Kartini Day

Kartini Day is an Indonesian holiday celebrated in memory of Ajeng Kartini’s birth, a national heroine honoured for her efforts in fighting for women’s rights.

Raden Ajeng Kartini was born on April 21, 1879, and is one of the country’s most recognisable faces.

Growing up, she was prohibited from getting an education because of her family’s nobility and age-old traditions. This led her to highlight the plight of locals suffering under the Dutch masters and the challenges Indonesian women faced. It also birthed her desire to fight for women’s education rights in Indonesia.

Even though she died in her prime at just 25 years old, her efforts did not go unnoticed. The first Javanese girls’ school opened after the publication of her letters and the creation of the Kartini Foundation. The letters put together in the publication are letters she wrote to her international friends when she was secluded from school in anticipation of marriage.

Today, Kartini Day is celebrated on the 21st of April every year and is also referred to as ‘Hari Ibu Kartini’ by the locals. Hailed as the country’s first feminist, Kartini is the symbol of women’s strength in a world fraught with gender inequality and the suppression of women’s rights.

Kartini’s desire to see women freed from the shackles of repressive laws and beliefs made her a heroine. Her legacy lives on today; this celebration is a testament to her resilience.