Independent Publishing Lab in the Philippines

OUR STORY

Hi I’m Alina, a volunteer writer and creator at Kwago, an independent publishing laboratory in the Philippines. I created this fundraising page, because we’re moving to our new home in Curious Coffee in Paranaque City, Metro Manila, Philippines, and we have publications, projects, and programs on the pipeline. Most of these are aimed to address the massive disinformation and fake news in our country, so we urgently need your help. But first, let me tell you about Kwago.

Its founder, Czyka Tumaliuan, started it in 2017 as a small press bookstore. A space for independent Filipino authors to share their stories to a wider audience, especially those without a platform to practice on. From our first home in Chino Roces to our second one in Bangkal, Makati, Kwago successfully held book fairs, workshops, exhibits, and many fruitful collaborations (for more info about projects, click here link https://drive.google.com/file/d/1JoMR81gbjRRZNz5oxwx8ylPtozx-FfBz/view?usp=sharing)

Then, the pandemic happened. Kwago had to close down its space in Makati. But the pandemic became a catalyst for us to continue working in response to pervasive social issues that affected Filipinos. The medical crisis, the rapid red-tagging, corruption, the cycle of poverty, there was a lot to deal with. We started 4 projects in response to this:

Protect Our Journalists - to create safety media kits that had homemade PPEs and zines for media professionals to stay protected while they cover stories on the ground.

Sitwasyon - video podcast tackling national issues from the perspective of mass organizations and communities

BAKA/ - a comics tabloid making news more accessible to Filipinos with challenged literacy levels

Cainta Community Pantry -- community pantry and library catered to urban poor community in Cainta

WHY WE NEED YOUR HELP

From a small press bookstore, Kwago has grown into an organization with a deeper purpose. We are now a collective of artists, writers, teachers, and engineers dedicated to developing publications, programs, and projects to nurture the creative and critical consciousness in every Filipino.

And this is very crucial and urgent, amidst all the red-tagging and censorship happening in the Philippines.

From Czyka: “Recently, two media outlets are being shut down. Bulatlat and Rappler. Bookstores are being red-tagged. Last year, books on human rights and publications from the Left were pulled out from universities. Whether or not you subscribe to that, these books should exist. It should be available. That’s how freedom works.”

Kwago is fighting disinformation through our ongoing and upcoming publications and programs. We want to address gaps in the knowledge ecosystem, protect narratives that need to be protected, foster literacy, and continue to nurture critical thinking.

As Kwago registers as a non-profit publishing laboratory this 2022, we need your help to fix our new space in BF Homes, Paranaque, and to fund the cost of our operations for one year. This will also go to our Membership Program and the other programs my team (Fundraising) is developing to make Kwago sustainable and income-generating in the years to come.

No amount is too small. If everyone pitched 500, 1000 of their hard-earned money, we would reach our goal. Your support will go a long way in fueling our mission to help Filipinos positively transform their lives, their communities, and environments.