Kartini as Indonesian Heroine

When we commemorate the birth of R.A. Kartini, we will be reminded of the persistence of a woman who lived more than a century ago in obtaining freedom, autonomy and equality in law for women. The story of Raden Ajeng Kartini, born in 1879 into an aristocratic Javanese family during the Dutch colonial era, is a seemingly contradictory one. Kartini staunchly opposed polygamy but married a man with three wives at the behest of her father. She died after giving birth to her first child . She established a school for girls and dreamed of women's emancipation. To honor Kartini’s effort, a school for women was built by Kartini Foundation in Semarang in 1912, which was followed by a number of schools in Surabaya, Yogyakarta, Malang, Madiun, Cirebon, and others. In 1964, President Soekarno stated Kartini as Indonesian Heroine and set Kartini’s birthday, 21 April, as the Indonesia National Day (Kartini's Day). Kartini is not only a heroine for our women’s struggle, but for everybody in ...