a visual journal of maldives

I have always been intrigued by Addu Atoll. Growing up in Male, my curiosity about Addu or Adduans (as some people from Addu like to call themselves to emphasize their vernacular characteristics) was never satisfied. Attempts at further researching the political and socio-cultural history of the Addu region (which is sometimes synonymously used to mean Addu, Fuah Mulah and Huvadhoo atolls although these are very different atolls) remained confined to the scarce literature published and the wanting accounts narrated by those belonging to the region. Added to this were the many semi and untruth people belonging to other regions of the country had fabricated – perhaps to satisfy this very curiosity I was also feeling.

In my own case, I have many personal memories and various associations with the region, especially Addu. My parents traveled to Addu when I was eleven months old to visit the hospital ran at Gan by the British. I had rather large cheeks at the time so people from the island commented that a ‘jinni’ (a spirit) might eat me. This brings us to another association that I feel a lot of those who grew up and live in Male make with Addu people, at least this seems to be the case sometime back, say the ‘70s and ‘80s – that they are prolific black magicians. There are few historical incidents which might have fed this into the mainstream Maldivian imagination. Most well know of these incidents is that of Hakeem Didi and his associated, belonging to Huvadhoo region. They were found guilty of plotting to kill the first Maldivian President Mohamed Amin Didi. As a punishment, Hakim Didi was shot dead on Hulhule island.

‘Link Road’ – the ring road that connects Gan with Feydhoo, Maradhoo and HItahdhoo. Although the Link Road can be a nice cruise on a motorbike, for those who are familiar with Addu only from the media, it had become synonymous with a ‘death trap’ owing to the many lives it has claimed in road various automobile accidents. And some have observed an even more negative effect of the road; that it disconnects the community from the rich history of the region. People now navigate mostly on this road with interaction with the community, whereas before the road was constructed you had to use the streets running through the islands, stretching from Hithadhoo to Gan. Photo: September 2009, MW

Even the souvenir artists in Addu do not escape the influence of Michael Friendel.. This is not surprising given the many ways visual culture plays a special role in the dynamics of the Maldives’ tourism industry.

Over the last two years, I have had the occasion to make two brief visit to Addu. My first visit was during Presidential Campaign of 2008 and in the Islamic month of Ramazan. I was there for two days out of which I spent one day in Fuah Mulaku. So in total I got to spend just one day in Addu. And as I was part of a campaign team, my observations, interactions and activities were very much within the confines of the my group. But some of the feelings I had from this visit connected with deeper strands of thought I had about Addu.

(to be continued)