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Raden Ajeng Kartini

by Priscilia from Jakarta


Maybe her name will never cross in your mind. And you start asking, who is she? What has she done? Well, for us, Indonesian women, she in our heroine. She furthered Indonesian women. Without her, maybe every woman in my country, Indonesia, would still live under unfair conditions.

Raden Ajeng Kartini who is known as Kartini, was born in 21st April 1879 on Jepara. She was the daughter from Raden Mas Adipati Ario Sosroningrat and M.A. Ngasirah. Kartini’s father had lots of wives. In that time, everyone who had Raden title could be polygamous. Kartini was the first daughter from his first wife. But Kartini was the fifth child in her whole family.

Kartini studied in ELS (Europese Lagere School) until she was 12 years old. In that time, she might get out from her school to get a ritual named pingitan. Pingitan is a ritual where a girl would stay in her house until she got married.

Kartini was a smart girl. She could write and speak in Dutch, so she started to have correspondence with her friends. One of her friends who always gave her support was Rosa Abendanon. She was interested with European woman’s opinion. She got that interested from European books, magazine, and newspaper which she had read. So, Kartini wanted to help Indonesian women’s opinion. Her reading material was Semarang’s newspaper De Locomotief, edited by Pieter Brooshooft, leestrommel (magazine packet which revolved by a book store), culture and skill magazine, and also Netherlands women’s magazine De Hollandsche Lelie. Some of Kartini’s articles had even be contained in De Hollandsche Lelie. Other books she read were Max Havelaar and Love Letters written by Multatuli, De Stille Kraacht (Power of Magic) written by Louis Coperus, book written by Van Eeden, Augusta de Witt book, feminist-roman by Mrs. Goekoop de-Jong Van Beek and a anti-war roman by Berta Von Suttner, Die Waffen Nieder (Put The Weapon).

Kartini had a big hope, that was to help Indonesian women. According to her, it only could be done by giving a good education to Indonesian women. Therefore, Kartini built a school for girls only in Jepara. This school didn’t take any money. Moreover, for her dream, Kartini had a plan to be educated in Teacher School in Netherlands. She had got the scholarship, but Kartini’s parents didn’t allow her to get that scholarship.

Because Kartini was a good daughter, she didn’t go against her parents. On 12nd November 1903, she got married with Raden Adipati Joyoadiningrat, the regent of Rembang. Her husband’s age was 50 years old, and he had three wives and dozens of children. Kartini, who was 24 years old, found that she was the victim of polygamy.

After married, she still worked to help her clan. She built a women's school in Rembang naer, the first school in Jepara. Her husband understond Kartini’s dream and Kartini had freedom and was supported to build a women's school in the west of the Rembang office regency or a place use for Scout Building now. Her first son and the last son Raden Mas Soesalit, was born in 13th September 1904. A few days later, 17th September 1904, Kartini died in age of 25. Kartini was buried in Bulu village, Bulu subdistrict, Rembang.

Because of Kartini’s persevering, a school named Sekolah Wanita (Women School) was built in Semarang by Kartini Foundation in 1912. And then in Surabaya, Yogyakarta, Malang, Madiun, Cirebon and other places. The school name is "Sekolah Kartini" (Kartini School). Kartini Foundation was built by the Van Deventer family, an ethical politic figure.

In 2nd May 1964, the first president of Indonesia, Soekarno established Kartini as a National Independent Heroine and established Kartini's birthday, 21st April, as a big day every year which is known as Kartini Day.

Page created on 2/11/2008 12:00:00 AM

Last edited 2/11/2008 12:00:00 AM

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