Raden Ajeng Kartini

Raden Ajeng Kartini

Many years ago, women were seen to be in a lower level than men. Their rights were not approved by men. At that time of need a woman, a hero rose to answer the cry of women and fight for female rights. A hero came to open a path to women emancipation in Indonesia, she was R. A. Kartini. Her strength made her a hero and she became an inspiration for women in their fight for their place.

Raden Ajeng Kartini was born in Jepara on April 21th 1879. She is a daughter from the mayor of Jepara, Raden Mas Adipati Sosrodiningrat. Even though she was born in a royal family, Kartini’s faith was not real different than other women in her time. Women were not allowed to get an education. They just can study until elementary, then they were forced to stay at home and be engaged to a man they don’t even know. For the result, women were not as intelligent as men were and so women could not develop themselves.

After she finished her elementary, Kartini could not continue her education to a higher level, but Kartini did not give up to achieve knowledge. She collected many book and spent her time to read books and newspapers. Then she gathered her friends and she taught her friends to read and write.

At 1903 she was engaged and married to the mayor of Rembang, Raden Adipati Joyodiningrat, and she moved to Rembang. In Rembang, Kartini started a school. Her school succeed and kept on growing. It opened branches in Cirebon, Surabaya, Semarang, Yogyakarta, Malang, Madiun, and other places. The name of the school was “Kartini School”, but it was a pity, Kartini died when she was 25 years old after she gave birth to her first child on September 13th 1904.

Kartini's Book : Door Duisternis Tot Licht

In her short life, she had a best friend called Rosa Abedanon. She told her dream to fight for women to her best friend. After she died, her letters to Rosa were collected and published as a book in Dutch “Door Duisternis Tot Licht” (Out of Dark Comes Light). Then the book was translated to Indonesian with the title “Habis Gelap Terbitlah Terang”.