Story Fellowship by BEBESEA x New Naratif

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At the end of October 2022, New Naratif, in collaboration with Better Engagement Between East and Southeast Asia (BEBESEA), invited members of migrant communities in or from Southeast and East Asia, individually or collectively, to pitch their ideas for original creative works to witness and raise awareness of experiences of migration. The response we received was overwhelming.

Within a month of our call, we received almost 50 applications across 15 different countries including Indonesia, the Philippines, Myanmar, Thailand, Hong Kong, and Taiwan, among others. The pitches cover various themes and topics under the umbrella of migration, pitched to us in various exciting formats. This was so overwhelming, in fact, that we’ve had to extend our internal selection process.

Initially, we were looking for six fellows, to whom we would award US$1,000 each to develop their stories. But instead, we decided to take on seven. Here they are:

Sherry Wang

Sherry Wang is currently working in a shelter that conducts various Know Your Rights workshops for migrant workers. She is working with Filipino activist and illustrator Erin Abanador to create a short comic to capture the predicament and exploitation of Filipino fishers in Taiwan.

Working in comics, I knew that I had to take Sherry’s project under my wing. While this was not the only comics submission we received, this was one that was truly regional in scope, tackling an issue that is not known by many. When I found out she would be working with Erin Abanador, I was thrilled, as Erin’s art style and strong political stance breathes an even more powerful potential to this already exciting project.
Bonnibel Rambatan

Mai Nguyen

Nguyen Thi Thanh Mai works with a variety of media. Her practice is focused on questions of identity, both personal and collective. She is working on an essay with a series of illustrations and photographs that captures the day-to-day life of a stateless family in Vietnam.

Mai has many experiences working closely with stateless communities. Through her works, she tries to give space for the stateless to talk about their life, struggle, and resilience. She has a sensitive approach toward her art. I’m so glad to have a chance to work with her, and I hope that her art will give you a new perspective on the stateless community in Vietnam.
Fadiyah Alaidrus

Bradley Jason Pantajo

Bradley Jason Pantajo is a young filmmaker from the Philippines. He is working on a fictional short film about an overseas Filipino worker who’s been forced to reflect on her relationship with her family after being quarantined upon returning to her country. His work provides an intimate insight into the lives of Overseas Filipino Workers and their families.

Bradley and his team are no strangers to having family members work overseas, so it was no surprise that his submission sought to tell a deeply personal and human story. His work here is a testament to the power of fiction to address widespread issues by honing in on profoundly intimate experiences.
Daniel Anugerah

Levi Masuli

Levi Masuli is a Philippines-based creative working on sound and text. He volunteers for Migrante Philippines, a grassroots organisation for migrants and their families. He is producing a sound essay on former migrants turned riverside vegetable farmers in the Province of Rizal, Philippines.

An audio documentary is not something you often hear about, and Levi’s submission was the only one that had this format. Having been interested in audio storytelling via podcasts like Serial and various Night Vale productions, I was intrigued to take on this project with the help of our Audio Producer Dania Joedo.
Bonnibel Rambatan

Thinn Thinn

Thinn Thinn is a researcher and academic from Myanmar doing research on human rights and social inclusiveness in the country. She is writing stories that capture the drastic changes in a boy’s daily life who lives in a dry zone area in Central Burma after the coup. This fictional story is based on her research and interviews with several people, parents, teachers, and children in Myanmar who went through the same experience.

Thinn Thinn used to write children’s stories and uses this experience to write about the issue at hand from a child’s perspective. With her patience, research, and experience, I believe Thinn Thinn is the perfect writer to tell this story. I hope her story will give you another perspective and can build stronger solidarity from Southeast Asia to Burma.
Fadiyah Alaidrus

Ali Reza Yawari

Ali Reza Yawari is a young writer, filmmaker, and refugee rights activist from Afghanistan. His work focuses on breaking myths about refugee communities. He is filming a short documentary about a refugee Taekwondo athlete who struggles with his integration in a country that doesn’t fully recognise his status.

I was drawn to Ali’s project due to his unique approach to the refugee issue. By centering Mohammad–the subject of this documentary–Ali highlights agency and breaks free from the conventional narratives of refugees. I can’t think of a better way to cover this issue than through this incredibly human approach.
Daniel Anugerah

Aime Marisa

Aime Marisa is a law student who is passionate about the issue of citizenship and migration. She is working with Alanis Mah, an illustrator and graphic designer who feels strongly about issues of citizenship and statelessness that she hopes to contribute to advocacy by using her artistic skills. Together, they are developing an illustrated essay that captures a stateless person’s journey in life.

Aime’s compassion for those affected by issues of statelessness has been strongly palpable since her very first submission. Alanis, having had firsthand experience on this issue, could not have been a more perfect illustrator for the project. The essay portrays the multiple paths and dimensions that stateless people may go through in their life, and I can’t wait for you all to see the final piece!
Bonnibel Rambatan

All seven fellows were given a workshop on storytelling as advocacy by New Naratif’s team of editors in December 2022, and are currently going through rounds of mentorship and editing to develop their pieces. Bonnibel Rambatan is responsible for fellows whose projects utilise heavy visual and/or experimental approaches. Fadiyah Alaidrus handles projects that require a high level of personal sensibility. Daniel Anugerah mentors both fiction and non-fiction video projects.

Finally, here are some previews and behind-the-scenes images of their works!

Levi Masuli interviews a source in Santa Ana.

We are all very excited to share these works with you in the coming months. Stay tuned to New Naratif and BEBESEA’s social media accounts for the latest updates!