First the sad news… We recently lost our friend and colleague Wikan Satriati, who had worked at Lontar for the past 11 years as assistant to the director of publications, managing everything from contracts to book launches. She passed away at her family home in Magelang, Central Java, on April 25. She will be dearly missed. In remembrance, we feature her profile in this newsletter.
April is the month when Indonesians observe the birth date of Kartini, a 19th century Javanese woman of noble birth who aspired to be independent, free from the shackles of a patriarchal tradition which deprived women of their rights. Women have come a long way since but the gains have been far from equitable. The number of women who still lack access to education and who face discrimination and abuse far out numbers those who have succeeded. Sadly, many of them have their rights deprived at home from an early age.
According to UNICEF, among the top ten developing countries Indonesia accounts for the highest number of child marriages. The 2019 Marriage Law, which set 19 years as the minimum marriageable age for both males and females, is easily ignored when child marriages are still allowed if they receive the approval of the Supreme Court. Last year, there were 34,000 requests, an increase of 43 percent over the previous year. Ninety-seven percent got the go-ahead. Then there is the Sexual Violence Eradication Bill parliamentarians have ben dithering over for the past two years, despite a worrying increase in cases during the current pandemic.
The path set by Kartini remains paved with obstacles but the Central Javanese woman whose prolific correspondence was eventually turned into a book is also an inspiration to aspiring women writers today.
In closing, I ask you not to miss our upcoming fundraising festival, “Beyond Home Borders,” which starts on May 1 with a talk by reknown author, Amitav Ghosh, whose forthcoming book, The Nutmeg Parable, is set in Maluku. His event is followed by 11 others. Please register for at least one. In doing so, you will be helping Lontar to publish another literary translation.
Yuli Ismartono
yismartono@lontar.org