Maldivians

So, um, the previous president had like 400 locals they sent for training, some of them here in South Africa in George and some of them, most of them in Philippines.

They, they gave them a budget for their flight training because they're trying to prioritize Maldivians in the industry and specifically in TMA.

Okay.

They want like almost 100%, um, Maldivian crew seats.

Well, let me backtrack.

I knew somebody when I was a student who was the first Christian from the Maldivians.

Sort of, it was 100% Muslim, and he was from there, and he became a Christian.

And he was interviewed at a big Christian event in the UK, and he was asked, when did you become a Christian? And his answer was, I was baptized at also a church last Easter.

It has been through people coming in, parachuting in, taking photos, and then just sort of buggering off, excuse my French, and telling their own version of stories about us.

So I think it's been hard for young Maldivians at times to see photography itself as a tool for them, as a way for them to speak about themselves.

So I am really, really glad that I can sort of start to help change that perception.

So I just also wanted to show you some of Layan's recent some of the stuff we've done with her recently there's not a huge amount to show you because we're in the middle of this so i have through ocean culture life developed in the last well in the last few months we've developed something called what we're calling the youth storytellers program where we are sponsoring with a very small small grant um three young moldavians all under the age of 21 to make three short films about topics that they're passionate about So Lyann is obviously the first person I offered this to.

You know, we're not even subjects anymore.

We are just the background.

and it doesn't just apply to you know tourists coming and taking beautiful photos it does also apply to people kind of as you say parachuting in to make all these stories i mean if you look at any of the stories about moldy's in the ocean like any big ones like for example an oceanographic magazine i would really love to know whether you can very easily find one that's done by a moldivian and even i have to recognize my privilege in that i'm very I am more privileged than a lot of Maldivians who get published work because I do have a leg up.

I am half British.