Raden Adjeng Kartini or R.A. Kartini was born in Jepara, Central Java on
April 21, 1879. She is known for her fight for the gender equality in
Indonesia. Kartini's family allowed
her to attend school until she was 12 years old. Here, among other subjects,
she learnt to speak Dutch, an unusual accomplishment for Javanese women
at the time. After
she turned 12 she was secluded at home, a common practice among Javanese
nobility, to prepare young girls for their marriage. Her father insisted that
she must stay at home. During her stay, little Kartini started to do something.
She wrote letters to her friends that mostly came from Netherlands. She then
acknowledged Rosa Abendanon, who supported every plans Kartini made. It was
from Abendanon also, that she started to read books and European newspapers.
From those readings, she realized how European women can think greatly
advanced. Thus, this new knowledge triggered something in her to fight for
gender equality in Indonesia. Especially when later on she realized that she
was not alone. Other Indonesian girls were facing the same problem as herself.