https://www.scmp.com/rss/330616/feed Katrin Figge is a freelance journalist and writer based in Berlin, specialising in culture, lifestyle and social issues. Previously, she lived in Jakarta for more than a decade, where she was among others the features editor of the Jakarta Globe and managing editor of NOW! Jakarta magazine. en https://assets.i-scmp.com/static/img/icons/scmp-meta-1200x630.png https://www.scmp.com “Women do write. They carry multiple burdens, but they still endeavour to create,” says Faye Cura, co-founder of Gantala Press, a Filipino feminist literary collective and small press that publishes books and other publications documenting the conditions and struggles of women. “We know of a farmer who writes poems in her little notebook while waiting for people to buy vegetables in her stall,” she explains. “We know of a union leader who composed poems in her cell, after being wrongfully... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/arts-culture/article/3104716/asian-women-writers-gain-wider-audience-thanks-translations?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/arts-culture/article/3104716/asian-women-writers-gain-wider-audience-thanks-translations?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 11 Oct 2020 06:15:08 +0000 When Irma Fadhila, 25, an Indonesian photographer based in Berlin, walks through the streets of the German capital, she braces herself for possible derogatory comments. “Hey, sexy lady from China!”, “Ching chang chong!”, and “Konnichiwa!” are a few she is familiar with. “Normally, all you do is freeze and try to process, because it always happens in a split second, and the people calling me names obviously wouldn’t stop to wait for my response, they would just walk away,” says Fadhila. Once... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/arts-culture/article/3095735/no-one-stood-us-asians-europe-wake-truth-racism-and-are-no?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/arts-culture/article/3095735/no-one-stood-us-asians-europe-wake-truth-racism-and-are-no?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 04 Aug 2020 04:45:07 +0000 Indonesian singer and songwriter Kai Mata realised, as a teenager in Jakarta, she liked women more than men – but her realisation was quickly followed by disillusionment. “There seemed to be no support networks in place, and no one I knew in Indonesia was openly gay, bisexual – or anything but straight,” she recalls. “It felt so isolating and frightening. I grew to recognise the importance of visibility for minorities, and I have become a visible part of the LGBTQ+ community.” Using her platform... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/entertainment/article/3081178/lesbian-indonesian-singer-bats-away-messages-hate-pen-songs?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/entertainment/article/3081178/lesbian-indonesian-singer-bats-away-messages-hate-pen-songs?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 25 Apr 2020 21:00:15 +0000 Dhanielle Daphne has lost count of the number of times she has been met with incredulous looks and raised eyebrows when people learn she is a soccer player – and a successful one. The 19-year-old is a celebrated midfielder in the Indonesian women’s national soccer team, and a passionate fan who knew she wanted to play the game from an early age. “My family and friends didn’t really support my decision at first, because nobody in my family plays football and it isn’t seen as a woman’s sport from... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/article/3074257/soccer-mad-indonesia-embraces-womens-game-launch-national-league-female?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/article/3074257/soccer-mad-indonesia-embraces-womens-game-launch-national-league-female?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 11 Mar 2020 00:15:15 +0000 The town of Stahnsdorf, just outside Berlin, seemed idyllic to Arianna Feldmann when she and her German husband, Werner, arrived in the 1990s. Home to a population of about 15,000, the sleepy area offered the couple an ideal environment in which to raise their daughter and son. Or so they thought. “When my son was in high school, other children mocked him for the colour of his skin,” recalls Feldmann, who was born in the Philippines and asks to use a false name to conceal her identity. “One... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/family-relationships/article/3016792/how-southeast-asians-germany-suffer-abuse-rise?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/family-relationships/article/3016792/how-southeast-asians-germany-suffer-abuse-rise?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 02 Jul 2019 00:15:08 +0000 As the world’s fourth most populous country and one with a unique history, Indonesia possesses a rich literary heritage. In a nod to its rapidly growing publishing industry, the country was selected as this year’s “Market Focus” at the London Book Fair, giving Indonesian literature an international boost. “We had the opportunity to not just showcase our books and creative content, but also our culture through all the events that were held over the course of the fair and beyond,” says Laura... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/arts-culture/article/3009155/four-indonesian-women-writers-talk-about-finding-their-voice?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/arts-culture/article/3009155/four-indonesian-women-writers-talk-about-finding-their-voice?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 09 May 2019 09:45:05 +0000 Old warehouses and typical plattenbau, apartment blocks made from prefabricated concrete slabs, line the streets in Berlin-Lichtenberg, a district in the northeastern part of Germany’s capital. But in the middle of this forlorn industrial area, where many buildings have been abandoned and stand idle, the Dong Xuan Centre stands out. Its halls are filled with lively chatter, mostly in Vietnamese. People queue at restaurants to warm up with a bowl of hot pho. Shopkeepers lure visitors into their... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/travel-leisure/article/2185444/how-rundown-corner-berlin-became-refuge-citys-vietnamese?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/travel-leisure/article/2185444/how-rundown-corner-berlin-became-refuge-citys-vietnamese?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 10 Feb 2019 13:15:30 +0000