Response to BBC…

Hayday: Wow Lanky…still cannot believe that we provided our avid readers with some hard hitting facts about Male…its not all sun, sea, surf and fast food.

Lanky: Too true Recharge, too true. Not only do they adore the wizard himself but they also seem to have a great love for Celine Dion and Aqua as well.

On a less uproarious and more sober note it was really quite thought provoking to read our man (from the BBC) in Male’s viewpoint on the capital island after three weeks spent ‘living it’.

My immediate response was to consider how ‘true’ a reflection I felt it was of the Male I had come to know. The first thing that I’ve begun to notice, and that the report highlights, is quite how crowded the island feels. Interestingly I’ve only begun to really feel this since we returned from our trip to the resort. Prior to that the density of the population hadn’t really struck me as I suspect growing up in outer London had anaesthetised me a touch to being amongst a teeming population.

Interestingly I’ve never felt that there were too many people around as such but it’s the premium of space, unsurprisingly, that really gives the game away. In Care Society space is at such a premium that people are boxed into spaces that would prove a challenge for an accomplished gymnast to get into. Equally the size of rooms are simply smaller while it’s not unusual when walking around the city to see families of seven or eight children cramped into the makeshift living room watching TV. Our colleagues and friends from Male back this up by stating that privacy and personal space is virtually non-existent as most families (as in aunts, uncles, cousins etc.) all live together in housing that we would deem appropriate for maybe only a family of four. In fact the housing market here seems to rival that of London’s; it’s not cheap and it often takes a whole extended family each working more than one job to provide them with appropriate housing.

However these factors are seemingly contradicted by the presence of an incongruously large amount of shops that provide what luxury goods such as quality clothing and electrical goods. Indeed there are literally hundreds of shops that sell these products with no discernable difference between a shop and it’s competitors. All the clothes shops seem to sell exactly the same thing as another shop that is, also, often right next to it. Indeed it’s not unusual for whole promenades of shops that are exactly the same to stretch out before you. Who it is that buys these products and how these shops survive is a mystery to us. Especially considering they always seem perpetually empty or closed.

Yet there is clearly a chosen few who have serious capital to get rid of and perhaps therein lies the answer. Despite the speed limit on the island being an eye-watering 25 mph there are a large number of souped up rude-boy motors (‘iced out’ rims and all) as well as the odd Audi TT that parade the roads. The thing we can’t get over is that neither the law nor the roads (that are tiny and make for treacherous journeys to work) allow for a full bodied flexing of these automobile’s muscle. It must get unbelievably frustrating (although this is coming s\from a man who has acquired quite a collection of speeding tickets in his time). Despite this a favourite Maldivian past-time is to drive round the island. Again. And again. And again…

The people themselves are pleasantly non-confrontational and accommodating. Richie also pointed out that for such a cramped place they seem to, refreshingly, be able to avoid fighting each other. Equally I’ve not seen any evidence of fundamentalism (but then I don’t see why I would) and actually people seem a lot more relaxed regarding clothing, behaviour etc. than we had been led to believe before we came out here. Undoubtedly the widely available American soups and TV shows such as The OC, Sweet Valley High etc. have had a considerable and comprehensive effect on the younger generation of the island (who make up the majority of the population in fact) and their attitudes.

Hayday: What an observant little chap you are Lanky and I agree entirely with your synopsis. Although it is only week 3, I am not sure that I share some of the comments raised by the right honourable BBC man. At first glance some of his observations are valid but after spending time consumed within the lifestyle and being able to remove some of our western filters (think Lanky that is 1-0 to me on the use of the word) I have not felt the impact of the densely populated island nor have I been aware of fundamentalism. There are many positives that I will take from this experience and we have a lot to learn from this fantastic place - the sense of family and value of an unstructured lifestyle to name but a few.

New Male (Hulhumale) is a very ‘interesting place’ and concept. Hulhumale is a man made island which is a 20 minute boat trip away from the capital. Once the second phase of the land reclamation project is complete, it will be twice the area of Male yet the government plan to inhabit the island with only 15% of the population. From our visits it is clear that this 15% will be the wealthy and the wealthy only. The infrastructure on the new island is remarkable and it is clear were some of the tourist income has been spent. It is a very impressive project but difficult to truly admire when its purpose is to continue to enlarge the gulf between rich and poor.

Editors Notes: Obviously we respect the copyright laws and would like to highlight that indeed the BBC have written a well balanced account of Male…and that the BBC is a fabulous institution that makes both Lanky and Hayday proud to be British…well sort of…