‘BEYBE’: A STORY OF ENVIRONMENTAL STEWARDSHIP IN THE MALDIVES

This year, you will remember, that we have once again collaborated with Elisa Spampinato, from Traveller Storyteller to craft a collection of captivating interviews, delving into the lives of the extraordinary individuals who are crucial to the success of our tours. Together, they forge the essence of our unparalleled travel experiences, and without their unwavering commitment and collaborative spirit, we would not be able to weave the intricate tapestry of memorable journeys that define our brand.

In Elisa’s first article titled “Island Insights: Empowering Local Island Communities through Tourism,” she engaged in conversation with two of our guesthouse property partners, Shaheem and Hajja, exploring the origins of their entrepreneurial endeavors and their personal encounters with tourism.

This new piece presents the first part of a conversation between Elisa and our eco champion, Beybe, from Save the Beach Maldives. For those of you that have joined our Villimale Eco Tours, Beybe will be a name and face familiar to you.

Let’s dive into their conversation!

SAY HELLO TO BEYBE THE LOCAL ECO-WARRIOR

I met Hassan Ahmed, President of the NGO Save the Beach, virtually on two occasions recently. I very much enjoyed our conversations and my perspective on the real Maldives has further expanded as a direct consequence. Here is my account of these encounters and the topics that emerged from our chats.

WHERE DID HIS JOURNEY BEGIN?

Beybe, as everyone knows Hassan, is a pure eco-warrior who was born from the tears of his younger self, witnessing the destruction of his island. In 2007, he led the youth movement that later established the NGO. He was just a 14-year-old local boy, but he could not stand still while seeing the coral reefs disappearing in the name of coastal development. The Maldives are a fragile ecosystem in which every element works in natural dynamics, perhaps invisible to foreigners’ eyes, but no less real and effective.

The crowd, made up of parents and friends, was shouting loudly outside the police station. He was taken there by the task force after tying himself and his surfboard to one of the barges carrying the sand to be used in the intended construction of the harbour. He stopped them from working using his own body as a shield. The passionate improvised chorus of, ‘Release Beybe, Release Him’, acted, after the event, as fuel to his conviction to pursue his
instinctive calling. That day was the beginning of Save the Beach.

During our chat, Beybe looks away from the camera while he recalls the happenings of that day. His ingrained smile fades away for a moment, suppressed by still-strong incredulity. ‘They sent the task force to stop me, the same they use to capture criminals, you know!’ Seeing the sand being thrown on the reef, on the western part of the island, had previously brought tears to his eyes because, ‘After three months there were no more corals in our lagoon’.

When they started the same kind of work on the eastern part of Vilimale – today a district of the capital Male, and which at the time was still called Villingili – the beach was his second home. He used to spend endless hours there surfing with his friends, but also studying, and resting while enjoying the surroundings. They even initiated new water-related activities on those eastern beaches. But he saw a big shadow coming over their life which was threatening the future of their land forever.

No matter how urgent and dramatic the cause, sometimes we just need someone to embrace it and push it forward, opening the way for everyone to make an impact. Beybe was that natural leader who initiated a grassroots movement almost 20 years ago, shaken to the bones by the possibility of seeing his island being environmentally destroyed. He is still that leader today. His strong emotional reaction has been tamed to leave space for prompt action, carried with a deep calmness, strong focus and a constant captivating smile on his face.

We had to interrupt our first virtual chat because he needed to activate a drone and get some updated pictures regarding a massive, ongoing, unsolved dispute. As much as he wanted to stay and continue the chat, I felt that his mission moved him from within so strongly that he didn’t even need to think twice about it; he just continued talking to me while he was already moving to the site. So that the eco-warrior could continue his current task without distractions, our chat was postponed and continued another time when he could give it his full attention.

Continue reading this inspiring conversation that Elisa had with Beybe HERE