Doorways to the Sea

Chapter 02 of my work in progress book "Sinking Streets".

Our lives are framed by doorways. These portals that open onto the street. In Male’ City, there is no such thing as a front yard. There are more cemeteries than parks – a good thing as a lot of the trees that have not been felled exist within their walls. A lot can happen in these doorways. Lovers flirt, children play, the old watch a rapidly changing world pass them by. If you are lucky the doorway will open to a path instead of straight inside your home.

Photo Essays, Non-fiction, Self Reflection, Contemporary Maldives, Maldives, PhotographyHani Amir11 October 2018Comment

Go Vote

The message this election from all sides of the Maldivian political spectrum has been clear. We do not want you. We do not respect you. We will not tolerate you.

Visualising the votes that sold the Maldives

Here is question for Maldivians: Can you name your constituency and your elected official without having to check it somewhere?

These are some visualisations of the public voting records of the people's Majlis session in 2015 that amended the constitution to allow for foreign ownership of land or freeholds. Land is an incredibly scarce resource in the Maldives, with the majority of Moldavians living in cramped quarters, never getting to access most of their own country.

Contemporary Maldives, Maldives, Maldivian PoliticsHani Amir4 August 2018MajlisComment

Three Classic Maldivian Music Videos That Totally Don't Normalise Street Harassment

Street harassment is a huge issue in the Maldives. Many women share stories about how they get harassed almost every single day while just walking to work. This has led to many social movements, such as #Nufoshey (don't harass).

The Maldivian entertainment industry has historically led the charge against harassment, responding to this atmosphere of fear by creating some groundbreaking music videos that both shocked and enlightened, dramatically reducing the incidence of street harassment in their wake. Here are three shining examples.

Contemporary Maldives, Maldivian Culture, Writing, Dhivehi Art, Dhivehi Media Industry, MaldivesHani Amir2 July 2018Comment

#MenAreTrash hashtag sparks widespread debate and outrage on Maldivian twitter

The polarising hashtag caused an uproar and week long drama across the Maldivian twitterverse and tweeps debated the controversial topic. Are men trash? Are men trash, but is the wording wrong? Have people who say men are trash actually not met enough men who are not trash? Are women responsible for the men in their life being trash? Can they simply just filter them out? All this and more below. This is of course just a taste. I also did not include some of the nastier stuff from obvious troll accounts.

Maldivian Social Media, Maldives, Contemporary MaldivesHani Amir30 May 2018Maldives, twitter, feminismComment

Piracy and me - Video games

I owe a lot to the pirates of Asia. Most of the media I consumed up to the point I was a young adult was pirated. Pirated VHS tapes, pirated games, pirated music. Even the shows on the state propaganda channel were pirated. Hell, even the satellite feeds we got were pirated up until the mid 2000s. People pointed their dish antennas towards the heavens and caught the pieces of the free world that were reflected back.

Self Reflection, Non-fiction, Video GamesHani Amir30 April 2018video games, piracyComment