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Welcome to Kawan—our vibrant community of data heads and storytellers. We’re all about improving data literacy and sharing nuanced stories about Asia. Come hang!
Unlearning what we know — issue #58
“I have learned the names of all the bushes, but I have yet to learn their songs.” These past months, the Kontinentalist team has been deep in learning and reflection. We started our “Decolonial Reading Club”: bi-monthly sessions breaking down coloniality, knowledge, and being. This quote from Braiding Sweetgrass, recounting
On Palestine: Covering culture in a time of genocide
What does Gaza require from those who bear witness? The team behind our latest story on Palestine shares their process, thoughts, and feelings while highlighting the beauty of life in Gaza amid the profound loss of Palestinian heritage and cultural identity. Zafirah (Writer): I came across an Instagram post by
🌏 Dataviz in Asia (August’ 23)
Who said data can't be a blast for teens? In this month’s Dataviz in Asia, we’re exploring how people are making data exciting for young people and breaking language barriers to boot! We’re always on the lookout for folks who are putting their own spin
Painting a picture of Jakarta’s roadside food sellers
Arran Ridley and Griselda Gabriele share more about our recent story, Jakarta’s roadside food sellers: Finding a path in a future of convenience. Arran, a freelance writer and researcher, pitched the idea to Kontinentalist, based on his interest in kaki lima sellers, the community of street food vendors in
It's the era of community-centred journalism
For a long time, journalism was often pictured as a solo endeavor. The mention of the word “journalist” may conjure up an image of a solitary writer squinting at a screen in a dark room, typing furiously on their laptop to churn out the next ground-breaking piece. To some extent,
🌏 Dataviz in Asia (July’ 23)
Who’s who in politics, and what are their relationships? In this month’s Dataviz in Asia, we look at how different publications are visualising the often intricate political networks in Asia. Last October, Bloomberg did an amazing interactive on how Xi Jinping rewrote China’s rulebook to build the
Meet the Community: Irma Garnesia
Thank you for making time to have this little chat with me, Irma. First things first—how has life been like as a "recovering fact checker", as you mentioned in your LinkedIn post? (laughs) Thank you for having me, Angel. I’ve been transitioning through jobs—I moved
Making a map of land reclamation in Singapore
How familiar are you with the shape of the land(s) you call home? On the map, most of us identify Singapore as a little red dot, or a diamond at closer view. In our recent story on sand mining and land reclamation, we created a map to examine the
🌏 Dataviz in Asia: June' 23
The Society of News Design’s Best of Digital Design 2022 results are out! The largely US-centric awards tend to be dominated by the likes of New York Times and Washington Post, but here are some of our favorites from Asia-based publications that bagged big prizes: * Asahi Shimbun published a
Migrant workers: Where would we be without them? — issue #43
When the pandemic hit Singapore’s shores, there was an outbreak of cases within the dormitories where migrant workers lived. While there were lockdowns for the general public, there was a sense that the migrant worker community was separate from the locals. Their cases became outliers, not counted as part
For the love of animals — issue #42
I was always more of a people person. A friend now jokingly calls me an animal activist because of all the animal content I send her on Instagram (and the occasional rant on the welfare of stray cats). I am far from being an activist, but I can definitely say
What if we centred women's joy & leisure? — issue #41
I have a confession to make. I am obsessed with true crime. I listen to podcasts about murders and other violent crimes while on the bus, out for my Hot Girl Walks, and even when I’m brushing my teeth. (My Spotify Wrapped was way more macabre than I wish
Live, Love, Lepak: How We Do Leisure at Kontinentalist
We just put out a story called A Woman’s World, where we explore women’s access to public spaces, and specifically how it facilitates their…
How does land shape us? — issue #40
I was having dinner with my family one day when the topic of ghosts came up. By then, it had been almost two years since I migrated to Dubai to be with my parents. My uncle and aunt were visiting from Singapore, and my dad and his brother found themselves
