Hi, women and men out there. I hope you are doing your best in any situation. Today’s writing is about hmm what should I call this, but I was so shocked after watching Kartini film by Hanung Bramantyo about the life of a true Indonesian feminist, one of the greatest feminist that inspires Indonesian women to live in a decent life.

The film made me sobbed, and left me with overwhelming thoughts of feminism from a genius Javanese woman. Hanung and the team who made this film so epic and meaningful succeed to make me mesmerized. The quality of the film including the plot, the cinematography is fulfilling my expectation as Indonesian film should be, even beyond. If you guys do not watch this film yet, then watch it now, or later after you read this hehe!

This writing is based on the film, not Kartini in real life, so there is a possibility that the story is the same with the reality or not. My highlight will be the fact that Kartini is breaking the tradition. Yes she was. A tradition is often associated with a truth value which is formed by the society. Even we understand that the real definition of truth for each person is different. We cannot say that telling lies is bad when we meet a robber who wants to steal our stuff because we cannot mention about all we have. See? Even the truth is also relative.

How does Kartini break the tradition? By being a smart and independent woman. Instead of beautifying herself by doing the beauty treatments like a Javanese princess should do, she chooses to read books given by her brother. When her sister says that they need to look beautiful so that man can be attracted to them, Kartini feels that it’s not necessary. We do our makeups for ourselves, right women? What she intensively does is reading and writing articles until her name is popular among the Netherlands. How Javanese women live, how they dream and wish are some topics that she writes. I wish I could fully read her writings huhu.

To become a ‘Raden Ayu’, the highest tittle for Javanese women, she needs to be married to a noble man. Kartini thinks that marriage is not something to bargain, but sincerity from ones who love each other. But then she loses to her father, and she agrees to marry but in conditions. The first is that her husband must let her to build a school for women in Jepara. Her concern in education and feminism must continue and luckily she get helps from her husband. A good woman will get a good man indeed. Finally she can continue to teach children in Jepara.

The second condition is that she rejects to wash her husband’s feet in the wedding process.

It is interesting because in Javanese tradition, washing the husband’s feet or ranupada/wijikan is a must. Washing the husband’s feet is a symbol of piety from the wife to the husband. The husband does not wash the wife’s feet back, and why is like that? The wife should show her piety and respect to the husband, then why the husband does not do a thing like that? I cannot agree more with Kartini. Both wife and husband must show respect and piety to each other. You may wash your parents’ feet but not your partner. You are responsible to each other.