Music of the Maldives

The Maldives are an island nation in the Indian Ocean, and its music is marked mainly by Indian, East African, and Arab influences.

The most widely known form of indigenous music is called boduberu. It is also the most popular, especially in the Northern Atolls. It is said to have appeared in the Maldives in about the 11th century, and that it may have East African origins. It is a dance music, performed by about fifteen people, including a lead singer and three percussionists, as well as a bell and a small stick of bamboo with horizontal grooves called an onugandu.

Boduberu songs begin with a slow beat, which eventually enters a frenetic crescendo accompanied by frenetic dancing. Lyrics can be about any number of subjects, and often include vocables (meaningless syllables).

Thaara music is performed by about 22 people seated in two rows opposite each other. It is performed only by men, and is somewhat religious in nature. Like boduberu, thaara songs begin slowly and come to a peak. Thaara is said to have arrived with Arabs who came from the Persian Gulf in the middle of the 17th century.

Gaa odi lava is a special type of song performed after the completion of manual labor. It was said to have been invented during the reign of Sultan Mohamed Imadudeen I (1620–1648), for the workers who built defenses for the city of Malé.

In the early 20th century, Sultan Muhammad Shamsuddeen III ruled the Maldives and the youth developed a form of music called langiri, using thaara as the major source and modifying its performance.

The bolimalaafath neshun is a dance performed by women on special occasions or when giving gifts to the sultan. These gifts, most often shells, are kept in an intricately decorated box or vase called the kurandi malaafath. About twenty-four women typically participate, in small groups of two to six. They march towards the sultan singing songs of patriotism or loyalty. Since becoming a republic in 1968, this dance is no longer performed for any sultan, since one no longer exists.

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