Hey! 👋
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!
Rethinking design beyond the algorithm— issue #69
With AI and data analytics offering personalised experiences, it seems technology is now a few steps ahead of us. Machines are anticipating our needs and making people feel seen. Yet it cannot replace what makes us human. Can we design with this in mind?
Simulating what it feels to be a Kpop fan
Our latest story The Physical Phenomenon explores why physical albums remain so popular in the K-pop industry despite the rise of digital streaming. This behind-the-scenes looks at the motivations behind the writing, illustration style, and data visualisations created for the piece.
Shedding light on the issue of divorce in the Philippines
In our latest longform story, our writer Angel Martinez, our data viz designer Bianchi Dy, and our designer Griselda Gabriele dive deep into the issue of divorce in the Philippines: why it’s the only country today without access to this basic right and what different sectors of society could
Connecting the dots in Southeast Asia — issue #46
August is a month during which Singapore’s patriotism goes into overdrive. Flags sprout across the island like mushrooms after rain. National Day songs are modernised and mild, milked to maximum saccharine effect. The message is one of exceptionalism–there was a time when people said that Singapore won'
Meet the Community: Aghnia Adzkia
First of all, I want to ask—how and why did you make the decision to incorporate more data into your usual journalistic practice? Data can strengthen the argument within a story. When you say something with data, it becomes more powerful, [especially in] this era of misinformation, where you
Connecting the dots: How does Singapore relate to its SEA neighbours?
The myth of Singapore’s transformation from a humble fishing village to a bustling economic hub is finally unravelling. Long before its economic surge in the 1960s and 1970s, there were clear threads of Singapore’s cosmopolitanism and interconnectedness in the region. In fact, there is evidence that by the
Unearthing the age-old wisdom of Asia’s traditional architecture
Our latest piece on traditional architecture in Asia highlights the local knowledge and vernacular methods that once shaped how people built their homes. In their process of telling this story, our writer Zafirah Zein and designer Munirah Mansoor uncover a wealth of forgotten wisdom and contemporary research on building sustainably
🌏 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
Reimagining kinship in a culture of convenience — issue #45
Recently I was sitting in an alleyway in George Town, Penang, that smelled gloriously of roasted coffee beans and charcoal-toasted bread. My husband remarked how happy he was to see young people working there, and expressed hope that this streetside stall would stand the test of time (and that we
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
Prompts Ep #1: What does community mean to you?
In this first episode of Prompts, we bring together some of the team’s newer members to make sense of their relationship with the Kontinentalist team and other communities they are part of. SAMIRA joined Kontinentalist as the team’s first Community and Digital Marketing Manager in August 2022. MAN
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
When was the last time we touched grass? — issue #44
I’ve been thinking about what it means to return to the land. This was sparked after we published our recent story on land reclamation. To promote it, I posted about it on Instagram, which was when my cousin noted how apt it was that I had written the story