Symbolism Of Kartini

As a national figure for women’s emancipation and gender equality, I believe Kartini’s significance extends beyond women. Indeed, it is not sufficient to honor Kartini for her thoughts on gender equality and her work on education.

She was chosen as a symbol of emancipated Indonesian women in the Old Order era by the late President Soekarno. It wasn’t just because she was highly intellectual, rebellious, radical and charismatic, but also because she was Javanese.

It couldn’t be denied that the Javanese ethnicity has had a strong influence in the history of our nation. Making Kartini a symbol of women’s emancipation, in that context, is justifiable: because Kartini is from Java, she became a feminist icon. Why Kartini and not someone else?

Goenawan Mohamad in his 2011 book Tokoh+Pokok (Figures and Principles) encapsulates Kartini in a simple sentence: “Kartini existed, hence she is a feminist.” It’s not the other way around. This shows that Kartini’s strength was not her external situation.

She was critical of the culture at the time such as forced marriage and colonialism, and inspired the call for change at that time. But, as Rebeka Nivalah wrote in her piece, “Follow Kartini’s Inspiration: Write for Impact!”, the most arguable reason why Kartini became a feminist icon, because she wrote and she wrote strongly.

Kartini’s monumental book Habis Gelap Terbitlah Terang (Out of Darkness Comes Light) tells us that by writing we can create our own history. By writing we can tell future generations about what happened in the past, and to improve for the future. Even more, like Kartini, by writing we can create a better

In addition, every year on April 21, the media like to cover “inspirational women” who are successful in their career, like pilots, designers, busway drivers, dentists and so on. While there is nothing wrong with these stories, career and professional success only partially represent women empowerment. The measurement of women empowerment should not only be based on their career, but on their minds.

When we celebrate Kartini Day every year, how deeply do we delve into Kartini’s perspective? Besides supporting their daughters or sons to join kebaya or traditional costume fashion parades, how many parents discuss about the principles of gender equality to their children at home.”

In fact, do parents ever talk about Kartini’s thoughts to their children on April 21? We have to think critically and provide substantial information to the children and not just blindly participating in a mass culture like the conventional Kartini Day celebrations.

Celebrating Kartini Day is not only a way to remember an inspirational figure whose thoughts challenged patriarchy and male domination system. For Indonesia to move forward we must achieve woman empowerment. Like Kartini, women must believe that light comes after darkness, the way she envisioned it for the generations that would come after