Kartini

It was Kartini Day 2 days ago, April 21, in Indonesia. I passed the day with excruciating stomach due to menstrual pain. There can’t be no other time more suited for these 2 events to collide. Let me reflect to you some of my thoughts about Kartini and being a woman.

Kartini’s legacy was a collection of her letters to her friends in the Netherlands published in a book called “Door Duisternis Tot Licht” (Through Darkness to Light) or translated to Indonesian as “Habis Gelap Terbitlah Terang”. She also has a school for women whom she established in Rembang. Because of these and several other considerations, she was named the one of Indonesian hero on women emancipation.

For some times, I was a bit unsure whether she is a hero. Like several of my other friends, Kartini does not fight as gallantly as Martha Christina Tiahahu or Cut Nyak Dien and other female Indonesian hero who fought the colonialism. She has quite a privilege to be a daughter of a higher class family which entitled her to education where she became fluent in Dutch and I imagine several other subjects as well. Although her education was caught short in her early teen years, she was allowed to have skills course.

However, as I was lying with stomach cramps, excruciating headache and nausea, I came to think that even though she did not gallantly fought with weapons or sacrifice herself in war fields or even put up a real fight against her parents, her actions, ideas and thoughts were ‘loud’ for her era. Here is my thought why, I think the Hero title is rightfully hers.

She was born in an era or darkness where women were boxed in. Had she not gone to school, getting educated, meet people and learn foreign language, she might not be open to the fact that there is a glimmer of hope for her, for women for her kind.

Reading a bit of a review about her life helped me to see that she is no weak and submissive person. Her will power and intelligence is what set her apart. I think she excelled in school especially in language (Dutch). I imagine, the language helped her to find ways to ‘rare ideas’ books – perhaps philosophy, biography of women leader, religion and many others- Perhaps books in Melayu language were censored or biased on the ideas of women position. But being able to skillfully use Dutch language enabled her to read more books with advanced thought on women emancipation. I believe she dared to dream! Dream that perhaps… just perhaps… I too can be emancipated or I can emancipate other women. Martin Luther King was known with his dream. Yes, he was killed shouting it out loud so others can hear. But so does Kartini! She shouted it out loud most importantly for HERSELF! She was liberating herself. For those who was once felt confided, imprisoned, being brainwash that you are just a stool in the room, being blindfolded and being told that you are blind, gagged your mouth and being told that you have no voice and who really  live in the dark… whispering your OWN ideas IS liberating and BRAVE!

Who would support Kartini at that era? She was bound to so many restricted rules of her class, rules of being women, obligation as child to parents, love to ailing parents. If you are a woman, you will be able to identify these obligations. The difference with us women nowadays is we know that we can do something and we can stand by ourselves. Back in Kartini Era, she doesn’t know. She wanted to believe that she can but all her support system says NO YOU CAN’T. What can she do? Blessed her little heart, she found a Dutch friend whom she could correspond and poured out her thoughts.

The problem with Kartini day, in my opinion, is not exactly about Kartini herself. It is in how it is celebrated. I do think Kartini will not agree that the emancipating and liberating day is celebrated with silly symbolic costume party of Kebaya and sanggul! As someone who tried so hard to liberate her own thoughts, I assume Kartini would not have wanted such diverse cultured women of Indonesia to succumb to an elaborate get-up to javanisized women of Indonesia.

As for her lack of fighting in comparison to Cut Nyak Dien, Martha Christina Tiahahu and other respective heroines, I simply would like all of us to not generalized fighting. Kartini’s thoughts and actions are not to be compared to other heroes. She belongs in her own fighting and own category. Considering her era, her circumstances and her short span of life, her thoughts are inspirational and ahead of her time. Should she has a long life, I believe she might be able to do a lot more. She might be able to breakthrough.

There I was, in extreme menstrual pain, contemplating the complicated life of women. And Kartini… hats off to you! You are an inspiration to me for your liberating thoughts. – As for Kartini day, we are not celebrating Kartini’s life! We are celebrating the liberation of women’s thoughts and actions.