This week in Maldives: October 16

Because I just finished a 31 hour work day, but Maldives won’t relent, this week I focus on legends that have passed away, and YAG who stubbornly won’t. These are short takes on the headlines from the week gone by.

Zero Degree Atoll’s Nashid dies

It was around the year 2005 when I first got introduced to Maldivian music – and boy what an introduction it was! Zero Degree Atoll’s legendary album Dhoni has never been equaled, nor rivaled by any Maldivian musical act before or since.

My dhivehi language skills were very rudimentary at the time, and yet the beats and poetry in those verses seemed to wake the spirits of dead ancestors buried in my head. The sound of gentle waves, birds fluting, and the blues music all filled me with nostalgia for vague memories I’ve never actually experienced.

This week, the foreman of that legendary band, Nashid was finally laid to rest after a long battle with cancer. 

He would die with the knowledge that in a deeply divided society like Maldives where people can barely agree on the sum of two numbers, Zero Degree Atoll has nonetheless managed to earn universal acclaim and adoration.

Over a decade later, his music firmly remains in my regular playlist.

Here’s a nice interview with Nashid from a few years ago by Abdulla Naafiz, for the now defunct Haveeru Online, archived on mashafeeq’s blog.

Inauguration Ceremony of Free WiFi access at the Airport

Since this is supposed to be a short take, here’s a picture of two men inaugurating a WiFi access point in 2016.

“Rising rent as a result of skyrocketing food prices makes no sense – Minister Shainee” 

Hey Shainee, this is Maldives. Things don’t make sense in general. But here’s a strange notion: landlords collect rent to pay for food, among other things.

“President apologises for Maldives’ biggest ever corruption scandal”

But he blames it all on former right hand man Adeeb, who is now in jail. “No matter how vigilant we are, criminals will continue to commit crimes”

I still think he should have sensed something was up when he didn’t get his morning intelligence briefing for six months.

State wholesaler appeals to recover US$1.2m from PPM MP Riyaz Rasheed’s company

Riyaz wants this case out of the spotlight. Because radiation concerns.

“Ports company ordered to buy diesel exclusively from MPs’ company”

Same company. Same MP.  Because Maldives.

“The Maldives must maintain its proud history of not executing people”, says EU Chargé d’Affaires

Fuck no, says HEPY. In his apology speech.

“Funding for political parties withheld indefinitely by EC”

Convenient overlap between Maldives running out of democracy, and state running out of funds.

“Maldives quits the Commonwealth”

Now that the Maldives regime has safely completed all the dares on the Commonwealth Charter, and faced absolutely no consequences, it is simply not as much fun anymore.