Nika Island resort and Spa has launched a series of community events to promote Maldivian culture.
As part of the “Nostalgia: the Maldives that used to be” series, the resort hosted a special night early this month to promote the dying tradition of stone carving. It gathered not only Nika’s guests, but also representatives of the neighbouring local islands of Mathiveri and Bodufolhudhoo as well as the general managers of the main resorts and guesthouses in Ari Atoll.
The event saw Mohamed Imran, a talented Maldivian artist who has mastered the techniques of stone carving, explain the importance of this art for the country and what he is currently doing to revamp local heritage.
An exhibition with a selection of hand-made artefacts carved on a variety of materials allowed Nika’s guests to discover this centuries-old tradition that is fading and slowly disappearing.
“Nika believes in culture. We are convinced that it is a powerful driver for development, with community-wide social, economic impacts, not only for the resort, but also for the entire community living in our beautiful atoll,” Edoardo Caccin, the External Director at Nika, said in his opening remarks at the event.
“Culture has a transformative power on existing development approaches, helping to broaden the terms of the current development of our operations and to make development much more relevant to the needs of our guests and of the community; cultural heritage, cultural and creative industries, can serve as strategic tools for creating a complete experience for our guests and for all the people visiting and residing in our beautiful Island.”
The following day, Nika promoted a tailor-made workshop for children in order to encourage them to carve small fragments of stone.
As part of the series, Nika will host more events throughout the year to promote Maldivian culture and heritage.
“We believe in aesthetics and culture. We consider Nika an ideal place where Italian traditions and culture meet the local heritage: we are the Maldives that used to be. The aficionados of this unique boutique hotel knows how much we have been investing into preserving and maintaining a strong Maldivian identity here, at Nika,” Edoardo said.
Located in North Ari Atoll, Nika is is a milestone of the Maldives hospitality industry.
The deserted island of Kudafolhudhu turned into a resort back in 1983. Since its inception, the philosophy and values that shaped this unique boutique resort are the same: privacy, natural sophistication and local heritage.
All of its 43 villas have been built according to the traditional Maldivian architectural style. Being one of the first resorts built in the country, everything on the island has been built using coral blocks, coconut palm trunks and palm leaves. A collection of antiques and unique Maldivian pieces of art decorate the interiors of all the villas.
Nika is a perfect example of a boutique hotel that breaks the dynamics of big international brands that are reshaping the Maldivian hospitality industry. Nika is a heady mix of Italian lifestyle and Maldivian traditions; a unique platform where heritage and natural beauty meet together.