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UNESCO recognizes Kartini's letters as a Memory of the World
Through letters she wrote to her pen pals, Kartini expressed bold ideas on issues such as girls' access to education, opposition to polygamy and resistance to forced and child marriage.
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The educators: Kartini (right) and her sisters Roekmini, Kartinah and Soemarti as teachers, pose for a photo, believed to be taken in Jepara, Central Java, 1903. (Courtesy of Leiden University) (Leiden University/-)
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he United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) has officially recognized a collection of letters by 19th-century Indonesian writer and thinker Raden Adjeng Kartini as part of the world's documentary heritage, listed under the Memory of the World category.
This decision was made on April 11 during the 221st UNESCO Executive Board session, held between April 2 and 17 in Paris.
According to a statement released on Monday by the Indonesian National Archives, the collection was submitted as a joint nomination by the Indonesian National Archives, the Netherlands National Archives and Leiden University Libraries.
The three institutions preserve Kartini’s letters and archival materials. Leiden University Libraries hold the majority, with 326 letters and related items, while the Netherlands National Archives in The Hague and the Indonesian National Archives each hold nine items.
The Memory of the World register aims to ensure the preservation of vital documentary heritage and to raise global awareness of its significance.
Born on April 21, 1879, in Jepara, Central Java, Kartini was the daughter of a local regent and a noblewoman who would go on to challenge the deeply rooted gender norms of her time. Today, she is celebrated as a pioneering voice for women’s rights in Indonesia.
Through letters she wrote to her pen pals, Kartini expressed bold ideas on issues such as girls’ access to education, opposition to polygamy and resistance to forced and child marriage. She also voiced sharp criticism of feudalism and colonialism, revealing a progressive mind far ahead of her era.
