Vote to Decide, Decide to Vote

You would think that a beach party with a free concert by some of the Maldives' hottest bands would attract a huge crowd. It would be nice to have had more people, but those who did turn out for the Vote to Decide, Decide to Vote event were treated to a good time, courtesy of Cathy Toledo's Think Nation group. They handed out buttons, t-shirts and wristbands reminding people of casting their vote in the upcoming presidential election.

I was impressed with the Think Nation theme song, with lyrics by 85-year-old poet Aminath Faiza and a rockin' bass line, and even rap in Dhivehi. But the real star is Mariyam Unoosha, one of the new programming hosts in training and one of Maldives' most popular singers.

Update: the concert had to be called off early when violence broke out nearby and someone was stabbed. Too bad, because voter education is badly needed here. An example: one lady took her Vote to Decide button and asked if she needed to bring it with her on election day. There is something weird about telling people to vote when you can't tell them WHEN the election will be, but with all the rumors about vote buying in this country, we can't say often enough that your right to cast a secret ballot can't be taken away from you.