KARTINI DAY CHEFS

To commemorate Indonesia’s Kartini Day, this year we present some of Indonesia’s talented female chefs. We talk to Petty Elliot, Rinrin Marinka and Sisca Soewitomo about what Kartini Day means to them.

Every year on 21 April, the nation of Indonesia celebrates one of its national heroes, Raden Adjeng Kartini, who fought for freedom and emancipation for Indonesian women.

Born into an aristocratic Javanese family, Kartini aspired to education that was not available to her, or other girls in Javanese society. In those days, girls in noble families were not allowed to have a higher education as they had to be secluded for an arranged marriage. During her seclusion, she continued to study, even making pen pals with people in the Netherlands, with whom she discussed

feminist matters and revealed her dream of equality between men and women in Indonesia.

After her death in 1904, a collection of her letters was recovered and made into a book titled Out of Darkness to Light. Today, many schools, hospitals and foundations are named in her honour and each year, her national holiday is celebrated with parades that are attended by children

donning colourful traditional clothes.

In celebration of Kartini Day this year, we present some of Indonesia’s talented female chefs, talking to them about the role of women in today’s culinary industry and their hopes for the young

generation of women.