{"id":4039,"date":"2011-02-24T07:59:00","date_gmt":"2011-02-24T07:59:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/monochromist.com\/2011\/02\/24\/present-day-maldivians-are-a-people-in-flux-the\/"},"modified":"2011-02-24T07:59:00","modified_gmt":"2011-02-24T07:59:00","slug":"present-day-maldivians-are-a-people-in-flux-the","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/monochromist.com\/notes\/2011\/02\/24\/present-day-maldivians-are-a-people-in-flux-the\/","title":{"rendered":""},"content":{"rendered":"
\n

Present-day Maldivians are a people in flux. The \u00e2\u20ac\u02dcmodernity\u00e2\u20ac\u2122 we experienced in the last decades has turned out to be largely economic and material, vesting us with a deep sense of unease about our own cultural and spiritual roots.<\/p>\n

Partly, this is due to the new dynamics of identity formation, generated by forces resulting from globalization and increased exposure to the outside world. Through this process, an entire reference system has been replaced and modified and a new paradigm has emerged for us to follow in order to live coherent and meaningful lives.
\nHowever, this paradigm has not come readymade. Each of us in the community is putting bits and pieces together in a way that makes most sense to us\u00e2\u20ac\u201dand then find common ground among our fellow Maldivians. A daunting task sometimes, but nevertheless fulfilling. <\/p>\n

\u201cThe moorings of the traditional reference systems are being eroded with new influences. Both western cultural influences as well as more than a whiff of the air of fundamentalist tendencies that are blowing in various parts of the world today have reached Maldivian shores. With the introduction of the multiparty system in June 2005 the various groups jostling to promote their worldviews and ideologies have clashed on occasion, resulting in harsh exchanges in the media. And more disturbingly, there have also been clashes between the police and members of the public. Street muggings, petty crimes and the abuse of hard drugs also have strikingly increased over the last few years. <\/p>\n

\u201cRapid urbanization, globalization and other cultural and economic influences had changed the mindscapes and the imagination of the society without parallel developments in the country\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s legislation and social norms, leaving the Maldivian community in a seemingly rootless void. The most unpleasant consequence of this state is the loss of feeling for the fellow man, members of the Maldivian community. For centuries, Maldivians have viewed themselves as members of an extended family. This mindset has come about, and reinforced over the years, from the closely-knit community of Maldivians where families were literally related to each other. The island geography of the nation and the close proximity of our living spaces have also contributed to this.
\nA philosophy of \u00e2\u20ac\u02dceach unto their own\u00e2\u20ac\u2122 seems to prevail in the Maldives today, in the domain of politics, society and community values. Hence, social and cultural incoherence is not only a looming threat, but already, and to a large extent, a living reality that Maldivians are having to face, even if somewhat reluctantly. Hence, the need to invoke concepts such as oagatherikan is crucial if we are to make the transition into a twenty-first century multiparty democracy without sustaining lasting damage to our cultural identity and social unity. We need to relearn to see ourselves again as members of the same extended family. But our view of the family has to transcend the traditional family of blood relatives and encompass the universal family in which different worldviews and ideologies coexist with each other. We need to rise above the communal mindset fostered by the realities of living in an island community. We need to see ourselves as different, and differing, individuals navigating through the new political dynamics of globalisation and the still unfolding information revolution. Identities and lifestyles are not restricted to geographic regions any more. The most crucial values and relationships unfold through interaction and contact with forces previously perceived as \u00e2\u20ac\u02dcoutside\u00e2\u20ac\u2122.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

From: Change and Humaneness as a Context for Oagatherikanby Mamduh Waheed, Catalogue Essay, Common Goods Exhibtion and Residencies, 2005, Melbourne, Australia.<\/a><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Present-day Maldivians are a people in flux. The \u00e2\u20ac\u02dcmodernity\u00e2\u20ac\u2122 we experienced in the last decades has turned out to be largely economic and material, vesting us with a deep sense of unease about our own cultural and spiritual roots. Partly, this is due to the new dynamics of identity formation, generated by forces resulting from […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"quote","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":false,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-4039","post","type-post","status-publish","format-quote","hentry","category-video_graphics","post_format-post-format-quote"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p5sGHy-139","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":4548,"url":"https:\/\/monochromist.com\/notes\/2011\/01\/21\/the-new-national-museum-will-give-maldivians-the\/","url_meta":{"origin":4039,"position":0},"title":"The New National Museum will\u2026","author":"monochromist","date":"January 21, 2011","format":"quote","excerpt":"The New National Museum will give Maldivians the opportunity \u201cto examine and reinterpret our culture and whole way of life\u201d, claims Ahmed Naseer, the state minister for Tourism, Arts and Culture. \u201cIt\u2019s a great museum complex that includes Male\u2019s best garden park. 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But it is they who have ripped our tight-knit communities apart, and unravelled the thread of quiet faith that bound Maldivians together in an invisible yet strong bond for as long\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "motion"","block_context":{"text":"motion","link":"https:\/\/monochromist.com\/notes\/category\/video_graphics\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":5077,"url":"https:\/\/monochromist.com\/notes\/2011\/07\/08\/with-internet-penetration-growing-steadily-in-the\/","url_meta":{"origin":4039,"position":2},"title":"With Internet penetration growing steadily in the Maldives (currently about 20 percent according to the CIA World Book of Facts), the web is quickly becoming the Maldivians\u2019 medium of choice for exercising their freedom of speech. The Maldives Project will build upon this foundation by teaching the students multimedia skills so that they can tell their stories not only through writing but through video production, audio slideshows and blogging.","author":"monochromist","date":"July 8, 2011","format":"link","excerpt":"With Internet penetration growing steadily in the Maldives (currently about 20 percent according to the CIA World Book of Facts), the web is quickly becoming the Maldivians\u2019 medium of choice for exercising their freedom of speech. The Maldives Project will build upon this foundation by teaching the students multimedia skills\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "motion"","block_context":{"text":"motion","link":"https:\/\/monochromist.com\/notes\/category\/video_graphics\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":5084,"url":"https:\/\/monochromist.com\/notes\/2011\/06\/19\/need-for-a-privacy-act-in-the-maldives\/","url_meta":{"origin":4039,"position":3},"title":"Need for a Privacy Act in the Maldives","author":"monochromist","date":"June 19, 2011","format":false,"excerpt":"Leaks over last week\u00a0Last week ended with news of a serious breach in privacy of over 234,000 Maldivians.\u00a0 Individual(s) from Fuvahmulah had created a website (DNS records show that the domain has been active from 08-Apr-2011) which allowed anyone to view personal details of Maldivians over the age of 17\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "motion"","block_context":{"text":"motion","link":"https:\/\/monochromist.com\/notes\/category\/video_graphics\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":2917,"url":"https:\/\/monochromist.com\/notes\/2012\/03\/04\/most-americans-might-not-be-aware-of-the-recent\/","url_meta":{"origin":4039,"position":4},"title":"Most American’s might not be aware of the recent political unrest in Maldives due to the ousting of their democratically represented president…As Americans we used to know that freedom for democracy never comes easy. I suppose it’s the Maldivians’ turn to fight, but international pressure can help their cause.","author":"monochromist","date":"March 4, 2012","format":false,"excerpt":"blacktieknight: Maldives is the lowest islands in the world.\u00a0 The Former Maldivian President has tried to take environmental measures to reduce global warming in order to keep his country from literally disappearing into the ocean.\u00a0 However, recently his army has revolted against him and the people who democratically voted him\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "motion"","block_context":{"text":"motion","link":"https:\/\/monochromist.com\/notes\/category\/video_graphics\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":2794,"url":"https:\/\/monochromist.com\/notes\/2012\/03\/22\/the-vacuum-cleaner-the-artist-and-activist\/","url_meta":{"origin":4039,"position":5},"title":"the vacuum cleaner – the artist and activist collective of one.","author":"monochromist","date":"March 22, 2012","format":"link","excerpt":"the vacuum cleaner - the artist and activist collective of one.suntzuplatoon: 20 March 2012, Male\u2019, Maldives 42 days since the coup d\u2019\u00e9tat, six years after the inauguration of the country\u2019s first National Art Gallery tonight it was teeming with silently protesting young local artists. 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