Hello!
Stay up to date with New Naratif’s latest stories and upcoming events with our weekly newsletter. No spam, just good content.
/ba.ca/ with New Naratif: The Philippines’ Exploitation of Overseas Filipino Workers Event Recap
For the fourth instalment of /ba·ca/ with New Naratif, our community heard from and discussed with researcher and activist, Teo S. Marasigan, and Migrante International Chairperson, Joanna Concepcion, about Overseas Filipino Workers (OFW) and the forces at play that allow for this phenomenon to continue despite the economic and humanitarian issues it has caused time…
Highlights
Enabling Filipino Children to Dream in Colour
In this episode we will be talking about how the most marginalised children and youth are living in chronic and short-term emergencies in the Philippines, FundLife’s initiatives, and of course, how every dream is worth believing in.
Where is Home?
A young boy’s life drastically changed after the pandemic followed by the coup in Myanmar. This work of fiction is based on reports from different media agencies as well as interviews with people from A Nyar.
The Fight for Reproductive Rights in Indonesia
In this episode, we will talk about the updates on Indonesia Health Bill progress and its problems, reproductive health issues on the Health Bill, and why this health bill needs to be monitored together.
Quarantined Feelings: A Short Film
In this short film produced in collaboration with BEBESEA, Bradley Jason Pantajo tells us a story of a mother separated from her family and dealing with physical, psychological, and emotional isolation that OFWs and their families face.
New Naratif is a movement democratising democracy in Southeast Asia. Our vision is to foster an inclusive Southeast Asia community where all peoples are fully engaging and participating in building democracy. We build capacity for this through our three-step process: engage, educate, and empower Southeast Asians.
Stay up to date with New Naratif’s latest stories and upcoming events with our weekly newsletter.
Get Involved
Southeast Asia faces severe challenges to media freedom in the form of hostile regulatory, legal, and commercial environments.
Here at New Naratif, we believe that independent media is vital to building Southeast Asian democracy, and as part of the Media Freedom in Southeast Asia Project, the Media Freedom Network (MFN) is our response to these challenges.
/ba∙ca/ with New Naratif is a reading group series that invites members to come together to discuss selected stories published by New Naratif. Discussions are led by New Naratif team members and feature guest speakers and contributors.
/ba∙ca/ with New Naratif aims to bring our community together to discuss complicated issues and take collective action.
Get Informed
latest
Beyond the Binary: Two Bissu Defend their Roots in Sulawesi
The concept of queer and non-binary identities has long been a part of Indonesian culture, including the Bugis culture in Sulawesi, where the Bissu, who embody all genders, play a…
Fleeing from Violence, Facing Violence: The Challenge of Foreign Female Refugees in Indonesia
Foreign female refugees arriving in Indonesia hope that the country can be a more comfortable temporary dwelling place compared to their war-torn homeland. Sadly, the expectation is yet to be…
Explainer: Inequality in Singapore
Inequality is a growing problem in Singapore, threatening the country’s social stability. The government’s focus on economic growth and individual accountability in tackling inequality, however, means that their policies may…
ON REFUGEES AND MIGRATION
Documenting the Undocumented: The Struggle for a Legal Identity
One out of three people in Sabah is struggling for a legal identity, fundamentally affecting their access to various rights and opportunities. This is the story of three stateless people…
Santa Ana: Stories by the Riverside
In this special episode produced in collaboration with BEBESEA, Levi Masuli hosts an audio documentary telling the story of former migrants turned riverside vegetable farmers in Santa Ana of the…
The Journey of a Filipino Seafarer in Taiwan
Due to low wages in the Philippines, Kuya Ver was willing to take the risk of becoming a seafarer in Taiwan. However, the abuse that he and his crewmates suffered…
Fighting Forward
In this special episode produced in collaboration with BEBESEA, Ali Reza Yawari shows us the life of a refugee lost in the middle of a country that doesn’t acknowledge his…
The Shadows Floating Along The Mekong
In Cambodia, Vietnamese immigrants face many challenges, such as policy changes, depleted fish resources, and mistreatment by authorities. A Vietnamese Cambodian couple, Hen and Tham, were forced to abandon their…
The Struggles of Refugees in Malaysia
In this episode, we will talk about refugee struggles in Malaysia, Joshua Low’s previous and current work, and the broader issues at hand.
ON media freedom
Envisioning Media Freedom and Independence: Narratives from Southeast Asia
A qualitative exploratory study of media freedom in Southeast Asia, centring on the voices of independent media workers in the region.
Beyond the Absence of Killings and Arrests
A qualitative exploratory study of media freedom in Southeast Asia, centring on the voices of independent media workers in the region.
Engendering Media Freedom: Re-conceptualising Newsmaking in Southeast Asia
Given the increasingly hostile climate for media workers in Southeast Asia, New Naratif’s Media Freedom Insights publications set out to better understand their lived experiences. Building on our past findings,…
community corner
Democracy Classroom: The Human Story and Kalimantan’s Environmental Migration Event Recap
We revisit Democracy Classroom’s The Human Story and Kalimantan’s Environmental Migration, featuring New Naratif’s very own researcher, Lengga Pradipta.
/ba∙ca/ with New Naratif: Environmental Migration in Kalimantan Event Recap
We revisit /ba·ca/ with New Naratif’s Environmental Migration in Kalimantan featuring New Naratif’s very own researcher, Lengga Pradipta, and researcher and activist, Pangeran Nasution.
The Right to Higher Education: Refugees’ Access to University in Malaysia Event Recap
Posted by Charleen Tan Guest speakers Joshua Low and Abdulmajid Chahrour On 18 October 2022, New Naratif ran The Right to Higher Education: Refugees’ Access to University in Malaysia, an…
Making The World We Want
A Manifesto for Media Freedom and Independence in Southeast Asia
podcasts
Myanmar’s New Feminist Narrative
In this episode, Bonnibel Rambatan and Thet Wai talks about Myanmar’s New Feminist Narrative and Wai’s experiences as a feminist activist in Myanmar.
Indonesia’s Police Brutality & Media Freedom
Bonnibel Rambatan, Fadiyah Alaidrus, and Ade Wahyudin talks about Indonesia’s police brutality and its effect on media freedom, police reform and other related policy advocacies, and how we can contribute to create change.
Videos
Features
The Jerieng Tribe’s Efforts to Preserve Their Land and Tradition
For the past few years, there has been a rapid growth of palm and industry plantations in the Bangka Belitung Islands that threatens the culture and tradition of the native Jerieng Tribe. These indigenous people have been tirelessly fighting to keep their land and preserve their way of life.
Life with Babirusa: Defending Home from Illegal Logging
Steering away from the city’s hustle and bustle, Ating moved home to live near the forest in Togean Islands, Central Sulawesi. His life has changed in the past eight years, from making friends with babirusa to fighting against illegal logging.
See all features in other languages:
Bahasa Indonesia | Bahasa Melayu | ä¸æ–‡ | ဗမာစာ | Tiếng Việt
COMICS
Courage is Collective: A Retrospective for Transgender Day of Visibility 2023
Editorial Manager Bonnibel Rambatan presents a personal experimental short comic on the idea of visibility, courage, and collective care for this year’s Transgender Day of Visibility.
Answering Your Top Three Questions on the Aftermath of Malaysia’s GE15
Ram Anand speaks to Professor James Chin, University of Tasmania’s Professor of Asian Studies, to answer the top questions on what comes next after Malaysia’s fifteenth general elections: the Anti-Hopping Law (AHL), the Unity Government, and the impact of the upcoming six state elections.
Don’t Let Them Kill My Mother: Confusion
Devy Christa receives a call from a friend on a Sunday morning who urges her to look at the television news. It turns out all the news is about her mother, Merry Utami, who is on her way to Nusa Kambangan—a highly secure prison in Indonesia.
Don’t Let Them Kill My Mother: Fragments
Devy Christa remembers fragments of her memory with her mother. Her mother went away for quite a long time to become a migrant worker to provide money for the operation of Devy’s brother, Yossi. And now, Devy sees her mother again on television.
See all comics in other languages:
Bahasa Indonesia | Bahasa Melayu | ä¸æ–‡ | ဗမာစာ | Tiếng Việt
Stay Connected!
Get to know New NaratifLearn who we are, what we do, and why you should join us.
Sponsored MembershipNo one is left behind, write in to us for a membership.
Get the latest narratives.
Subscribe to our newsletter.
Join the movement.
Be a part of our fight for a better democracy in Southeast Asia
As a non-profit organisation, your donations help pay for our team members, freelancers, events and advocacy. Help keep New Naratif independent with a donation today.