Deep Water

The Maldives has long set the bar as the ultimate honeymoon destination, but little is known about the people who belong to this salt water paradise. We take a look behind the glittering veil of this Islamic nation, and dive deep into the lives of two women who are braving the tides in the wake of a centralised development

- Aishath Adam

There is never a moment of silence in Male’, the capital island of the Maldives. The constant hammering and buzzing from construction sites can be heard round the clock. Residents skilfully manoeuvre through and around the waves of motorbikes zooming in and out the narrow roads. Small children are transported to school strapped front and centre on to vigilant parents on roaring scooters, faces shielded by glittering mirrored sunglasses, fingers dancing on the newest iPhone without a minute to spare. Unlike the smaller local islands, Male’ is a melting pot of mismatched ideologies. Women in crimson lipstick and power stilettos, teenagers in skintight jeans and colourful hijabs walk along the same thin pavements as women in silky waves of black abayas and niqab. The diversity in style ranges from New York to Saudi Arabia. Every face is etched with the deeply personal politics of this small nation. Everyone knows something about everyone—from extended family gossip and love affairs to health problems, everyone in Male’ is a familiar stranger. More than 150,000 people live cramped together in small apartments on less than six square kilometres of land on this floating microcosm in the middle of the Indian Ocean.