Kartini: The Power of Writing

 “Kartini once said: writing is a work for eternity.” – Pramoedya Ananta Toer

Hello, beautiful ladies in pretty traditional clothes, along with all of cute kids in the kindergarten or elementary school.. I know, I know you might have waited for today so long. Like, not everyday we can wear kebaya and jarik to the office without anyone ask if we are okay :)))

But, as I wrote on my Path, I believe you know too, that Kartini day is much more than that. I’m not gonna be SKSD with Kartini now, but from what I’ve heard, she spoke up like no woman ever done it before. And I guess, women are still struggling with these problems until now. Do you know that even in United States, women get paid less than men in the same field of job and same working hours? If we move here in Indonesia, as I’m experiencing it now as a graduate student, people still talk about whether a woman should go to the higher education. One of my lecturer (she is a woman) told about her family story – where her brother is prioritized to go to school and her family didn’t even pay attention to her study. 

If you think that wearing beautiful clothes reflect Kartini’ battle, please also remember that the idea of a woman who is beautiful AND smart still frightening to most people. It’s like… as a woman, you can’t have both. You can be beautiful, but if you are beautiful and smart, people will be afraid of you. 

However, every woman is struggling for her own story. Every single of us has different perspective, and I do hope we don’t get distracted for the real battle. One of the good example that Kartini give for us is, you have many ways to fight for your issues. 

And Kartini fight through her writing. 

Indonesians must have seen many people share quotes from Kartini today, and not just ‘habislah gelap, terbitlah terang.’ See this Instagram post from Dian Sastrowardoyo, she wrote some and I think I’s enlightening.

Kartini proves, that when you write, even if you die, your legacy can still be useful: inform, educate, and inspire whoever read it. 

If you think that your life story isn’t worthy to share about, think twice. We never know when people will really get something from our writing. We will meet people who has less, same, or even more problems than what we are facing now. But trust me, writing heals yourself and help others. Read, to know that you are not alone. Then write, to pass on the lights that have shined on you. 

So, what are you waiting for? Start writing!

Lots of love,

Prima