Traditional music and dance
An island floating in the heart of the Indian Ocean, the Maldives have naturally been influenced by India, the Middle East and East African countries. And it's from the latter that the Maldives' best-known musical tradition originates: bodu beru. Probably introduced in the 11th century by African slaves brought to the island by merchant sailors, bodu beru is a set of dances and songs featuring around 20 people, three large drums (also known as bodu beru), a bell and an onugadu (a piece of bamboo scraped with a stick). The songs, in Arabic or Dhivehi, are generally performed by the moving dancers, accompanied by a choir, and evoke heroism or romance when they are not purely abstract. Close to trance music, the slow rhythm gradually comes to life, until it reaches a paroxysmal frenetic rhythm. A practice as bewitching as it is spectacular, emblematic of the Maldives archipelago. This is undoubtedly why performances can be seen in so many places, with hotels and guesthouses remaining the preferred addresses. These include Batuta Maldives Surf View Guest House in Thulusdhoo, Amazing Noovilu in Mathiveri and Jupiter Sunrise Lodge in Keyodhoo. As for performers, Ali Rameez, arguably the best-known Maldivian artist of the early 2000s, drew much of his musical inspiration from bodu beru.
Another very popular traditional genre in the Maldives, thaara, was also introduced by sailors, this time from Persia, in the 17th century. Meaning "tambourine" in Dhivehi, the term also refers to dances and music of a semi-religious nature. They are performed by twenty-two men (this is an all-male discipline) seated in two parallel rows facing each other. Like bodu beru, here too the songs begin at a very slow tempo that gradually quickens. Dancers wear loincloths and white shirts, and tie a green scarf around their necks.
Derived from Thaara , from which it borrows its songs, dhandi jehun is a one-hour ceremony in honor of the atolls. Performed by thirty men, it revolves around a lead singer, with the other members singing in chorus and dancing to the rhythm of the song. While the form changes from atoll to atoll, it generally sees each dancer, usually dressed in white, equipped with a dhandi, a 90-centimeter-long stick struck against his partner's to set the rhythm of the dance. Also derived from thaara , of which it is a modern adaptation, langiri is a choreographic tradition that emerged in the early 20th century. Performed by young men equipped with a 60-centimetre stick, seated in two rows of twelve, this dance sees its protagonists swing their upper bodies and strike their langiris dhandis to generate different rhythms.
The Maldives also cultivates purely feminine dances, such as the bandiya jehun, a local adaptation of an Indian tradition known as the "pot dance". Performed exclusively by young girls, they dance seated or standing, carrying metal pots in their arms which they strike rhythmically. To increase the intensity of the sound produced, they also wear metal rings. Nowadays, dancers are accompanied by musical instruments such as drums and harmonicas.
A little less common are traditions such as Bolimalaafath Neshun, a purely feminine dance that recounts an ancient tradition of women offering gifts to the sultan on special occasions; Fathigandu Jehun, a male folk form that still uses sticks to beat out the rhythm while a group sings great epics; and finally Gaa Odi Lava, a unique performance, generally expressing the satisfaction of having completed a hard day's work. Restricted to the Thiladhunmathi atoll, there is also the Kadhaa Maali, a traditional form of music and dance performed by some 30 men dressed in a variety of costumes, all to the beat of drums.
Popular music
The national instrument - or at least the Maldivian favorite - is the kottafoshi, a plucked zither with a small keyboard, also called bulbul tarang in the Indian world and a cousin of the Japanese taishōgoto. Jeymu Dhonkamana is considered one of the great players of the instrument. Many of singer Naifaru Dohokko's hits are also accompanied by bulbul.
If you ask Maldivians which is the most popular local band ever to have existed, you'll probably be told Zero Degree Atoll. With roots in traditions such as Raivaru, a type of traditional poetry, their music has been a huge success since its inception in the 1990s. Their hits Heyambo, Marufali and Envaguvee remain classics of local music. One of the band members, Ahmed Nashid (also known as Fuloo Nashid), had a daughter, Nishfa, also a singer and a worthy representative of the young Maldivian guard. And speaking of the young guard, let's not forget to mention Mariyam Unoosha, known for her exceptional voice and acclaimed as a judge on the popular TV show Maldivian Idol.
