Taiwan’s Indonesian community paid tribute to one of its national heroines who fought for women’s equality, Raden Ajeng Kartini, by organizing cultural activities and a children’s parade in Taipei yesterday.
Hundreds of people, mostly Indonesian and Taiwanese-Indonesian families, packed into the Puppetry Art Center of Taipei to take part in the festivities to honor Kartini, who lived from 1879 to 1904.
She is hailed as a hero for fighting for the right of women and girls to be educated in Indonesia during the Dutch colonial period. Kartini Day is usually celebrated in Indonesia on April 21, her date of birth.
In Taipei, 67 children dressed in traditional Indonesian kebaya blouses, batik and lurik shirts, and other traditional clothing from various regions of Indonesia to celebrate the occasion.
Indonesia’s national anthem and a special song dedicated to Kartini — Ibu Kita Kartini (Our mother, Kartini) — were sung before the parade.
Iqbal, originally from Java and a doctoral student at National Taiwan University of Science and Technology, entered his seven-year-old daughter in the parade wearing a traditional Javanese costume.
“I am very happy because we can celebrate Kartini Day not just in Indonesia, but also in Taiwan,” Iqbal said.
The event also enabled children born to Indonesian mothers and Taiwanese fathers to learn about their heritage, said Kartika Dewi, a board adviser for the Indonesian Diaspora Network in Taiwan, the main organizer of the event.
Budi Santoso, head of the Indonesian Economic and Trade Office to Taipei, said he hoped Indonesians in Taiwan, especially women, would continue Kartini’s legacy.
“Kartini’s spirit showed that both men and women are equal and [have] equal rights. So whether she is honored in Indonesia or Taiwan, we can continue to embrace her spirit and pass it on to future generations,” Budi said.
As of the end of February, there were 260,147 Indonesian migrant workers in Taiwan, of which 196,084 were women, Ministry of Labor statistics showed.
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