Maldives is a country of two thousand islands off the southwest tip of India. Mohamed Nasheed, a former pro-democracy activist, is the country's president. Nasheed is definitely a man on a mission. Maldives is the lowest nation on the planet sitting only five feet -- that's one-and-a-half metres -- above sea level. But here's the thing, the sea levels are rising; you can blame climate change for that. That means Mohamed Nasheed is leading a country that is, literally, sinking. It's debatable whether Maldives will even be around at the end of this century.
Mohamed Nasheed, of course, wasn't always in charge. Back when he was protesting for greater democracy in Maldives, he paid a big price for his activism -- 12 arrests and a total of six years in jail, with 18 months of that in solitary confinement. Amnesty International also took up his cause and called him a "Prisoner of Conscience." His detractors preferred to call him an opportunist who hogs the limelight.
But this man that people call President is the subject of a new film called The Island President. The film looks at how Mohamed Nasheed came to power and how he plan on saving his people -- his nation -- from disappearing under the sea.
http://www.cbc.ca/strombo/videos.html?id=2140037093
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