One Day of Relaxation

True to Maldivian hospitality, my friends here made sure that I didn't miss out on spending at least one day in a resort. Bandos is only a 40 minute boat ride from the crowded capital of Male, but it might as well be a different planet. My two story jacuzzi villa could house a couple of Maldivian families. I enjoyed an excellent Thai massage in the spa, and a tuna dinner so fresh it practically jumped off the plate. I apprecite the extra effort it took to get me here because it's the start of high season and everything is booked solid. Now... back to Male for one more meeting and then British Airways is taking me home!

The City that (Almost) Never Sleeps

Most of the serious business in the Maldivian capital happens after the sun goes down and the temperature drops. The streets swarm with motorcyles, and the narrow curbs that pass for sidewalks are crammed with people. The coffee shops and restaurants are busy with customers talking politics. Since the Nov. 2008 presidential election, the country has become even more polarized. Next came the parliamentary election, which wallpapered just about every building in town with candidate posters. The result is that the new president's MDP party and its coalition is battling the DRP majority and its coalition in Parliament at every turn. It is hard to bring up any topic without people casting it in a political light. It's a challenge to remain neutral, but I'm doing my best to remain open to all sides!

Swing Shift

On a traditional island swing, I'm drafting a new proposal for media training in Maldives. On the islands this is the seat for the kateeb, or island chief. Thanks to those who have contributed excellent ideas so far. More to come!

350: The Magic Number

I've arrived in time for a series of "350"events on the theme of reducing the world's carbon emissions, whch included the underwater cabinet meeting shown on news channels around the world. There is some debate about whether this was a good thing. My personal view is that the tourism promotion was priceless, although others say no one will want to invest in resorts that might someday sink. Actually, the truth is somewhere in the middle. There was an excellent interview on TVM with a New Zealand scientist who presented evidence that the islands will shift, with some getting higher and some lower.
It's going to be a tall order to make Maldives carbon neutral because getting here requires coming on a plane, getting around requires a gas-eating boat and much of the electricity is generated by fossil fuels. There are some experiements with solar and other alternatives, but unless tourists give up jumbo jets and start swimming here, or there is some alternative to gas guzzling boats, it's hard to see how Maldives could reduce very much. Like Southern Californians who push mass transit... they seem to be in favor of it for everyone else.
Even Fed Ex arrives by boat!

Public Diplomacy

The main point of my visit is trying to enlist a Maldivian partner organization for a Fulbright specialist grant from the US State Department. But it's also a chance to catch up with some of the outstanding professionals I met at TV Maldives on the last two trips. Environmental reporter Huzam Hamid and Jadullah Thaufeeq (JD), a producer for the English bulletin, are big fans of American movies and speak English with near native fluency. They translate CNN and Reuters into Dhivehi and then translate the Dhivehi bulletin into English. They are also multitalented guys, who produce, present and report in the field. TVM is lucky to have them. This was a fun evening and public diplomacy at its best... fellow journalists sharing stories and comparing the broadcasting practices of our two countries.

Back "Home" to Maldives

At last I have reached the destination of my Face of Opportunity trip: Male, the capital city of the Maldives. For those new to this blog, I spent four months last year consulting the state-run media here as they prepared for their first multiparty presidential election. The voters elected a former dissident, whose opposition MDP party encouraged supporters to paint their houses yellow. "Anni" is now known by his actual name, President Mohammed Nasheed.There are more than 100,000 people here, crammed into less than one square mile of space, and construction crews toil all night long to make the buildings even higher, even though they are supposed to stop at midnight. Unfortunately my initial room at the Central Hotel was next to one of these all-night projects, so now I've moved to a different room and it's all good. The hotel has a lovely rooftop restaurant and it's a great place to meet with people.It's also a great vantage point for the call to prayer which seems to ring out from every direction. You can look down and see the people walking to mosque. Hard to believe I'm only blocks from the ocean in every direction because the development is so intense it blocks the view of the water. I walked down the familiar main street to a cell phone store to get a local mobile number.
From the moment I stepped out of the island airport last night and took the "dhoni" across the water to the city, it felt somewhat like coming "home."

The Middle Road

It would be easy for the tourist to assume there are only two faces to Sri Lanka... rich and poor. Actually, there is a vibrant, well educated middle class. I was fortunate to be invited to a family's home, where I experienced the true charm and hospitality that is behind the walls. An ex-pat with long experience here predicted that it will take two years for this country to start getting back to something like normalcy. But the stock market is already taking off. The potential for global business is obvious in a country where just about every school kid learns English under the British model of education. It is the official year of learning IT and English, with even Bill Gates joining in. The fate of the displaced people in the war zones is still a matter of dispute and poses a serious challenge for NGOs and the government alike.
Another challenge ahead is democracy in the post-war era. Elections are coming up and it would be a great time to come back here for media training.
A final tip of the hat to a tuk tuk driver named Riswan who went out of his way to help me on an unusual shopping errand to find a special gift for my son. This was such a refreshing change from the ripoff atmosphere that I experienced in the area around the hotels, and a small glimpse of the hospitality that this country has to offer for those who take the time to seek it out.
The drive to the airport was a last opportunity to admire the diversity here... symbols of buddhist, hindu, christian and muslim faith side by side.

Help a Street Pooch

It's truly a dog's life on the streets of Sri Lanka. People think you are weird if you try to take pictures of them, so here's one from across the street opposite the Buddhist temple. Most look like they haven't missed too many meals because people "adopt" them and feed them, or they pick through the trash piles. Even the soldiers appeared to have adopted strays near checkpoints. And many Sri Lankans have dogs who are pampered housepets.
However, some of these animals are in truly pitiful condition. And unless somebody starts a serious spay and neuter program there will only be more of them. It was good to see that the posh Odel department store has a whole line of merchandise to raise money to help. I couldn't resist one of the cute t-shirts, a bargain by US standards at only $8. Unfortunately, although the store was busy with shoppers, not many were looking or buying here. I'll bet this stuff would fly off the shelves in the US! Wonder if they sell it over the internet?

What would Buddha do?

Leaving the Galle Face Hotel, I was beset by the usual array of tuk tuk drivers. I declared I wanted to walk. While waiting to cross the street, a man introduced himself as the hotel bartender and asked if I needed any help. I said I just wanted to go sightseeing and he said I could follow him to the festival at the Buddhist temple which was only a short distance away. Now, I had read in my tourbook about people touting such festivals at inflated prices, but he seemed legit, so off we went. Sure enough, he summoned a tuk-tuk driver and when I asked about the price, he said, "Don't worry, he has a meter." I didn't see a meter, and I got even more suspicious when they didn't seem to be in a hurry to get to any festival, because we pulled over to take pictures of a Hindu temple. The next stop was the biggest Buddhist temple in Sri Lanka. No festival-- just a lot of tour buses.
The temple is the real thing. The amazing images of Buddha in every possible pose dominated the main room. Then, a sad, chained-up king elephant munching on palm leaves while the monks ushered in heavy construction equipment. I'm told this is the temple where the VIPs worship, but it seemed rather disorganized. There were a lot of statues just lying around as if no one knew where to put them. My guide took me to a room where a monk was serving tea and gave me his blessing. Unfortunately, the blessing didn't save me from the big ripoff. I insisted I needed to return to my hotel, but the tuk tuk went in the opposite direction to a gem dealer's store, despite my protests.
When I refused to buy anything or even look, they got the point and started driving me back toward the Hilton. About two blocks from the hotel, they pulled into a side street and informed me the fare would be 2,000 rupees... outrageous in a country where 500 can get you almost anywhere in town in a real taxi. considering there were two of them and they could have grabbed my entire purse, I felt the wisest choice was to pay and leave. Then the "bartender" chased after me, demanding more payment for his services, so I gave him the equivalent of five bucks and found my own way back to the hotel.
I'm glad I saw the buddhist temple and don't think I would have found it without help. However, I think these guys should be honest up front about the tour guide services they are offering and the price, instead of posing as a helpful employee of the Galle Face hotel and ripping off the tourists after the fact. The hotel security should look into this.

Colonial Flashback

To travel back in time to the days of the British colonial rule in Sri Lanka, I had lunch at the Galle Face Hotel, one of the oldest in the world. It dates back to the time of the US Civil War! Getting there required a tuk-tuk ride, and the only choice for lunch was the buffet. However, the serene ocean view was worth it. This place will be even more awesome when it is no longer necessary to have a guntower guarding the coast by the pool.

Sri Lanka Sights

Just outside the gates of the national TV channel Rupavahini is Independence Square. I'll post the pictures so you can enjoy. Many thanks to TMG for pulling the van over!

Visiting Rupavahini

Sri Lanka's national TV channel originates from a sprawling complex under heavy security. Three studios constantly stay busy with programs in both Sinhala and Tamil, and there are plans to launch a new English language channel in HD. My guide for this adventure was a participant in my workshop, director TMG Chandrasekara. I couldn't have asked for a better guide. I was very impressed with the professional quality of the studio work. I was there during the morning shows which are focused on women, but the entire place is more like a production center for everything from drama to youth programs. There is even an outdoor studio under a massive tree.
But for me, the highlight of the visit was the newsroom. I was greeted by the participants from the workshop and introduced to a group of enthusiastic and talented correspondents who are eager to seize the moment for redefining their country, now that the conflict with LTTE is officially over. Everyone sat down in the newsroom for a q and a session, and the health reporter showed me one of his stories on anti-smoking campaigns. We discussed ways to strengthen this work and prepare for the age of multimedia by making television news more viewer friendly and interactive. Of course, as a national channel, Rupavahini has a responsibility to broadcast government information, so it is not as unrestricted as private channels may be. But I was very encouraged by meeting the CEO, Karu Paranawithana. He reflected the feeling in this country that it is time to move forward with media, and everything else. I would be honored to be part of it and I hope that the conversation will continue. Many thanks to TMG, Vijaya and all the others who asked such great questions. Please friend me on facebook!

Terry's New Job (Not Really)

Meet the new news presenter for the English bulletin on the Sri Lankan national channel Rupavahini. Don't I wish! Stay tuned for more on my visit to the newsroom.

TV news in Post Conflict Sri Lanka

A fascinating day with some outstanding TV and PR professionals in Colombo. I was invited to present a one-day workshop on "Managing TV News in a Post Conflict Environment." Now that the conflict with the LTTE rebels is officially over, the question is... what next? How do you find a story when the bombs, tanks and guns aren't exploding right in front of you?Our discussion of enterprise stories was fascinating. The group divided into teams to propose story ideas using Crisis Conflict Resoultion and value to the viewer as criteria. Two teams explored the possibility of tourism expanding in Sri Lanka now that the war is over. The third team was comprised of veteran war journalists who came up with an idea about a farmer who received a presidential award for a plan to combat rat infestations in the rice harvest. Only problem was... they made it up. Oh well, it was just a theoretical exercise and maybe I wasn't clear that they had to pitch a story that could actually be done. These correspondents have awesome experience in a country where journalists face a lot of difficulties. I learned as much or more from them as I hope they did from me. The lunch of typical local street food was a culinary experience. My thanks to everyone at the US embassy, especially Jeff Anderson and Glen Davis, who made it a success. Also my thanks to Hilmy, who worked with my team on the Think Nation campaign in Maldives and now works in the communications office for Maldivian President Nasheed, for taking his valuable time to attend and contribute.