Maldives Coup d’état 2011,

shutterLIVING © Photographer Jamie A Cowan

Note: These images are shown out of order, however they have all been taken in the time frame of a few weeks.
Shot on assignment in the Maldives while creating a promotional report published in TIME magazine 2011.

The photographs were captured on the capital island Malé (the fourth most densely populated island on earth). The images do not show the usual white sands and turquoise waters the Maldives are famous for. (In reality very few tourists or honeymooners venture the short boat ride from the airport to the mainland, tending to favour the über luxurious resorts such as Ananta shown in a future blog post).

The Maldives military displayed their might in the city square in 30 degree heat for all to see and photograph, days later protesters take to the street to demonstrate, stones were thrown and blood was shed.

The gentleman in the red tie ~~is the President of the Maldives~~, was the President of the Maldives up until relatively recently when a coup d’état ousted him.

Without intending to comment on the political difficulties an island nation incurs while undertaking a transition from dictatorship to democracy, I have shown images shot from outside my hotel and in the main square of the capital island.

Shot by an English speaking photographer not in Paris.