Welcome to the Filipino diaspora
What started as a homemade zine for a senior capstone project turned into an independent platform with content that explores the Filipino identity within our global diaspora. From essays about intergenerational trauma to the history of a pre-colonial script, The Kultura is a growing newsletter where you can discover, learn, and engage in discussions. Whether you’re Filipino or not, this space is open to all who are interested in culture, geo-politics, and history in Southeast Asia.
What does “Kultura” mean?
“Kultura” means “culture” in Tagalog. It is the name that represents what connects us all—whether that’s through food, language, art, books, politics, or geography, we are all a collective where our customs and traditions and way of life are inspired by one another throughout history.
The Kultura is a place for digging deeper into conversations on where we come from and how we identify ourselves, as the Filipino global diaspora is filled with nuances and a variety of sub-cultures that makes our community so unique.
Our mission & values
The mission of The Kultura is simple: bringing us together. Where I grew up, I wasn’t well-connected with my roots as a Filipino and my mother tongue, Tagalog, became a distant memory growing up in the U.K. suburbs. Speaking to many second-generation immigrants and third-culture Filipinos, I realized this disconnect is apparent amongst the diaspora: many people are facing identity crises, trying to figure out where they belong. The purpose of The Kultura is to bridge this gap—the immigrant identity is full of nuances which I intend to explore through writing.
At The Kultura, we tell stories that matter. When the newsletter was first conceived, the goal is to amplify underreported voices and uplift the Filipinos and people of color who are making a difference—whether that’s making the community safe or bringing Filipino flavors to the bakery scene, we want to cover stories that are bringing us together.
Your support matters
Being an independent journalist comes with many challenges, but your support helps me overcome those. Subscribing, liking, and commenting on my content is just the first step. If you love my content and want to see The Kultura grow, here are the additional ways you can support:
Upgrade your subscription: Become a paid subscriber for only $8 a month (that’s the price of matcha!). Not only are you helping The Kultura grow and make it possible for me to turn this into a full-time dream job, there are several perks that come if you upgrade including:
Full access to podcast episodes, “kultura konversations”
Read the rest of “The Immigrant Route” series
Have the ability to create new threads on our chat and engage in new discussions.
Buy a print magazine: A 2nd print edition of The Kultura was printed in 2021, featuring photographs by Erryle Miranda and featured articles from the earlier archives. If interested in purchasing, please send an inquiry (note that stock is limited!).
Join the referral program and dominate the leaderboard: Help us grow our audience by inviting people to subscribe (paid or free!). By joining, you can earn rewards and compete to be featured on the leaderboard.
Help me turn The Kultura official
Inspired by the likes of Maria Ressa, who founded The Rappler in 2011, I hope to fulfill my vision for The Kultura which is to turn it into an official source for Filipino-American news, features, media, community, and more. We want more opportunities to report more stories, expand our resources, and build a team of dedicated writers, editors, and fact-checkers who care about real journalism. If you like what I cover and The Kultura’s mission, please consider becoming a paid subscriber and turn this into a reality!
A little bit about the Writer
My name is Nicole and I’m a freelance writer with a background in journalism, public relations, and marketing. I’ve been writing and creating content since 2016 when I was an influencer-wannabe writing book reviews and art tutorials and experimenting with web design on Wordpress and Blogger. This led to my first paid gig as a copywriter for the media consulting agency ADOLESCENT. Since, I’ve been honing my craft and have contributed to The Associated Press, Atmos, Rice & Spice, and more.
Born in Quezon City in the Philippines, I grew up in the suburbs of London in a rainy town called Tunbridge Wells. I moved to New York City during the pandemic to pursue a career in journalism and graduated from The New School in 2022. Currently, I’m based in Brooklyn.
You can follow my Instagram, should you be interested in my personal life, or view my website to learn more about my work 💛
