Tuesday, November 25, 2008

Maldives by Tom Masters (2006)

Following are some snippets from the book Maldives by Tom Masters (2006) that I found noteworthy for my study. Some very interesting observations:

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)

6 comments:

Anonymous said...

Funny that you are abroad away reading book by foreign authors about Maldives in order to study Maldives while I am here in the Maldives reading a lot of books written by Maldivians over the past few centuries about Maldives. We'll make a good team.

But what would you think if I'm an Australian studying in the 'collage' of the Maldives reading books about Australia about Maldivians while eating Garudhiya and rice? My thesis will be about Australia and information culture (as seen by Maldivians). These days that will make a good thesi i guess.. for the amount of money the universities take... specially from foreign students (either by aid or pvt).

good luck

Anonymous said...

hello anonymous,
true, most of my readings are made up of books written about maldives by non-maldivians. the reason: difficult to access material written by local authors 1) becasue it is in the local language and not available on the Internet and 2) it is not widely available.
i am based in australia for the duration of the study so it is not that feasible to have access to local literature. but i did go back to maldives for about 3 months, to conduct surveys and also to interview information stakeholders in the country. my thesis is mainly based on the outcomes of these.

Unknown said...

Hi, I am doing an Msc.on Maldives housing industry. Looking into the impact of housing on the ‘Maldives Vision 2020 Action-plan’. Whether they can restructure policies to meet their 2020 goals. Did you find good online literature on their historic architecture? I really need graphics.

Any helps will be much appreciated.

Thanks

Aminath Riyaz said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Aminath Riyaz said...

Looks like a great topic.
I did not find much - was not actively looking either.
But there is a newly formed Architects Association Maldives.

The members' email addresses are listed.
http://aamaldives.com/archives/299

You might be able to get quality information from them.

All the best with your study

Unknown said...

Thanks Aminath! I just sent them an email. Hope to get a quick response.

Aiming for a complete draft by May 31.