Blink and you'll miss Kartini Day in Jakarta
Blink and you'll miss Kartini Day in Jakarta
JAKARTA (JP): Most Jakartans this year are apparently not
concerned about Kartini Day, which commemorates the empowerment
of Indonesian women and falls on Wednesday.
Many schools in the capital have no special events to mark the
day, while some women even questioned the purpose of celebrating
the day.
A female ojek (motorcycle taxi) driver, Nolia, told The
Jakarta Post on Tuesday she did not know who Kartini was.
"Maybe I've looked at her once on television," said Nolia, a
woman in her late twenties who has never attended school.
When asked about the importance of Kartini's spirit for women
to free themselves from societal oppression, Nolia, who picks up
passengers around Jl. Prof. Satrio, Kuningan, in South Jakarta,
said: "Now, the most important thing for me is to earn some money
to support my life. I don't care about Kartini Day."
Although she did not care about Kartini Day, she seemed to be
more independent than other well-educated women, who supposedly
know much about the meaning of women's emancipation.
She lives alone and rents a room in a boarding house in East
Kuningan, South Jakarta. She must compete with 60 other ojek
drivers in th area in order to earn about Rp 15,000 per day.
"I always send part of my earnings to my family in Pekalongan,
Central Java," said Nolia, one of only two female ojek drivers in
the area.
Widjiyanti, a member of the Navy's Women Corps (Kowal) in
Tanah Abang, Central Jakarta, said the women at the base had not
organized any special event of their own to celebrate Kartini
Day.
"We will be joining the Kartini Day ceremony on Wednesday,
held by the Navy headquarters in Cilangkap in East Jakarta," she
said on Tuesday.
Meanwhile, representatives of some schools said Kartini Day
coincided with the exam period.
"We are very busy preparing for the exams," said Musa,
principal of Penabur Senior High School on Jl. Diponegoro in
Central Jakarta.
The exams are scheduled for April 19 until April 26.
However, Musa admitted the school has not celebrated Kartini
Day since 1993.
Syamsuddin, a Tanah Abang school teacher, said the initiative
of teachers was crucial in getting the students interested in
commemorating the event.
"The students will only follow their teachers' suggestions,"
said Syamsuddin, a teacher of religion at Kebon Melati Elementary
School on Jl. Sabeni.
Lia, an elementary school student, said her school did not
conduct special events to mark Kartini Day.
Saparinah Sadli, a noted psychologist and women's activist,
said she did not care how Kartini Day was marked.
"Special events to celebrate Kartini day in schools are okay,
but the more important thing is maintaining Kartini's spirit in
women and students," Saparinah said.
The teachers should be more creative in passing on Kartini's
ideas to their students, she said.
Kartini was born on April 21, 1879, in Mayong, Jepara, Central
Java. Her father, Sosrodiningrat, and her mother, Ngasirah, were
residents of Jepara.
During her life, Kartini was active in encouraging Javanese
women to seek better education.
She gave lectures to local Jepara women.
Her disappointment in the educational backwardness of local
women prompted her to send numerous letters to her friend in the
Netherlands, J.H. Abendanon in 1897.
The letters titled "Door Duisternis Tot Licht" (From Darkness
into Light) later became popular. (01)