To the Chinese People's Republic: women's delegation to China
De Locomotief, 11 Sept 1954: Mrs Surya Hadi, member of the Central Java provincial council's education section, and ten other women including one from 'the left-oriented Gerwis' will visit the Chinese People's Republic at the invitation of the chair of China's federation of democratic women's organisations.
Marriage Stir in Indonesia (Sydney Morning Herald, 21 September 1954)
Sydney Morning Herald, 21 Sep 1954, p. 1 (AAP-Reuter): a deputation from 30 Indonesian women's organisations, headed by Mrs Katowijono of Perwani, protested to Sukarno over his marriage to a second wife, Mrs Suwondo, without the first wife's consent. Press debate; women leaders say it dealt the women's movement a bad b
Indonesian women fought ten years for their rights
Libération, Paris (21 Sep 1954, p.6), badly garbled page with a column '...et les femmes!': after Sukarno's second marriage to a divorcee, a feminist organisation says his private life cannot be separated from the presidency, and that Indonesian women fought ten years for their rights so the marriage is a heavy blow. N
Indonesian women and Sukarno's second marriage
Libération, Paris (21 Sep 1954, p.6), snippet extract: four representatives of Indonesia's women's leagues were received by Sukarno to ask why he took a second wife; 'Indonesian women have fought for ten years for their rights, and the President's second marriage has been a heavy blow for us.'
Indonesian goodwill delegation and women's delegation arrive in Beijing (Renmin Ribao, 28 September 1954)
Xinhua item in Renmin Ribao, 28 Sept 1954 (p. 4): an Indonesian goodwill delegation (Sumanang, Djawoto, Prijono and others) and a seven-member Indonesian women's delegation, invited by the All-China Democratic Women's Federation, arrive in Beijing on 24 and 26 Sept; Ambassador Mononutu welcomes them. The women are name
Indonesian goodwill delegation and women's delegation arrive in Beijing (Renmin Ribao, 28 September 1954)
Xinhua item in Renmin Ribao, 28 Sept 1954 (p. 4): an Indonesian goodwill delegation (Sumanang, Djawoto, Prijono and others) and a seven-member Indonesian women's delegation, invited by the All-China Democratic Women's Federation, arrive in Beijing on 24 and 26 Sept; Ambassador Mononutu welcomes them. The women are name
Indonesian delegation in China (women's delegation to Beijing, 1954)
Het Nieuwsblad voor Sumatra (1 Oct 1954, p.1): Aneta reports that an Indonesian delegation (led by Mr Sumanang) and a separate Indonesian women's delegation arrived in Beijing on 24 and 26 September, hosted by the Chinese People's Institute of Foreign Affairs and the Women's Federation of China. Mrs S. Pudjobuntoro spe
Parliament on Sukarno's second marriage
Het Parool report (6 Oct 1954, p.108): parliament asks the government to clarify its stand on President Sukarno's second marriage, as the controversy causes the first rift in the year-old PNI-PKI coalition. A woman MP of the socialist fraction submitted the request, and parliament received a petition from women's movem
Sukarno, polygamy and Indonesian women
Point de vue (14 Oct 1954, p.9), '7 jours du monde' column: a three-sentence note that Sukarno has two wives and many troubles after marrying Mrs Suwondo (Hartini), whose husband divorced over her relations with the president; Indonesian women disapprove and launched a violent press campaign. Gerwani not named. Other c
Sukarno, polygamy and Indonesian women (extract)
Point de vue (14 Oct 1954, p.9), snippet extract: Sukarno, president of the young Indonesian Republic, has two wives and many troubles; the Koran allows polygamy but Indonesian women view it with disfavour; he is the only polygamous Indonesian leader.
Zhou Enlai receives eight delegations incl. Indonesian women's delegation (Renmin Ribao, 19 October 1954)
Xinhua item in Renmin Ribao, 19 Oct 1954 (p. 1): after National Day, Zhou Enlai separately received eight delegations from Indonesia, Burma, Chile, Pakistan and India. On 4 October he received the Indonesian goodwill delegation under Sumanang and the Indonesian women's delegation headed by Mrs Pudjobuntoro, with Ambass
Zhou Enlai receives eight delegations incl. Indonesian women's delegation (Renmin Ribao, 19 October 1954)
Xinhua item in Renmin Ribao, 19 Oct 1954 (p. 1): after National Day, Zhou Enlai separately received eight delegations from Indonesia, Burma, Chile, Pakistan and India. On 4 October he received the Indonesian goodwill delegation under Sumanang and the Indonesian women's delegation headed by Mrs Pudjobuntoro, with Ambass
Znamia, Oct 1954: 'On the Island of Java' (Yekaterina Shevelyova)
Znamia, 31 Oct 1954, p. 124: opening of Yekaterina Shevelyova's travel essay 'On the Island of Java'. She says a Soviet Anti-Fascist Women's Committee delegation, invited by Gerwani, spent almost a month in Java, then summarises Dutch colonialism, the 1949 Round Table settlement, and the 1954 dissolution of the Dutch-I
Neues Deutschland, 17 Nov 1954, p. 8: Together we women are strong
Neues Deutschland, 17 November 1954, p. 8: short item 'Gemeinsam sind wir Frauen stark' on an international WIDF delegation visiting the VEB Werk für Fernmeldewesen in Berlin-Oberschöneweide. The delegation list includes 'Frau Maasie, Indonesien' (probably Maasje Siwi of Gerwani, though the page does not say so). She i
Council sessions in Bandung
Algemeen Indisch Dagblad (1954-11-30, p. 2): notes on Bandung provincial, municipal and regency council sessions. A final paragraph says the Bandung branch of Gerwani backs the Ali-Arif cabinet because of its security policy, asks for the 'undemocratic' West Java provincial council to be dissolved, and calls for a very
Soviet Woman, 30 Nov 1954: 'Our Guests', first Indonesian women's delegation in the USSR
Soviet Woman, 30 Nov 1954, p. 36: 'Our Guests' news column on foreign women's delegations to the USSR. Opens with the first Indonesian women's delegation, headed by Mrs Sastrohusodo Andreas, welcomed at Moscow airport; an article by Mrs Supardjo is promised. Other delegations from Britain, Romania, Albania and Israel.
Non-party candidates on the PKI list for the 1955 elections
De Nieuwsgier item (15 Dec 1954, p. 1) listing new non-party candidates on the PKI list for the 1955 elections (Affandi, Basuki Resobowo, Witarsa and others). Earlier non-party names include Mrs. Salawati (Salawati Daud), Henk Ngantung and Mrs. S.D. Susanto.
Indonesian Mother's Day: reader's contribution on the 1928 women's congress
Reader's contribution in the Surinamese De Surinamer (22 Dec 1954) on Indonesian Mother's Day, commemorating the 1928 women's congress, Kartini, and women ministers Maria Ulfa Santoso and S.K. Trimurti; contrasts past seclusion with present rights and compares Indonesian women's social work with Paramaribo. Gerwani is
WIDF commemorative booklet (Berlin, 1955) for its tenth anniversary: history from the 1945 Paris founding congress, peace and anti-atom campaigns, the 1953 Copenhagen Congress, children's work, the 1955 Lausanne World Congress of Mothers. Page 28 states that in Indonesia 'the women's organization which had 6,000 member
Keynotes of the Council Meeting: Unity and Confidence (Bertrand, 1955)
Simone Bertrand, WIDF Assistant General Secretary, reports in 1955 on the Fifth WIDF Council meeting in Geneva (45 countries). She cites GERWANI as a remarkable example: mostly peasant and plantation women, membership up from 80,000 to 281,000 in a year, and with nine organisations it formed a committee opposing a US b
For Friendship: Gyanchand, Suryadarma and Che Zahara on the World Congress of Mothers (1955)
1955 WIDF magazine feature 'For Friendship' with statements by Anusuya Gyanchand (India), Utami Suryadarma (Indonesia) and Che Zahara (Malaya) for the World Congress of Mothers. Suryadarma, a vice-president of the Preparatory Committee and of the Foundation for the Well-being of Indonesian Children, links Bandung to pe
WIDF magazine 'Women Write to Us' (1955), country letters after the World Congress of Mothers (Lausanne): Bulgaria, Argentina, France, India floods, and Indonesia. The Indonesia item reports delegate Mme Suryadarma's warm airport welcome, press and radio coverage of her Congress speech, and the Indonesian Women's Movem
Djakarta postpones the evil day (The Observer, 16 January 1955)
The Observer, 16 Jan 1955, p.7, Rawle Knox, 'Djakarta Postpones the Evil Day': impressionistic report from Jakarta on a lively, disorderly capital, the Ali Sastroamidjojo government's dependence on Communist support, Sukarno's drift from impartiality, the delayed first election and anti-Dutch boycotts. A passing quote
Elections with symbols: preparations for Indonesia's first general election
De Waarheid, 22 Jan 1955, p. 5: feature on preparations for Indonesia's first general elections, with voter registration, party symbols for illiterate voters, the PKI-and-independents list and attacks on it from Masjumi and PSI. It names independent candidates, among them Salawati (Daud), described as a guerrilla leade
Enthusiastic welcome for Soviet trade union delegation in Semarang
De Locomotief, 2 Feb 1955: a Russian trade union delegation, a WFTU representative and SOBSI leaders are welcomed in Semarang by hundreds of SOBSI members, including Gerwani, forming guards of honour along the railway track. A lecture by the Russian guests is planned at the Gedung Kesenian.
Indian Daily Mail, 2 Mar 1955: Indonesian Women's 3rd Congress, Palembang
Indian Daily Mail, 2 Mar 1955 (lead only). Announces the Third Indonesian Women's Congress (Kowani) in Palembang, 2-6 March, attended by 300 members of main committees of women's organisations nationwide; the congress preparatory chairman spoke at a press conference.
Theft by Dutch imperialism: one cow per farmer per year (Aidit speaks in Bandung)
Algemeen Indisch Dagblad (1955-05-31, p. 2): PKI election rally at Tegallega, Bandung, with tens of thousands present. Candidates Eddy Abdurrachman and Mrs. Suwarti open, she stressing women's interests; D.N. Aidit criticises post-RTC governments and the Madiun executions of Musso and Sjarifuddin without trial. Archive
A home
Fragmentary Algemeen Indisch Dagblad item 'Een tehuis' (1955-06-02, p. 2): proposal for a children's home with expert carers for neglected children of working or ill parents. The plan arose at a meeting of main women's organisations, including Perwari, Budi Isteri and Gerwani, in Bandung; a founding committee formed on
Pravda, 5 Aug 1955: government crisis in Indonesia; telegrams from Gerwani
Pravda, 5 August 1955, No. 217, page 6, supplied as a Claude machine translation of the Indonesia item. A TASS dispatch from Jakarta on the cabinet crisis (Harahap of Masjumi asked to form a government) says Harian Rakjat printed dozens of telegrams from SOBSI, BTI, the women's organisation Gerwani and Pemuda Rakjat in
Straits Times, 8 Aug 1955: the Reds have organised for victory in Indonesian polls (van der Poel)
Straits Times, 8 Aug 1955, by P. A. van der Poel (lead only). Describes how the Communist organisation is preparing for the 1955 Indonesian elections, winning support through sport, religion and an appeal to 'non-party' people. Matched on Umi Sardjono; lead does not name her.