Biography of R.A.

Kartini

Profile

Name : Raden Ajeng Kartini

Place and date of birth : Jepara, Central Java, 21 April 1879
Place and date of death : Rembang, Central Java, 17 September 1984
Age : 25 years
Parents name
Father : Raden Mas Adipati Ario Sosroningrat
Mother : M.A Ngasirah
Familys name
Husband : K.R.M. Adipati Ario Singgih Djojo Adhiningrat
Child : Raden Mas Soesalit

R.A Kartinis Childhood

Raden Adjeng Kartini was born in Jepara on April 21, 1876. She comes from a
noble family. Her father, Raden Mas Adipati Ario Sosroningrat is a regent who
governed Jepara at that time. While her mother, MA Ngasirah descended from
the common people. Like the other children from noble descent in general, she
lived in prosperity and strict Javanese rules. She is the 5th child of 11 brothers
and sisters coming from her biological and stepmother. Among her siblings
from her biological mother, she is the eldest daughter.

R.A Kartini studied in the ELS School (Europese Lagere School). She studied
Dutch language there, so that she could speak Dutch language very well.

R.A Kartinis Adolescence

When she was 12 years old, she had to quit studying because she had to do
pingit at that time, a rule of Javanese custom that forbid woman to go outside
before marriage. Finally, on 12th November 1983 she was married to Raden
Adipati Joyodiningrat.
After getting married, R.A Kartini never stopped learning. She continued to
study in her own house by reading a lot of European books and magazines.
When she was reading them, she found a great difference between European
womens life with Indonesian women. European women live in freedom and
they have the same equivalent position with men. While, Indonesia women
lived under mans power.

Based on that fact, she had an idea to change Indonesian womens life. She
along with her friends opened the first school for women in Indonesia in 1912 in
Semarang. They taught Indonesian women how to read and write, so that they
could come out of ignorance.

In addition to teaching, she also wrote letters to her friends in the Netherlands.
One of them is Rosa Abendanon which strongly supported Kartinis idea. She
also often wrote to the Dutch womens magazine De Hollandsche Lelie several
times.

Thanks to her efforts, many women schools were built in other areas such as in
Surabaya, Yogyakarta, Malang, Madiun, and Cirebon. Moreover, there was also
Kartini Foundation, founded by Van Deventers family who is a political
figures, opened Kartinis School.

R.A Kartinis Death

On 13th September 1904, RA Kartini died after giving birth to her son named
RM Soesalit. She was 25 years old at that time. Although she had passed away,
her spirit and brilliant ideas remain alive and inspire Indonesian women to
continue the struggle to make her dream comes true.

Even her spirit made a Dutch figure, Mr.JH Abendanon, compiled and published
her letters sent to her friends in Europe entitle Duisternis DOOR TOT Licht,
which means Through Darkness to Light.