Aishath Shazra – Page 6 – Minivan News

Rock melon project proving fruitful

Nafiza Abdul Gafoor expertly holds a rock melon in her hands, and shows the technique for cutting it. The 32 year-old has worked in the farming sector for years, and training in Malaysia last year has also made her among the few Maldivians qualified in ‘auto pot’ farming.

‘Auto pot’ is a variation on hydroponics, and was introduced to Maldives through rock melon farming projects carried out by UNDP and Ministry of Fisheries and Agriculture.

“This is a very good method of farming for the Maldives,” says Nafiza. She works as field officer in the four month-old greenhouse in Gnavyiyani Atoll Fuvamulah.

Creating a greenhouse

UNDP and the Ministry of Agriculture invited proposals from interested NGOs in early 2009.

“Our proposal won as we had already found the land and installed the well needed for it,” says Nafiza, who is part of the NGO Society for Environmental Awareness (SEA).

The Malaysian experts assigned to the project did not deem the land as suitable as it was too swampy. Within three months another area of land was procured, and it took the experts ten days to set up the green house and plant the first batch of rock melon plants.

“Now we always maintain 500 plants here,” Nafiza says.

The tedious task of weeding at the onset put off some of those recruited from the eight wards of the island: “Our staff is from nearby three wards now, as the greenhouse is on one end of the island.”

The first six months salary is paid by UNDP. Afterward, seventy per cent of dividends reaped from selling rock melon will be divided among staff with the rest being equally split for marketing, procuring products, and business expansion.

The staff of 32 consists mostly of women apart, with the exception of three men.

Aiminath Waheeda, 42, is a tailor by profession and has her own tailor shop but professeses a fascination for farming.

“My children are grown up now. I have time to do this, and it’s something I’ve always wanted to do,” says Aiminath.

After selling the first batch of melons last month she says she hopes for a better income in the future.

Planting and harvesting

“Within 58 days of planting we can harvest melons,” Nafiza explains.

The melons have to be visually perfect without any marks; this means that Nafiza and the others are careful to avoid walking near the plants once they flower, in case the brushes up against any leaves: “If you touch the plant or even brush up against it after it had flowered, there is the chance of the melon getting marks.”

Special fertilizers are added once a week to the tank that pumps water to the pots through an automated system. This is increased to twice a week once the plant flowers.

“After harvesting the melons we get rid of the plant, and plant the prepared ones the next day.”

Local supplier Happy Market buys melon from them and sells to resorts.

Misty inside the greenhouse

Expansion

“We wanted to introduce a method of farming that would also appeal to the younger generation,” says Dr Aiminath Shafia, state minister for agriculture. Youngsters aren’t keen to toil in the sun, and modern methods such as this could tempt them to farming, she reasons.

The scarcity of land in Maldives and the potential for creating high quality products is another reason for introducing auto pot production methods.

“We have also discussed it with resorts, which are willing to buy the produce if quality and consistency can be guaranteed.” Dr Shafia says linking the greenhouses with resorts is part of the project.

The pilot project carried out in Noonu Atoll Kendhikulhudhoo a couple of years ago proved to be a roaring success and is on the verge of expansion, while in Vaavu Atoll Felidhoo the green house is doing extremely well and another in Baa Atoll Baarah is already selling to nearby resorts.

The next two projects are an island in Addu Atoll and in Thaa Atoll Veymandoo. “We have not done projects in Addu Atoll and there are resorts nearby there, and Veymandoo is a farming island and we have other projects there as well,” Dr Shafia says.

She wants to introduce this method of farming to more people.

“We are willing to carry out little projects of ten pots for a small fee to those who reside in Male,” she says.

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Beautiful Fuvahmulah can’t see the beach for the garbage

He carefully loads the garbage into the boot of his car: it’s a mix of household waste.

“My mother composts all the food items in the backyard,” says Ahmed Ali, 30.

He drives to the dump site.

It is hard to miss; both sides of the road leading to it are lined with garbage, cans, plastic water bottles, paper waste, discarded household items, even a toilet seat. The entrance to the dump site is blocked by piles of garbage and overgrown bushes.

“I don’t want to dump garbage outside like this, but do I have a choice?” says a dejected Ali.

Sure enough, all three roads that lead to the dump site are lined with garbage on both sides.

A municipality worker comes by shortly with a rake, and carefully makes sure that no garbage spills onto the middle of the road.

Surveying the strewn garbage, it is easy to feel Ali’s dejection, after all this is Fuvahmulah; one of the most beautiful and fertile islands in the Maldives, and its unique ecosystem is being destroyed by waste.

Garbage dump or airport

“The 10,000 square feet dump site was built in 2003,” says Ahmed Mujthaba, councilor in charge of the Fuvamulah office. He adds that in 2006 the then government decided the same area of land was ideal to build an airport.

“It was decided that the dump site would have to be relocated and Mf600,000 was given as compensation by the government.”

It took one and half years for public consultation and to get an Environment Assessment Report (EIA) and approval from the housing ministry for the new location.

But no work has been carried out in the newly allocated dump site, located 200 meters from the existing dump.

Hassan Saeed, the atoll councilor, says a team from Environmental Research Center (now the Environment Protection Agency, or EPA) came to do a study in April 2008.

“They had a public consultation with the stakeholders and promised a ‘total waste management solution’ project that would take off in 2009.”

With no news from the EPA, Saeed contacted them in 2009 to be told that they didn’t have the necessary funds.

“We were told that the budget for it had been transferred to the newly created Waste Management Corporation (WMC) by the finance ministry.”

The WMC informed him that they hadn’t received any money for Fuvamulah.

Mohamed Zuhair, director general of EPA, says a study was done in Fuvamulah to try and develop energy from the waste but it was considered not feasible due to the small size of the population.

“We did have a budget under PSIP but that was taken from us and we can’t say for sure where it was transferred.”

Saeed says islanders who live in the vicinity of the proposed dump area also have concerns.

“They say how we can be sure people won’t dump garbage all over the place like they do now.”

They have agreed to the dump being built if the walls are 12 feet in height, the garbage is be segregated and if the latest equipment such as incinerators are brought in.

“Our funds are only enough to build a wall of three feet in height,” says Saeed.

He adds that a total waste solution is the answer and not just another dump site.

“There has to be household level sorting, ward collection points, a drive to re-use, re-cycle, and a way to export things that can’t be destroyed.”

The Women’s Development Committee is already sorting out garbage in their area, but it is proving to be futile as everything has to be dumped in the same area. Another NGO has proposed to provide bins in the famed beach areas in Fuvamulah, “but all that is useless, if all we are going to do is dump it at some site.”

Solutions

“It is not only Fuvamulah, almost all the islands of Maldives have a waste management problem,” says Ali Rilwan, executive director of NGO Blue Peace. He says it’s a serious issue and the lagoons of the Maldives are getting destroyed day by day.

“Does the environment ministry know what is happening in the islands? Do the councilors in the islands know that an EIA report has to be done for each project?” he asks.

He takes as an example the announcement by a councilor in Gaafu Dhaalu Atoll Thinadhoo that they are going to build a dump site in the sea.

Zuhair says the EPA is working towards a national waste management solution.

“We are not only developing waste management centres with the WMC and Province Utilities Companies, we are working to find solutions – we also want to do public awareness campaigns and have regional waste management sites.”

However no project is planned in Fuvamulah at the moment. Zuhair says most islands do contact them and know that they have to abide by their regulations.

“We found out about the Thinadhoo proposal through the TV and are contacting them to talk about it.”

Rilwan says a drive to reduce waste also has to be done “to reduce garbage, lessen PET bottles, plastic waste, all of these non bio-degradable items.”

He calls upon the government to do more, saying all he has seen so far is the creation of two corporations and the president and environment minister participating in a garbage collection day.

While the relevant authorities search for solutions, the garbage in Fuvamulah and other islands continue to pile up and pose safety, health and social issues to the islanders.

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The traditions of Matheerah Fulhu

The stretch of sand on the tip of the island serves as the landing spot for visitors. The island has no jetty.

Overgrown bushes cover what used to be a cleared road. A bit farther off on either side one can make out rows of palm trees which must once have been the edge of the road.

The thick foliage abruptly gives way to a clearing. An enclosure with a building is right in front. Nearby a set of measuring scales, tall and imposing.

It is not difficult to imagine the old days when adults and children, balanced on one side of the scale while the other side was loaded with food items.

This is the uninhabited island Haa Alifu Atoll Matheerah, or as its often referred to, Matheerah Fulhu. Until the 80s Maldivians used to travel from near and far to a shrine on the island to fulfill promises.

Folklore

Fathimath Abdulla, 73, a native of another nearby abandoned island called Hathifushi, recounts a story passed down from generation to generation.

“Fisherman from Hathifushi on their way back from fishing trip saw a wooden box bobbing up and down in the ocean,” he recalls.

Legend has it that one of the men hit the box twice with his oar, but on the third try he found he couldn’t lift his hand.

They hurriedly rowed back and told the islanders. A larger crowd then set sail on a wooden raft to look at the box.

“When they came they saw the wooden box was now buried in the sand and only the name written on it was visible.”

The name was ‘Shareef Ali Al Makhi’, the only thing in the recorded history of Matheerah.

It is believed that the tomb inside the island’s enclosure is his, although no other information about him exists.

Also inside the enclosure is a huge wooden mast, roughly the size of the big flagpole in republic square in Male’.

Islanders say most of the buildings found in the enclosure were created with things that washed up on shore, including the mast.

“The story goes that the mast rose upright on its own, when locals came the following day,“ says Fathimath.

On the right side of the enclosure is an intricately-designed doorway leading to the shrine. Even to the inexperienced eye the design looks similar to the 18th century Kandhuvalu mosque found in the island of Utheemu.

However neglect has lead to discolouration and only trace amounts of the coloured lacquer work are still visible.

A sacred site

Islanders considered the place sacred, but feared it as well.

Fathimath spent four months collecting and cooking toddy on Matheerah Fulhu in the 50s.

“The men would collect toddy during the day, but they would finish collecting from the palm trees near the shrine before sunset. Nobody ventured there after dark,” she says.

Fathimath and another girl stayed inside the makeshift hut after nightfall. She remembers that islanders believed they found traces of human movement on the sand at daytime.

Ancient traditions

“From far and wide people used to come to visit Matheerah Fulhu,” Fathimath remembers.

“It was common to get around two or three dhonis of people on some days. The island chief of Hathifushi became defacto caretaker of the shrine.”

People would come to weigh their babies using the scales, she says, “or after having made a promise along the lines of ‘if such and such happened’, they would distribute food items equivalent to their own weight.”

The visiting dhoni would first go to Hathifushi, where a local islander would hop on it. That person would act as a facilitator and take the visitors to the shrine.

Kadhi or bonidbai (porridge type Maldivian desserts) in huge ceramic pots, bananas, grains would be weighed against a person’s weight to fulfil their ‘promise’.

Sometimes the offerings included Maldivian crepes, silver and gold threads to the equivalent of someone’s height.

Fathimath laughs when she recalls how even then Maldivians were very conscious of hygiene.

“If it was crepes, the person would have to stand on a mat, put a white cloth over themselves, and the first crepe would be placed on top of his head, the next one touching it, and you drop the first one to the mat, and so on it would go until his length was covered.”

The the food was taken back to Hathifushi, poured into a huge basin and the pots washed and given back to the visitors.

“A person would come out and call to all the islanders, who would come to collect the food,” Fathimath recalls. Depending on the number of people in a family, each person would get a ladle’s worth of food.

Gold and silver thread was also given the length of someone’s height, but its fate is unknown. It seems for a long time it was kept in a box in the island chief’s house – Fathimath says she saw it in her youth. But rumour has it that upon the island chief’s passing; the box was stolen by a scheming family member.

In the eighties, the practice of fulfilling promises at shrines was banned.

“It was considered bid’ah (innovation) and stopped,” Fathimath says.

Ahmed Tholaal, assistant director of the department of national centre for linguistic and historical research, says there is no budget for conservation of the place.

“Even if we do get budget, Matheerah Fulhu is not on the priority list,” he says – unsurprising since there are historical places on inhabited islands that need conservation.

Once one of the most visited islands, Matheerah Fulhu’s historical relevance is now left to ruin.

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Lease to conserve?

Blessed with an abundance of natural beauty, Gnaviyani atoll Fuvamulah is also geographically unique; an atoll and an island at the same time.

One of the major attractions of the island are the two kulhi (freshwater lakes). The smaller Dhandigamu Kulhi is often used by the locals to go swimming, but Bandara Kulhi has fared worse, degrading to such an extent that few now venture near it.

“It’s almost a garbage site now, a dump site. There’s is no one to look after the place,” says Hassan Saeed, the atoll councillor.

Nevertheless Bandara Kulhi remains one of the most serene and beautiful locations on the island. Stretching across 274 meters, access to it is via marshlands and narrow paths near taro fields.

Islanders used a built a jetty off the main road seven years ago to gain access to it, however neglect has caused it to crumble to the point of being unsafe.

A novel idea

In order to reverse the damage and reopen the kulhi, a novel but controversial idea has been floated.

“We recently had [a visit from] a survey team from the ministry of fisheries and agriculture, and the report they submitted advised us that a way to generate the budget to take care of the kulhi could be to commercially commodify it,” Saeed says.

Details are sketchy: “We are just sending out feelers right now, we will consult with the agricultural ministry as well as the environmental ministry, find out which criteria we have to set, and then invite proposals,” he says.

Leasing out the land for farming or a restaurant are some of the ideas. The party who winning the lease would be entrusted the task of making sure no waste is dumped in the wetland in the area, while the money would be used to protect and maintain the kulhi.

Some are apprehensive about the idea.

“We heard about this but I’m not sure how far they have gone with the idea,” says Abdul Azeez Ismail, chairman of NGO Fuvamulah Association of Developing Infrastructure (FADI) and a member of the society for environmental awareness.

Ismail is of the opinion that leasing the land to just anybody will lead to further destruction of the place. He has reservations about opening the area to just local tourism and believes a resort should be involved

“South province state minister Mohamed Naseer once mentioned it. There are resorts in Addu and Huvadhoo Atoll, so opening it to international tourists shouldn’t be a problem,” he says, adding that mostly it is only resorts that have the capacity to care and protect the environment.

“Fuvamulah is different to other islands. So much can be done here, and the kulhi is a gift to us from nature so we have to conserve it,” he says.

Bandara Kulhi (freshwater lake): a rare sight in the tiny islands of the Maldives

Beneficial or destructive?

Islander Hassan Mohamed, 68, says “better to lease out if it could be beneficial to the islanders.”

He recalls that in the past during the governments of Mohamed Amin and Ibrahim Nasir, the kulhi was leased out: “It was well maintained at that time. There were banana plantations nearby, weeds were cut, and surroundings were kept clean.”

During Amin Didi’s time coconut husks were lowered into the kulhi, after which it was used to make choir ropes that were sold. In Nasir’s time the leasee cultivated milkfish and whenever fish was scarce they sold it to the general populace.

“In recent years nothing has been done and the place is being destroyed,” Hassan says.

Most islanders seem to agree with him.

“If done properly leasing out the kulhi area would be good,” says 32 year-old Masitha Ahmed.

Executive director of NGO Blue Peace, Ali Rilwan, says everything depends on how much the place will be altered if it were leased.

“How much mangrove will be cut? Will it be only the bank of the kulhi that is going to be leased?” he asks.

Internationally Rilwan claims it is the norm to conserve some areas as strict nature reserves, while others are regulated to ensure nature and human activities can co-exist.

“There are nature parks that are leased to private parties to protect,” he explains. However he reserves his final judgment for “when we see an environmental assessment report. Then we can talk about the merits or demerits.”

Saeed sums the argument for leasing the area. “Is it better to let the area get destroyed? Or commodify the place in order to look after it responsibly?”

Photos by Ahmed Thaumeen.

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Waiting for homes

Dotted with tall palm trees, white sandy beaches and a turquoise blue lagoon, Haa Alifu Hathifushi is the epitome of a beautiful Maldivian island.

At 833 meters in length and 823 meters in width, it’s also very small: “Hathifushi was the smallest inhabited island in the Maldives”, according to the island’s chief, Ibrahim Ali.

Getting to the island is a precarious activity these days – the jetty is in the process of crumbling.

Fallen leaves carpet the floor of the main road, while half-open doors reveal houses falling to ruin, overtaken by creeping vines.

Trees laden with unpicked fruits, bananas, stone apples and coconuts betray the lack of human activity, while clothes still strung on wash lines, books strewn about living rooms, photos hanging on walls show the haste with which the islanders departed.

Mohamed Rasheed, 46 (pictured top right) is one of only three people left on the island.

“It’s not difficult staying here, after all its my birth island,” says Rasheed, who works as the island’s caretaker.

With only three days to move, 127 Hathifushi islanders bundled their most precious possessions into speedboats on 5 July 2007 and made the 45 minute journey to nearby Hanimadhoo.

Missed chances

“The islanders have wanted to move for 56 years,” says Ali, who now resides in Hanimadhoo but remains chief of the Hathifushi islanders.

Over the years a lot of the islanders migrated to other islands or the capital in search of better education and facilities. For those that remained a way forward seemed to become narrower and narrower.

The islanders asked successive governments to relocate them, but somehow the opportunity never materialised.

Abdul Rahman, 81, one of the oldest Hathifushi islanders, talks of missed chances.

“The first president Mohamed Amin came, next Ibrahim Nasir also came, both talked of relocation to Nolhivaranfaru and said ‘better services would be provided if you move.’”

He adds Amin’s subsequent death a couple of months later, and Nasir’s resignation before he got round to doing it, put an end to that.

Requests were sent to Gayoom’s government.

“In the 90s Atolls Minister Ilyas Ibrahim visited, followed by his successor Abdulla Hameed.”

Choice of Maafilafushi, Hanimadhoo or Kelaa was offered, but the move didn’t materialise as Ilyas fell out with Gayoom and was sentenced to banishment in absentia, while Hameed was promoted to presidential advisor.

From the way he talks, it’s almost as if Rahman believes the relocation was jinxed.

“The last atoll minister in Gayoom’s government, Waheeddeen, got everyone to agree to move to Thulusdhoo,” he says.

Then the tsunami struck, and the islanders were informed that Thulusdhoo had taken in displaced islanders and no longer had space for them.

Although spared from the tsunami, Hathifushi experienced tidal swelling waves three days later.

“The island was flooded except just a tiny part in the middle,” says Ali.

Urgent requests were made, and a visit from the atoll chief, who upon seeing the flooding placed a call to the then president Gayoom, sped up the process.

“Hanimadhoo was ready to welcome us,” says Rahman, talking about how excited the islanders were to finally move. Islanders were advised to rent houses in Hanimadhoo with the money paid to them by the government, a monthly stipend of Rf500 (US$40) per person.

Mohamed Ali, 59, who resides with his family in nearby Hoarafushi, says islanders were told they could chose to move to another island and government would continue to provide them assistance until housing could be built for them.

The housing dream

Two years and six months later, the islanders still live in rented houses in Hanimadhoo. A frustrated Mohamed Ali says despite informing all the ministries he had moved to Hoarafushi “didn’t receive one cent of assistance, unlike those living in Hanimadhoo.”

The houses that were promised to them still remain a dream.

“President Gayoom promised to build houses within 18 months; his government lost power before he could do that,” says a housewife who lives with her three children on rent.

Numerous islanders say a contract was signed by the previous government to build houses for them.

Ali claims “the previous government very kindly told us that the year we moved they didn’t have money to build houses in that year’s budget and that following year it would be included.”

He adds that more than Rf600,000 (US$46,000) was spent by the previous government in paying off Hanimadhoo islanders who had palm trees and such on a land that the government had designated as the area for building houses.

Riddle of the contract

The contract was jointly awarded to Yuman Constructions and Sri Lankan company Isuru Engineering Pvt Ltd. A spokesman for Yuman Construction confirmed the company signed the contract in October 2008.

“We did a survey of the land in Hanimadhoo in October,” he says.

With the change of government in the following month, they were informed that the project could not be continued as “houses cannot be built with non-existent money.”

In March this year the company received the termination letter for the contract.

“No payments had been made by then, as conditions had been attached for payment in the [original] contract,” the spokesman said.

State Minister for the Upper North Province Mohamed Hunaif says the government had no choice.

“The contract had to be terminated; no money was allocated for it by the previous government nor was it mentioned how the money would be found, Hunaif says.

Waiting for homes

Islanders say that when new president Mohamed Nasheed made a trip to Hanimadhoo last year, he promised them housing by the end of 2009.

“I live in that hope, even though the end of the year is here,” says Ali.

Hunaif says the project is in the pipeline: “We will build houses as soon as we can.”

Asked if it was included in next year’s budget he says “funding is being sourced from outside for it.”

Hunaif claims he had actively pushed for the money and cabinet had decided the houses will be built “as soon as possible. The recession and a lack of funding stopped us from doing it this year.”

He says he can see how difficult it is for the islanders; nevertheless he can’t give a date for when the project will start: “We are waiting for the funding to come through.”

Most islanders are happy about the relocation but say life is difficult without a place of their own. Rahman says they are not informed of what is happening.

He lives with his 60 year-old daughter renting a room in a house – he sleeps in the sitting room.

“If I get a house, at least I can stay there peacefully until my death,” he says.

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Art and human rights merge in Sugar Coated Bright Colours

‘Sew mouths that object, blind eyes that might see’ are the powerful words that confront you when you stand in front of the ‘Three dead monkeys’ piece at the Sugar Coated Bright Colours art exhibition.

The photo is intriguing and disturbing at the same time. The faces are painted white giving them a theatrical feel, a girl with her head thrown back and blood pouring from her eyes, the man in the middle with a devilish grin, a finger to his lips, as if saying ‘don’t talk about this’. A second girl with her mouth sewn shut.

It’s not only art on display – it’s the crucial issue of human rights viewed through the eyes of nine aspiring artists.

The exhibition was planned by local NGO Transparency Maldives to celebrate World Human Rights Day, with funding from Ausaid, UNDP and the EU.

“We planned this as part of our project: ‘I choose to know my rights’,” says Mohamed Thoriq Hamid, project coordinator of Transparency Maldives, an NGO working to improve governance and eliminate corruption from people’s daily lives.

The aspiring artists used different mediums to convey their messages

Human Rights through Art

The exhibition follows two weeks of multi-media workshops. In line with the unusual theme, the venue for the launch was also unorthodox: Masveringe (Fisherman’s) park.

“We started the workshop with a presentation on Human Rights,” says Thoriq, who believes artists should be at the vanguard of the topic.

Speaking at the launching, chief guest Ahmed Wajeeh said “artists should reflect on issues, and we should open opportunities for creative ideas in society and respect them – even elders like us – as this will in make our society better.”

He reflected upon the importance of civil society and said Maldivians should be thankful to those who take initiative to improve society without taking sides.

The exhibit ‘Give me a chance’ seems to be crying out for that opportunity. Photos of basketball players accompany the plea. The text by Saadha Ahmed highlights an issue that a lot of youth face now – lamenting the fact that most do not have the opportunity to follow careers that interest them.

artex4 — The artworks aim to challenge perceptions of human rights

“I want the visitor to interpret what this means,” says Shafaath Ibrahim, 18. Displayed in a dark room, the image of a swing is projected on the screen. It seems to change in rhythm, but one can never be sure as a distorted mirror image obscures the swing from time to time.

It could be a depiction of your mood swings, the pace of your life, or how obstacles at times obscure your view of your goals.

“I learned a lot about human rights from that one session,” Shafaath says. As a student of CHSE (Centre for Higher Secondary Education) she feels there needs to be more awareness placed on human rights in secondary schools. She admits that human rights are not yet fully implemented fully in the Maldives, and says it is still a new concept.

Her fellow student Laesha Mohamed, 18, created a sculpture. Made using a mix of wire, clay, paper, nylon and rubber bands, she replicates to perfection the contours of human face with wire.

The face is suspended, while below two hands jut out manipulating items below.

“This piece blurs the line between sculpture and installation,” says Umair Badeeu, facilitator of the workshop along with Mohamed Khayyam Adam (Hassa).

“We asked artists to derive works from information they got the first day.”

Umair is a firm believer in giving creative freedom to artists, and letting them choose their own projects.

The end result he says is impressive for such a short working time: “Here there are space limitations, material limitations; yet each artist has overcome those hurdles to achieve what they wanted,” he says.

Creative freedom is something Moosa Mamdooh Ahmed, 24, holds dear.

“Freedom to create what you want is also a human right,” he says.

His life-size drawing of a dervish is arresting. The figure is still, with his eyes closed, and at his feet lies a giant snake, coiled and eating its own tail.

“The piece has to do with free will,” he explains. “Animals are stuck in a cycle. Only human beings have the choice to getting out of it: a human can choose to evolve, to learn new things, but the moment he decides he knows, he seals off his mind from learning.”

He questions what he describes as a current lack of spirituality, and says his drawing is about a person’s endeavor to seek answers.

Twenty-four year old Ahmed Afazil questions the futility of war with a series of drawings using watercolor, charcoal and stencil. Kane and Abel, Polpot and Hitler jostle for space with drawings depicting reality and utopia. The wording of utopia is hazy: “I don’t know what the ideal utopia is, but humans have not achieved it yet. There are always wars, people die, and a time of relative peace and again a war for some reason.”

Thoriq sums up the relationship between art and human rights: “Freedom of expression is crucial to artists. They should stay at the forefront of the battle for human rights.”

Sugarcoated Bright Colours can be viewed at H.Merryside,1st Floor (former Cyprea Building), weekdays from 8pm to 10pm, and weekends from 4pm to 6pm and 8pm to 10pm

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Football finals fever grips Maldives

The crowd was electrifying. Young people in the front row jumped up and down to the beat, while further back stood the cool and aloof, both enjoying the music.

Passing motorbikes were pulled into the festivities with many stopping to soak up the atmosphere and revel in the happiness.

“I just love this atmosphere. It brings out my patriotism,” laughs Ali Hassan, stopping on his way home.

The band ‘Cops’ belted out number after number, driving the crowd wild, screaming between songs: “Are we behind the national team?” “Yeah!” the crowd would roar.

This was not about music, or entertainment. This was about football fever gripping the nation.

The national team of the Maldives yesterday made it to the finals of the South Asian Football Federation (SAFF) Cup, comfortably beating Sri Lanka 5-1 in Bangladesh and sending the entire country into throes of ecstasy. As one spectator said: “It rained goals.”

At home it rained joy. Afterwards people took to the streets, young and old alike. Flags fluttered proudly on cars and motorcycles, while some people carried giant flags in their hands. Even police jeeps carried the customary flag.

“Maldives in the finals!”, some screamed. Women and children did joy rides around the streets of Male on the back of pickup trucks, football songs blasting at full volume. A car zoomed about painted entirely in red, with just a little green border and the white crescent on the side indicative of the flag, beautifully merging aesthetics and patriotism.

Chants of “India! India!” were heard during the other semi-final match between Bangladesh and India that evening. Now visions of July last year – when the SAFF cup was brought home for the first time – are dancing in front of everyone’s eyes.

Corner of Joy

The euphoria is evident in every street corner in the capital, but the corner seeing the maximum action is Lonuziyaraikolhu – it becomes the hub during the tournament festivities.

The seawall to surf point the streets are painted in red, with a bouncing ball appearing here and there to the corner. Maldivian flags flutter on both sides of the street, while up above red, green and white banners give the place a carnival feel.

The famed Olympians band has played twice, while earlier Enteres drove the crowds crazy with their song repertoire prompting one spectator to say: “The oldies have still got what it takes.”

Last night was the turn of the Cops band, with songs like ‘Magey beybe magey dhonbe’, ‘Handhaa’ and the classic ‘Haakalee buruvaalee’ getting the crowds chanting. Maldivian flags were waved in tandem from the front row.

Aiminath Reena, 32, whispered she was “kind of glad” Maldives was not going to play against Bangladesh in the finals. “We have so many Bangladeshis here; I would not want any trouble or anyone to make them feel bad,” she said.

While on the other side, housewife Fathimath Easa, 44, recounts how her corner shop seytu (shopkeeper) told her that his Bangladeshi employee had called up his mother and asked her to support Maldives.

“Now that their team is out, they are supporting the Maldivian team,” she said.

The songs continued, people wondered around eating, hot paratas and spicy curries from the Buruzu hotel eatery, or eating diverse dishes from the Salsa stall or freshly made kothu roshi from Royal Park stall. Three girls took turns to pose with the giant poster of the star player Ali Ashfag (Dhagandey) and the national team posted on the Haveeru stall.

“Yesterday we got a lot of support – it goes hand in hand with the success the team is achieving,” says Ahmed Shahid (Saabe), Chef de Mission for the Maldivian Contingent for South Asian Games 2010. Quite aptly, his mobile ringtone is ‘Saabahey dhivehina fahuruveri bathaluna’ (‘hooray for Maldivians and proud heroes’), one of the football movement’s anthems.

Shahid organized the festivities with the Ministry of Human Resources, Youth and Sports forming a committee to oversee the games.

“We chose Lonuziyarai Kolhu cause there is ample space, and it’s an area where people come to enjoy and hangout,” he said.

The Cops band announced it was changing taste and played an Indian song: ‘Yey mera dhil piyar kaa dheevana’. The paradox: Maldivians love all things Indian; food, songs, movies and the country itself. No celebration is complete without something Indian and yet they are now the principal rival.

The Maldives is set to play against India in the final match of SAFF cup tomorrow at 5:00pm. The best team will win the cup, but Maldivians of all ages will be rooting for their team, and the celebrations look set to surpass that of last year. The possibility of getting the cup twice running is just going to ramp up the excitement of this football crazy nation.

To join in the festivities head to Lonuziyaraikolhu, from early evening until 1:00 am on Monday morning.

Photos provided by Mode

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A 32 year stopover in the Maldives

His locks of white hair and casual dressing – shorts, sandals, shirt – make 68 year-old Philippe Laurella, a distinct figure on the streets of Male.

His many years in the Maldives, have earned him a spot in folklore, and most Maldivians know him as the white guy who married a Maldivian and settled here.

“When I first came to Maldives there was a certain charm to Maldives,” says Philippe.

In May 1978, the country was as different as it could be from his native France. There was no electricity, no telephone, no television, but Philippe says “life was nice, contact with Maldivians was good, and back then they didn’t have the same preoccupations as now.”

Arriving in Maldives

Philippe left France in 1978 in a vehicle called the ‘magic bus’ with no plans to visit the Maldives.

“I had vaguely heard of the Maldives back then, but most people used to confuse it with some islands located near Argentina.”

A keen traveler, he spent time in Amsterdam, Greece, Afghanistan, Iran and Pakistan before ending up in India where he met a French couple. “They said: ‘Why not come with us to Maldives?’”

His plan to stay for 15 days ended as 18 months: “I was struck by the beauty and the simplicity of the place,” he says.

Procuring a boat in Noonu Atoll Velidhoo, the place he would later call home, he built a deck and a cabin and set sail to see Maldives, travelling from Haa Alifu to Laamu.

At the end of his voyage, Philippe continued on and toured India, Sri Lanka, Burma and Singapore before returning to France. Barely a month later was he back in Velidho: “I kept thinking about this country.”

Local identity and painter Philippe Laurella. Photo: Martin Whiteley

Philippe designed his first safari boat, ‘Baraabaru,’ which “was the start of tourism in the country. Most safari boats didn’t have cabins back then.”

He takes pride in the fact that Velidhoo is now famous for safari boats, and most islanders own one.

A printer by profession, Philippe learnt the art of building boats and incorporated his own ideas. With a Maldivian crew, he set about organizing safari trips. Sailing for six months a year, he took the rest of the six month off in Velidhoo. He even designed and built his house, complete with thatched roof.

One day a crew member pointed to his wife’s sister, and asked Philippe, “shall we arrange something?”

In true Maldivian style, within a month Philippe married Fathimath Adam.

“She said yes and her family said yes,” he says, smiling. He was so accustomed to the Maldivian way of life he didn’t find it strange. “I did like her, and we fell in love. We spent 25 years together and had three kids.”

Problems occurred the first year as Philippe’s smattering of Dhivehi words was the only way they could communicate. Food also was a problem as he disliked hikimas (dry fish).

“Kirugarudhiya (a type of curry) with hikimas and cold rice is the worst,” he said.

Fathimath proved to be a great cook and with the limited resources available made simple and delicious meals, he says.

Sadly, she passed away in 2005 after falling ill with kidney failure. The entire family moved to Male in 2003 from their peaceful existence in Velidhoo to be with her during her treatment.

Many of Philippe's paintings are bought by tourists

Painting and living in modern Maldives

Despite coming from a family of artists – Philippe’s mother is a painter as his older brother, while the younger one is a musician and writer and his sister a classical dancer – Philippe was never interested in painting. However boredom on a rainy day in Male in 1999 led him to try, and when a Swiss friend liked and bought his work it became the catalyst for becoming a painter.

His paintings are mostly of fish; a swirl of tiny blue fish, giving a peek into orange fishes that are passing behind. Or one of his most recognisable paintings: the long legs of a stork and its head peering back into the painting amid multi-colored fishes swimming by. The colours are striking; the paintings uplift your spirits, while showcasing the beauty of fishes.

He stays true to his first medium, watercolour. His paintings were exhibited in Esjehi Gallery in 2000 as well as two years ago in an exhibition held by Association Franco-Maldivienne.

“Youngsters often stop me on the street and ask me if I could teach them painting,” he says. His lack of formal training makes him hesitate, though he is not averse to the idea.

“It’s not easy for a painter in Male to be inspired and to come up with ideas,” he muses.

Most painters paint in rooms in their houses; there are no studios which limits the process of imagination. He would love to diversify and paint aspects of island life, “but most of my clients want fish paintings.”

Philippe sells his paintings mostly to tourists, with a few rich Maldivians also part of his clientele. He feels the art scene in Maldives still needs to develop, and says he likes painters like Eagan who have produced some exceptional paintings of Maldivian life.

As for his life here, “I’m not sure I would stay if I arrived to Maldives now.”

Modernity is a double edged sword, he says.

Philippe's preferred medium is watercolour

“Before you could go fishing and nobody could get in touch with you, now mobile phones are a necessity everywhere.”

Even landing in Velidhoo was subject to nature, as they had to wait for high tide to get the boat close to the island: “Life was complicated, but still there was charm and serenity.”

He laughingly recounts how when initially Maizan Adam Manik spoke to him about Pyrard De Laval, the famous French navigator, he ended up thinking Pyrard was in Male. “I asked him: how can I meet him, and Adam Manik said you can’t, he lived here 300 years ago.”

He has seen three presidents rule the country, and is now fluent in Dhivehi.

“My stay here just happened. This could be a 32 year stopover – I could still continue my voyage.”

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Reefwalkers: Hiking comes to the Maldives

Ever thought you could see 80 islands in three days? And purely by hiking?

This unusual venture – a first in the Maldives – was completed by more than 100 people in the WalkMaldives event over the Eid holidays in late November.

GaafuDhaalu (Gdh) Atoll, one of the world’s biggest natural atolls, makes this possible as many of its islands are all situated in the same lagoon.

“We came up with the idea when we were discussing what sort of things people can do in the Maldives, apart from fishing, picnics and activities like that,” says Ali Shareef, from the architectural firm Tekton Design.

Tekton organised the event in conjunction with Green Tech, a local company selling environment friendly products like solar panels. The two companies often work together on sites across the Maldives. While working on working on a resort island in Thaa atoll, Mohamed Latheef of Green Tech suggested “We could hike and visit islands in my home atoll, Gdh.”

The idea took off, and the pair decided to give the public a chance to participate in the event.

Trail of Discovery

Maldivian feast — Island NGOs organised feasts for the walkers

The response was overwhelming. But the group was limited to 150 people, chosen on a first come basis, “because we wanted to have a manageable group,” says Shareef.

The organisers invited islanders from the atoll and the initial group that started the hike numbered 180. Hikers were divided into 12 groups, with each group given the chance to choose their own leader and each including islanders from the area.

The cost was only Mrf 600 per person, reasonable for such an adventure, while those who flew from Male paid for their seaplane ticket to Kaadedhoo and boat to the starting island of Madaveli.

NGOs did the ground work, arranging meals at Madaveli, Hodedhoo, Nadella, Rathafandhoo and Fiyoree where the participants finally arrived at noon on the last day.

“It was amazing to see such natural beauty. It’s a sight that even most Maldivians don’t get to see,” says Zoona Naseem, a diver. Her group consisted mostly of fellow divers and water sports instructors, who were so enthusiastic they stayed on after the walk and have now visited 103 islands. While the sights were spectacular, “unfortunately we noticed a lot of erosion also,” she says.

Azim Musthag joined the walk partly to see the Gdh area, and partly for the challenge of completing the 35 kilometre hike. “It’s a very unique atoll, with all these islands in one lagoon. Sometimes it’s only five minutes’ walk between two islands.”

He says the most difficult thing was trying to avoid stepping on live coral.

“The corals are so colourful and alive, so the locals must have routes that they take. But since we were new in the area sometimes we had to swim to avoid stepping on any coral,” he says.

“Gdh is the most beautiful part of Maldives I have yet seen,” describes Aiminath Shauna. After spending the night at Keramitha and Kanandhoo, two uninhabited islands, she says “the sunrise and sunsets there put to shame the ones we see in Male.”

The ancient coral mosques and the warm welcome extended by the islanders made the trip especially memorable for Shauna. “And we had 100% visibility – it’s so amazing to see the beautiful islands and coral, and it was never tiring because of the rush of adrenalin hiking through such beauty.”

Exploring with awareness

Many of participants say they hope walks like this will motivate more Maldivians to take an interest in preserving nature.

“The organisers were very good, they asked people not to step on live coral or throw things in the sea,” says Zoona.

However Musthag says a lack of knowledge meant some Maldivians were not able to differentiate between live and dead coral, “so we held a briefing on the second day with the organisers on how to identify live ones.”

Shauna says most of the group had never seen such natural beauty, even growing up so close to it.

“It’s important that research is done, and it would be good if the hiking trail informed people where they should snorkel and even canoe.”

An identifiable walking trail was suggested by many participants as the best way to have a minimal impact on the environment.

“This small ecosystem of our country protects us, is a breeding ground for fish and attracts tourists, so we should take care of it,” Shauna says.

Future walks

With the resounding success of the first walk, Shareef looks forward to continuing it.

“We will do it in smaller groups so it will be easier to manage,” he says.

Protecting the environment was also one of his concerns, so the forms signed by participants had a clause to that effect.

The organisers also plan to train guides in partnership with island NGOs: “We really appreciate the help and support they gave us, and we want this to benefit the atoll as well.”

Shareef says visiting the atoll felt like stepping back in time 10 years, as it had not been developed to the extent it could have been.

It’s a wish shared by Abbas Ali, the island councillor of Nadella: “WalkMaldives is a very good initiative; we are ready to support in any way we can,” he says.

He believes the events will generate publicity for the atoll as well as enable further development, and eventually “we’d like to see tourists come here as well.”

Eighty islands, 35 kilometers and one lagoon in three days is WalkMaldives in a nutshell: perfect for those looking for adventure or simply to immerse themselves in the natural beauty of the Maldives.

To contact the WalkMaldives team, visit the website www.walkmaldives.com.mv

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