Woman Emancipation

Raden Ajeng Kartini was one of the most popular figures as a pioneer of women emancipation in Indonesia. She was born in Jepara 21^st April 1979 and died at the age of twenty-five . She came from an aristocratic family. Kartini and other women life was tamed by Dutch at the time, they were not able to go to school or get an education. They were forced to stay at home and dothe house chores.

Her father was a Regency Chief of Jepara and her mother was a religion teacher. At the time, a chief must married a woman who came from highborn, because of that rule, Kartini’s father married daughter of King Maduraas his second wife.kartini was the 5^th child from 11^th children and she was the eldest daughter from both of her mother. Her grandfather was Pangeran Ario Tjondronegoro was a Regency Chief and the first one who allowed his children to get an education. But as her grandchildren, Kartini only allowed to get an education until she was 12 years old because at her age she can marry someone, or do the house chores to prepare herself to be a good wife for her future husband, because the governments think that only man who needs an education. But Kartini continued to educate herself at home, and she always sent a letter to her Dutch friend Rosa Abendanon. Kartini could speak Dutch really well so they became close-friend and Rosa Abendanon always supported her as a friend.

Kartini likes to read newspaper and she always describe her feelings with a letter. On 1911, all of her letters that was sent to her Dutch friends were recorded by Mr. J. H Abendanon, ‘Door Duisternis tot Licht’. This book was only published in five copies and in the last copy there was a letter by Kartini. But on 1938, there was another version of the old one. It were devided to several chapters, it showed changes in Kartini’s way of thinking during her corresponding time. There are eleven copies of this book. Her letters were translated in English by Agnes L Symmers and also translated in Sudanese and Javanese.

In 1964, the president of Indonesia at the time declared that Kartini’s birthday as ‘Kartini’s Day’ to remind all woman in Indonesia because of her kindness and spirit she taught us that woman had the same rights as man did and all woman could get a normal education. Not just that, every Kartini’s Day we always celebrate it by wearing our traditional clothes and sing ‘Ibu Kita Kartini’ that was written by W.R Soepratman song as appreciation of her and every women in  Indonesia struggle to be self-determined.

As a women, we should be super duper extra mega proud to be Indonesian and have Kartini as our hero. Because without her every woman in Indonesia wouldn’t get an education and have no rights to tell our thoughts.