Artika Sari Devi

Artika Sari Devi, Puteri Indonesia 2004 (www.seketika.com/ index.php?ikt=NTB)

Artika Sari Devi was born on September 29th 1979 in Bangka Belitung. Her name started to rise after she had been chosen as Puteri Indonesia 2004. Her road to become Puteri Indonesia 2004 was not as easy as it looked. She had to defeat another 35 women from all over Indonesia who have the 3 B’s we know as beauty, brain, and behaviour. She is not only beautiful, smart, and well mannered; she also has strength and conviction in herself in all works that she does. She also understood and prepared to accept all of the risks.

Indonesia is a country in which majority of the society are Moslem. Based on the Moslem’s culture, it is forbidden to women to show some parts of their bodies. Because of this matter, there was a conflict about the participation of Indonesia in joining Miss Universe contest. It had been nine years since Alya Rohali represented Indonesia in Miss Universe 1996 contest before Artika encouraged herself to represent Indonesia in Miss Universe 2005 contest. Her decision to join this contest brought pros and cons from Indonesians. The deeply held cons were raised by FPI (Front Pembela Islam) as a part of Moslem community in Indonesia. She was brought up in this Moslem community, so it became another pressure in her participation in this contest.

In this contest, every contestant had to wear a swim suit as one of the requirements. This put her in conflict as she was brought up in a Moslem tradition that never allows a woman to show some parts of her body. But, at last she decided to wear a one-piece swim suit instead of wearing a bikini as other contestants did. Under all the pressures she had, she decided to continue everything that she had started in the Miss Universe 2005 contest to carry out Indonesia, with its cultures and traditions, world wide. And the achievement of the contest was so excellent. She had succeeded in carving her name as the first woman in Indonesia, and the only one woman in Asia, who had come into the semifinal of Miss Universe 2005 contest.

As one of Indonesia’s public women figures, she fights for women and children’s rights and for their educations. She doesn’t keep herself in a glamorous lifestyle, but she goes to isolated places in Indonesia to empower women. She is also active as a speaker of seminars related to women’s rights and education for children. This lovely Puteri Indonesia woman has proved that she is not just showing her beauty and receiving nice prizes, but is showing her dedication for the social welfare of women and children.

Although she is not Puteri Indonesian anymore, she still has great concerns over social affairs. Artika is the image of women’s strength with her spirit when she faces many pressures, the image of women’s conviction when she knows her problems and tries to accept all the consequences and the image of women’s attention to women's gender and children.