Could you provide us with some background on Moosumi Magazine and how it aims to ignite dialogue and conversation around environmental issues through storytelling in the Maldives?
Moosumi Magazine is a climate storytelling magazine based in the Maldives. Our writings explore themes of culture, ecology, and liberation in small islands. We encourage our writers to be creative with their interpretation of each theme. Going beyond merely focusing on emissions, we encourage our writers to explore the effects of rampant development, our severing connection to the natural world, the overwhelming influence of the tourism industry and how it all relates to the climate crisis.
What inspired you to launch Moosumi Magazine, and how do you envision it serving as a catalyst for meaningful discussions on environmental advocacy in the Maldives and beyond?
Moosumi Magazine was inspired by our desire to share tales of life in the Maldives amidst the climate crisis. “Moosumi”, in Dhivehi, translates to “climatic”. Countries such as the Maldives are poised to suffer the brunt of the climate crisis — but the conversation often ends there. We are painted as unfortunate victims in this crisis. With Moosumi, we wanted storytellers from small island states to shape the narrative ourselves and show the world that we are actively fighting against this crisis.
How do you believe storytelling can act as a vehicle for initiating dialogue and fostering connections among diverse audiences on pressing environmental issues?
In one of the writings for the second issue, our editor Mahal wrote, “People accord power to stories through conviction. The more we identify with a story, the stronger its power grows — and the more influential its protagonists, ideals, and messages become.” With stories, we are bringing an emotional and human angle to environmental issues. Environmental crises do not exist in a vacuum devoid of people. Say, when we lose a coral reef, we’re not just losing the life it supports; we are losing livelihoods, relationships, a source of joy and contentment. Whether one lives in the Swedish Lapland or on a tropical Bahamian island, stories tap into shared human elements of joy, love, and loss that anyone can empathise with. That’s how we foster connections.
In what ways does Moosumi Magazine navigate the complexities of storytelling to ensure that its narratives not only captivate but also engage readers in meaningful conversations about the environment?
With each writing, we try to make it feel as if the writer is having a conversation with the reader. The writer isn’t trying to teach you something per se; they’re just telling you a story. We also strongly emphasise narrative structures and storytelling elements in our pieces and encourage our writers to imbue the piece with their tone and personality.
Considering the delicate balance between promoting conservation efforts and addressing economic interests in the Maldives’ tourism industry, how does Moosumi Magazine approach its storytelling to stimulate dialogue and collaboration between stakeholders?
Tourism and fishing are the lifelines of the Maldives. Tourism accounts for roughly 28% of the GDP and 60% of foreign exchange, meaning that, like many other tourism-dependent island nations, the industry has an overwhelming influence on the economy, politics and even culture. At Moosumi, we want to provide an honest depiction of the influence of the tourism industry on the Maldivian environment, culture, and nature-connectedness. I don’t believe there is time and space anymore for greenwashing, bluewashing, and greenhushing. With that, we are interested in sparking dialogue and collaborations that are honest, reflective, and practical. We want to work with all members of society towards a liveable future because it is a fate that we all share, and we don’t have any other homeland than this.
I also want to note that Moosumi’s goal is not limited to the Maldives, but rather, we hope to focus our dialogue on international discourse on the climate crisis with other SIDS countries including the Maldives.
As the new issue of Moosumi Magazine launches, what strategies do you have in place to encourage reader engagement and active participation in discussions surrounding climate change and environmental stewardship?
One of the more overlooked strategies we have in place to encourage reader engagement is treating each writing as a mini-production. Each writing goes through over roughly 08 rounds of editing, and we use visually stunning photos and illustrations to make the piece look as engaging as possible. For now, we rely heavily on social media and the good ol’ word of mouth. While it is easier for stories to circulate in the Maldives, we are still working on making sure our stories reach a wider international audience. As for active participation, we are exploring ideas of having virtual or physical hangouts to discuss themes pertaining to the stories published on Moosumi.
How do you envision Moosumi Magazine fostering a deeper connection between readers and the environmental challenges faced by the Maldives, and what steps can individuals take to actively contribute to these conversations through the magazine’s platform?
You know that feeling when you read a particularly beautiful prose, and it fills your heart with a sense of awe and wonder. Through vivid depictions, we try to spark that feeling of awe and wonder within our readers. Each medium, be it paintings, music, or photography, has the ability to do that. We are trying to foster nature-connectedness through stories. As for direct contribution, I often see that the climate crisis and conservation discourse places an overwhelming responsibility on individual action. Moosumi’s stories are more like winding paths in which you may (or may not) learn something new, but it is up to the reader to decide how they would like to contribute. One of our recent stories was on incorporating indigenous knowledge in modern conservation; so we have succeeded if the reader finishes the story with a newfound appreciation for indigenous knowledge and becomes an advocate for the cause.
