Tribalism in Maldives

Often we heard about tribal hierarchies across Indian and African Continents or else in western dialogues. Tribalism is not a unique phenomenon to our community. Some people might not completely be of the same mind but others might consider that our society coexist with discriminatory elements. It is hard to find historical evidences when this trend had been introduced into our small community. Although, there are stories that have been brought back into light like fairytales where victims have been passed on centuries as if things were been happened in our days.

People have been witnessed and lived with tribal anarchy for centuries where poor and rich and family hierarchies victimized helpless across this nation. The common discriminatory component is the colour of the skin of the victim where people cross-eyed. Often this common denomination victimizes the black skin people alienating them from the smaller or wider community.

The purpose of this article is not to discuss the wider community but to present the doubtful factors of tribal hierarchy within our society. Therefore, when we look into the issue of discrimination within the society our eyes embark on the southern atolls and the capital Male’. The dynamics of this issue between Capital City and Addu has gone back decades of deluded political conflictions. The historical fact is that Adduans are educated, hard working and self-determined people to put up their lives to build better future for their children. Even before the British inversion, Adduans were well known sailors who sailed across Indian and Arabian Sea for their trade offs. As the matter of fact, most of the Adduans are business minded people where they find their own shelter to create a life of their own. Even this is very true in today’s business environment where interests would find many shops which owned by Adduans across the main shopping streets of Male’.

Besides, when British rulers came into our land their military was based in Addu because of the troubled-free military passage it positioned. However, this inversion appeared for them as an opportunity to improve their lives because of the trade and job prospects in the British Royal Air Force (RAF) in Gan. As history tells us, our nation was desperately in needs of humanitarian aids during World War II recession. With that opportunity, Adduans took every chance to improve their homes, education and businesses. Even their language was twisted with the taste of their invader’s lingo. The lingual jargons are still used in the old and young population as if the words were been taught to them from their forefathers.

The point of discussion was not to elaborate every single fact but points were made to clear the minds that often opportunity (born with a silver spoon in your mouth) would jeopardize the friendship and trust resulting hatred as factor of tribalism.

As we pass our days, we hear the same old tribal tones from community to community neighbour to neighbour or even between friends. Indeed, these sorts of behaviour are been ignored in the wider community and authorities have been failed to intervene and educate the mislead people. Last but not the least, there were times when Adduans were been labeled as criminally active people. This partition results a psychological dilemma to Adduans and still people are being living in fears in this twenty first century society.

This small community has been subjected by the same old tone during the last presidential election when Dr Hassan Saeed came out as presidential candidate. One of the gibberish was that the Capital Male’ will no longer will be the Capital as if Dr Saeed was elected as a president of Maldives. Creation of this politically motivated fear results nothing but tribalism where innocent Adduans have been subjected to the same anarchy for centuries of this mislead conflictions of tribalism. People doesn’t want to be labeled as “Addoo meeha or Raajethere meeha or Male’ meeha” but communities want to live in peaceful society as they are from the identical tribe with same faith.