women running away from men. 

In an interview with Variety, esteemed director Christopher Nolan said that this scene was the inspiration for Dunkirk (2017). 

Who is this guy? Why is he in this video? We may never know. Perhaps there is a creepy old background perv quota that the industry has to maintain. Political correctness gone mad amirite. 

Meanwhile, the battle continues along the shoreline. 

As hostilities rage on into the night, a kind of Stockholm syndrome appears to set in. 

Totally brainwashed by their relentless charm, the women now begin courting the men; all while Pervatron spies lustfully from a nearby ship. The guys of course play it cool, as if they hadn't spent most of the day hurling these women around like rag dolls. 

Alls well that ends well, as our heroes dance away into the night with their new partners. 

3. Jaadhoogar (Magician/Sorcerer) 

This time the whole crew is in on the action, frolicking along with our hero as he makes his dream girl wonder why she ever bothers leaving the house in the first place. 

The chorus goes "Gasthugaa dhaanamey geydhoshun jaadhoogar" (The magician will purposely go by your house). Well at least this shit isn't happening by accident!

This video isn't all bad though. Observe one of our heroes as he saves a poor lady who wandered into the middle of the road, after her harassment addled brain made her think she was a motor vehicle. 

You've gotta wonder what it would be like to watch one of these things being directed. "No! You don't look annoyed enough! Now again, with more venom!". Could this be the manifestation of some kind of fetish? 

The safe word is "Zuleyhaa".

Our mage must have levelled up his charisma, because his love spell suddenly seems to start working. See guys, persistence does pay off!

The song ends with Mr. Big Wheels not getting lucky like the rest of his posse. Guess he should have harassed her just a little bit more. 

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#MenAreTrash hashtag sparks widespread debate and outrage on Maldivian twitter

The polarising hashtag caused an uproar and week long drama across the Maldivian twitterverse and tweeps debated the controversial topic. Are men trash? Are men trash, but is the wording wrong? Have people who say men are trash actually not met enough men who are not trash? Are women responsible for the men in their life being trash? Can they simply just filter them out? All this and more below. This is of course just a taste. I also did not include some of the nastier stuff from obvious troll accounts.

The polarising hashtag caused an uproar and week long drama across the Maldivian twitterverse as tweeps debated the controversial topic. Are men trash? Are men trash, but is the wording wrong? Have people who say men are trash actually not met enough men who are not trash? Are women responsible for the men in their life being trash? Can they simply just filter them out? All this and more below. This is of course just a taste. I also did not include some of the nastier stuff from obvious troll accounts.


May 25th - Day One


It all started with this tweet: 

Which instantly started backlash from the (Most) Men (You Know) Are Trash camp.

This group seemed to imply that most men were in fact not trash, and that it was more of an issue of who you knew. 

A woman also takes the opportunity to defend the men in their life

This causes debate and drama to occur over multiple days, some of which is detailed below 

 

May 26th - Day Two 

 

One tweep found the backlash amusing 

Another thought the whole thing was an issue of filtering out the trash 

This caused people to respond with some obvious truths 

One woman shared their experience of how they learned about feminism 

Another explained what feminism means to them 

 

 

May 27th - Day Three 

One tweep asked men to listen 

This prompted a man to ask if the hashtag was creating more division 

Another reflected on gender roles during Ramadan (or Roadha mas in Dhivehi)

Some tweeps reflected on the fragility of the male ego 

One man took it upon himself to sort the trash 

A man shared an account of an incident that he witnessed 

Another man wondered if the whole thing was a ploy for attention 

Yet another man insisted that there was no gender based discrimination in the Maldives, this time using the First Lady Madam Faathun simply existing as an example

Inside a long thread full of drama, one man decides that inequality doesn't exist in the Maldives 

This sparks off even more debate, and many women and men share their experiences. 

Rough translation of the text in quotes "When you marry someone you should just stay at home. Why should you frivolously spend on getting higher qualifications?"

Meanwhile a woman shared her very real story of discrimiation

One woman laid on the snark 

Another flipped the script

Another woman reflected on Maldivian culture and toxic masculinity 

Another expressed her frustrations

A man pointed out the irony of some of the backlash 

Reflections on the previous backlash faced by anti-harrasment campaign Nufoshey



May 28th - Day Four 

One tweep reflected on how they viewed the hashtag as a success

A woman shared their thoughts on the word "feminazi"

Another woman reflected on the messages taught to men in Maldivian media

A man showed his support for the movement 

A woman responded to people dismissing everything as useless drama

To which a man asked what the big deal was in the first place

Rough translation : "So what's the real problem with all the men anyways? (only then) can we attempt to solve the problem or try to help out with the situation. Just asking as a man. If there's something that's bothering you you should speak out, you shouldn't stay quiet."

An opressed man says he is scared to make eye contact with women because he might get labelled a harasser

Concluding drama

Alright I've embedded so many tweets that my browser is starting to slow down, so here are some concluding remarks

What has one of the men who sparked the initial backlash learnt from days of women sharing their experiences of discrimination?

Apparently not much 

If you want my opinion, I'd say hell yes, Maldivian men are trash. The country's appalling record on women's rights should speak for itself. No politician even mentions the need for abortions, which are still illegal and cause untold misery and stress for women who need to access this basic reproductive health service. Not to mention the Maldives has incredibly high rates of domestic violence, and a Guinness World Record for the highest number of divorces per capita. Many Maldivians still believe that women shouldn't be allowed to rule their country. Street harassment and abuse is widespread. This is without even getting into the extremely taboo topic of the rights of lesbian, bisexual or other non-cis women.

I think it says a lot that some men chose to police the people using the hashtag than confront the realities of what it's like being a woman in the Maldives. I think the following two tweets below sum up my feelings quite well. 

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Piracy and me - Video games

I owe a lot to the pirates of Asia. Most of the media I consumed up to the point I was a young adult was pirated. Pirated VHS tapes, pirated games, pirated music. Even the shows on the state propaganda channel were pirated. Hell, even the satellite feeds we got were pirated up until the mid 2000s. People pointed their dish antennas towards the heavens and caught the pieces of the free world that were reflected back.

Space Scape Pixaki (2016)

Space Scape
Pixaki
(2016)

I owe a lot to the pirates of Asia. Most of the media I consumed up to the point I was a young adult was pirated. Pirated VHS tapes, pirated games, pirated music. Even the shows on the state propaganda channel were pirated. Hell, even the satellite feeds we got were pirated up until the mid 2000s. People pointed their dish antennas towards the heavens and caught the pieces of the free world that were reflected back.

I don't recall a single notable place in Male’ that sold originals other than a music store called BayWatch. The disks were so prohibitively expensive that it is a wonder they stayed in business at all. The only albums I’ve ever bought from there were the ones I got from their first closing down sale. I remember Sepultura and Anthrax. Metal to dull my teenage angst. Listening to high quality CD audio was a refreshing change from the shitty mp3s we were used to. A lot of the pirated CDs didn't sound much better than these tiny digital files. Nobody really had enough money to afford the real thing on a regular basis.

The same was true for video games. So much so that the availability of pirated media seemed to directly influence which consoles we used. As such the most popular consoles from my childhood were the first two PlayStation systems. The island was dotted with shops that sold PlayStation games for dirt cheap. Buy two get three free. They’d have walls that were covered floor to ceiling with CDs in crinkly plastic covers. It was always PlayStation games at these little stores. Never anything else.

PlayStation mania hit the Maldives relatively late. I was shocked to find out that the console was a product of the early to mid-nineties. The only people that kept up with the West were the well-travelled elites. I’ve only ever seen the competing GameCube and Xbox systems from within their spacious homes. The games for those systems weren’t as easy to pirate back then. This meant that the people who owned those systems had to have the means to buy original discs from abroad.  The older N64 might as well have never existed.

What kept PCs from the top spot was that it was both cheaper and easier to get your hands on a PlayStation. For a PlayStation to work all you needed was a CRT TV to plug it into, and everyone seemed to have had one of those. How else would you get your daily dose of propaganda? The first year I had a PlayStation I played entirely in black and white, as the old National set we had didn’t support the correct colour system. I don’t remember minding much. I think it added to the ambiance of the one Medal of Honour game that I had.

As most of the PlayStation catalogue had already been released by that point, the way we experienced these games was all at once. We did not have to wait for a sequel. We never got to appreciate the steady increase in quality. We’d finish them one after the other. We also missed out on manuals and all the little extras one gets for not being a dirty pirate.

Take the case of my quest to play Metal Gear Solid. I became obsessed with it after watching a cousin play through the entire thing. Back then the houses of relatives was the closest thing we had to Twitch. Many a Ramadan was spent watching older cousins trying to suffer through the Resident Evils. Nemesis from R3 used to haunt my dreams. Years later when I got my own PlayStation, the much-requested MGS disc that game with it turned out to be the VR Missions spin off. A fun game but hardly the story driven adventure I had gawked at from my cousin’s couch. I would eventually borrow it from a wealthier friend who had already played its PS2 sequel to death.

A few hours in it has a mechanic where you had to check the back of the CD case for a codec number. It was nowhere to be found on the pirated copy. Believe me, I analysed the cover for a good half hour. Maybe it would appear if I looked at it upside down? Maybe they meant the front cover? Perhaps they used invisible ink? Spies used that, right? Was I ever going to get to play this damn game? Thankfully my friend still remembered it. For that, and letting me borrow it in the first place, I am eternally grateful. Through such goodwill is how most of us got our hands on harder to find titles. It would take a while for pirated PS2 discs to become as widespread because its games, which came on DVDs, were more complicated and expensive to pirate compared to CDs.

The shops that sold PC games were special in that they would make discs to order. You’d pick out a title from their alphabetised display shelf, and they’d burn the disc for you on the spot. They’d even help you out if you had trouble cracking it. All games and software were priced the same, with price increasing only with the number of discs. Once our family computer got a CD burner, I realised that nothing was stopping me from doing the same.

Thus began my short lived yet extremely profitable venture of selling pirated discs to my secondary school mates. I’d have an excel printout that I’d bring to class. In it was a list of all the PC games I had available. I would also borrow as many games as I could, promising to bring the discs back the next day. The more games I borrowed, the larger the list became. The more discs I burned, the better I became at it. Soon I even knew how to duplicate PlayStation games (using some specialised software that I had pirated of course). All you needed to do to make them work (if you didn’t have a mod-chip) was to start the system with an original disc, and then switch it out for the burned copy at just the right moment.

At first I was buying single CDs at the neighbourhood bookshop, but soon I was able to afford a whole spindle. Before long, kids from other classes were visiting me during lunch break to put in orders. GTA 3 and Vice City were two of my best sellers. The Sims series, with its multitude of expansion packs was quite a hit as well. Maxis / EA were really onto something there.

My dreams of riches came crashing down when my mother caught on and began wondering why I suddenly had so much disposable income. Ultimately it came down to the hard truth that getting caught by the school itself could mean expulsion. So I stopped selling, opting instead to just continue growing my own collection. Gotta burn something right. Piracy wasn't going to stay “legal” forever.

It was an interesting taste of the entrepreneurial spirit that brought life to our media starved souls. At the time I certainly didn't care much for the rights of companies that probably weren't even aware of our existence, let alone be capable of pointing us out on a map. Even now, would be capitalists should take note; the free market waits for no one.

Self reflection
How You Make Me Feel
How You Make Me Feel

CONTENT WARNING: Self harm, suicide, abuse, homophobia

How You Make Me Feel | Digital | (2022)

There is a lot I want to say about this piece. I draw in an unplanned, organic way. When things appear in my imagination, I add them in.

I imagined hands coming down as spiders, throwing out hooks, manipulating my face, my emotions, how I appear to the outside world.

The hooks would pull and tear at my skin, as the lines pulled through bone and sinew.

Why illustrate such violence towards oneself? Well for one thing it is better than hurting my physical body.

Through the process of this illustration I realised I was expressing some deep traumas that I have not really addressed directly. When I look back at the body of my work, it is obvious where I have subconsciously explored these feelings. In deciding to make this piece with more focus, I found that it drained and took a lot out of me. I worked on it tirelessly until it all came into focus, and when it did, I felt a tidal wave of exhaustion but also relief.

I feel like the time is right to share these stories. They will provide context for this work.

31 Dhivehi Haikus for the month of August
31 Dhivehi Haikus for the month of August

In August during lockdown, I wrote a haiku in Dhivehi each day. It started off with simple Thaana text on black background, and slowly evolved to incorporate my photographs. It is nice to write haikus in Dhivehi as the structure lends itself nicely to counting the syllables.

The poems themselves seemed to take on a very self reflective nature, with common themes being the ocean, Maldivian life, and life in Male’ City.

I have included english translations for each of them. However do note that sometimes the meaning and syllable structure is lost somewhat in translation.

Originally posted on my instagram.

The Laadheenee Among Us
The Laadheenee Among Us

Chapter 03 of my work in progress book "Sinking Streets". 

Chapter 01 - The Male’ City Swimming Track

Chapter 02 - Doorways to the Sea

 

Doorways to the Sea
Doorways to the Sea

Chapter 02 of my work in progress book "Sinking Streets". 

Our lives are framed by doorways. These portals that open onto the street. In Male’ City, there is no such thing as a front yard. There are more cemeteries than parks – a good thing as a lot of the trees that have not been felled exist within their walls. A lot can happen in these doorways. Lovers flirt, children play, the old watch a rapidly changing world pass them by. If you are lucky the doorway will open to a path instead of straight inside your home.

Piracy and me - Video games
Piracy and me - Video games

I owe a lot to the pirates of Asia. Most of the media I consumed up to the point I was a young adult was pirated. Pirated VHS tapes, pirated games, pirated music. Even the shows on the state propaganda channel were pirated. Hell, even the satellite feeds we got were pirated up until the mid 2000s. People pointed their dish antennas towards the heavens and caught the pieces of the free world that were reflected back.

Fear of Humanity
Fear of Humanity

There is not a moment where I am truly at ease. An innocent knock on the door in the middle of the day can create a crippling sense of dread. Is it just the postman? Or is it death come knocking? At night, it is even worse. What darkness lies at the end of the dim hall when I wake to relieve myself when all else is quiet? 

Ahannakee dhivésséh (I am an Islander)
Ahannakee dhivésséh (I am an Islander)
The Male' City Swimming Track
The Male' City Swimming Track

Chapter 01 of my work in progress book "Sinking Streets". 

Chapter 02 - Doorways to the Sea

Chapter 03 - The Laadheenee Among Us

I am floating on my back with my eyes closed. The sun is beating down on my face from above. The rumbling monster of the city is silenced and for a moment I forget about the stress that brought me here. The fresh morning air is tainted with the smell of diesel. I exhale and sink further down under the water’s surface.

Why Do I Write In English?
Why Do I Write In English?

Is there an easy answer to this question? Primarily I think I speak and write in English because it has been necessary for my survival. Most people from the Maldives are bilingual because of this reason. Our language, Dhivehi, is only spoken by us. And of us there are not many. 

TVM Haze
TVM Haze

The world has changed so much in the past few decades. The sheer amount of information we have accessible at our fingertips is sometimes hard to comprehend. If you are a person who has the privilege of internet access, the only excuse you have for your ignorance is yourself.

Fear of the Dark
Fear of the Dark

               All the while the rushing would intensify as if heading towards some grim crescendo. As this feeling grew and I drowned in feelings of utter helplessness, so did a growing panic that something... bad.... was about to happen. This jinni, this being, was going to take my life - or worse - take my sanity and run screaming with it all the way to hell.

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Children of the Islands pt.I - Fishing
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Maldives twitter last week #6

Here are some interesting things Maldivians talked about on twitter last week. 

Here are some interesting things Maldivians talked about on twitter last week. 

1. People celebrated Yameen Rasheed's Birthday 

2. A turtle was freed from a net

3. An old Male' City jail 

4. Moyameeha's killers still walk free

5. A Hithadhoo road with a canopy of beautiful trees 

6. One of the only coral islands with a healthy Avicennia mangrove forest 

7. "Despite everything it feels like we have done too little."

8. A private museum full of Maldivian antiques 

9. A taro field 

10. RIP another tree

11. @maaanihu starts #36DaysofThaana 

12. Women & Democracy launch their Gender Equality Manifesto 

13. An old Brish newspaper article about the Maldives' first republic under Mohamed Amin Didi 

14. A woven mat from 1899

15. Cancer causing areca / betel nuts at a health event

16. A handy chart showing the origins of Thaana characters

17. Volunteers clean up an island

18. Mobility for people living on rural islands continues to decrease 

19. Dancing as a part of Maldivian culture  

20. A roadside garden 

21. Yaamin Rasheed's family and friends continue their quest for justice 

22. Moyameeha's family do the same 

This will be the last one for a while. On top of a lot of other things, I need to work more on finishing Sinking Streets. The more I write about Male' the more it feels like I am drawing out some poison. I do not want to feel like this forever. At the same time it is not easy saying goodbye. You can read the first chapter here.

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