Arts
Though performances of traditional music and are not everyday events, contemporary Divehi culture is strong and adaptive, despite foreign influences, which range from martial arts and Hindi movies to Eminem and Muslim fundamentalism. Western and India fashions, pop music and videos are highly visible, but on public occasions and festivals the celebrations always have a Maldivian style. Three daily newspapers and several magazines are published in the unique national language and rock bands sing Divehi lyrics. It’s remarkable that such a tiny population maintains such a distinctive culture. (p. 34)
Literature
Despite the unique Maldivian script that dates from the 1600s, most Maldivian myths and stories are from an oral tradition and have only recently appeared in print. Many are stories of witchcraft and sorcery, while others are cautionary tales about the evils of vanity, lust and greed, and the sticky fates of those who transgressed. Some are decidedly weird and depressing, and don’t make good bedtime reading for young children. Novelty Press has published a small book
called Mysticism in the Maldives, which is still available. The Hammond Innes thriller The Strode Venturer is about the only well-known novel that is partly set in the Maldives. (p. 34)
Visual Arts
There is no historical tradition of painting in the Maldives, but demand for local art (however fabricated) from the tourist industry has created a supply in the ultra-savvy Maldivian market, with more than a few locals selling paintings to visitors or creating beach scenes for hotel rooms. Some islands were once famous for wood and stone carving – elaborate calligraphy and the intricate intertwining patters are a feature of many old mosques and gravestones. A little of this woodcarving is still one, mainly to decorate mosques. The façade of the new Majlis building in Male’ is decorated with intertwines carvings. (p. 35)Local Beliefs
On the islands, people still fear jinnis, the evil spirits that come from the sea, land and sky. They are blamed for everything that can’t be explained by religion or education. To combat jinnis there are fanditha, which are the spells and potions provided by local hakeem (medicine man) who is often called upon when illness strikes, if a woman fails to conceive, or if the fishing is poor. The hakeem might cast a curing spell by writing phrases from the Quran on strips of paper and sticking or tying them to the patient or writing the sayings in ink on a plate, filling the plate with water to dissolve the ink, and making the patient drink the potion. Other concoctions include istiri, a love potion used in matchmaking, and its antidote varitoli, which is used to break up marriages. (p. 31)
