Dawn Over the Equator: Monica Felton on the Second Gerwani Congress, 1954
Monica Felton (WIDF Vice-President) writes in 1954 on the Second Congress of Gerwani, which she attended: 349 delegates, 80,000 members, a meeting with President Sukarno, resolutions on West Irian, the 1955 elections, a nationwide marriage law, democratic rights and support for the government against armed gangs. She s
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
Working for Peace in Asia (Suharti, 1955)
1955 article by Suharti (Suharti Suwarto), Vice-President of Gerwani, based on her speech at the WIDF Council in Geneva. Links the Bandung Conference to peace; says Gerwani had 281,000 members; calls for reunion of Western Irian; reports women's election preparations, winning the right to be polling officers, support f
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
IVth Congress of the Women's International Democratic Federation, Vienna, June 1958
WIDF volume on the IVth Congress, Vienna, 1-5 June 1958: speeches, reports and resolutions. Gerwani appears directly: Mudigdio, vice-president of Gerwani and head of the Indonesian delegation, speaks (pp. 89-92) for 663,740 members, citing equal-pay claims, the Third Gerwani Congress (December 1957), West Irian, work w
The Struggle is Just and a Just Struggle will Surely be Victorious (Suwarti, 1957/58)
Article by Suwarti Bintang Suradi (Gerwani), dated Berlin 20 Dec 1957, in WIDF's magazine on Indonesia's West Irian campaign: mass rally of a million in Jakarta, ten-minute silence, general strike in Dutch firms, takeover of Dutch enterprises, KLM ban, UN defeat, international support. Names Gerwani among organisations
Millions of Women Abroad behind the Indonesian People's Struggle for Independence
Api Kartini (1959) article on how the WIDF (GWDS) and millions of women abroad supported Indonesia's independence struggle, noting Gerwani as an Indonesian member. Recounts WIDF's 1947 message to the UN against the Dutch aggression, Dutch women's protests (Schoonhoven, NVB), 1949 actions and later solidarity on Irian B
Women's Solidarity from Many Countries (against the Karel Doorman)
Api Kartini (1960) compilation of foreign women's solidarity statements against the Dutch dispatch of the carrier Karel Doorman and troops to Irian Barat. Includes Dutch women's movement (NVB) protests to parliament and a Rotterdam petition, a WIDF statement backing Indonesia, and a message from Australian miners' wive
For Democracy, Women's Rights, Food and Clothing (Fourth National Congress of Gerwani, 1961)
Api Kartini report on the 4th National Congress of Gerwani, Jakarta, December 1961 (about 400 delegates and observers), with Sukarno attending. Lists foreign guests: Gloria Garton for WIDF, Soviet, Chinese and East German delegates. Sukarno called Gerwani one of the forces for the Irian Barat struggle and urged total u
Women's Footsteps in 1961 (Hurustiati Subandrio)
Article by Hurustiati Subandrio (1961) reviewing women's activity at the start of 1961. She lists the Gerwani-organised National Seminar of Peasant Women (17-20 January, Gedung Wanita, Jakarta), the Asian-African Women's Conference in Cairo, and preparations for the Indonesian Women's Congress (6-8 February). She links
Disarmament Congress (Moscow, 1962)
Api Kartini (1962) report on the World Congress for Disarmament and Peace, Moscow, July 1962 (about 2,500 delegates, 100 countries). The Indonesian delegation was led by Dr. Hurustiati Subandrio, who attacked colonialism and cited Irian Barat; Rameswari Nehru and J.D. Bernal are quoted. Also covers Indonesian mass-orga
General Mobilisation (Api Kartini, 1962)
Api Kartini (early 1962) editorial 'General Mobilisation' on the Irian Barat campaign after Sukarno's Trikora. Quotes Hurustiati Subandrio's radio appeal for all Indonesians, men and women, to mobilise and fight rice shortages; describes volunteer registration, women students' military training, and Dutch brutality (ev
Friends Supporting the Liberation of Irian Barat (Guests at Gerwani's Fourth Congress)
Api Kartini (early 1962) report on foreign guests at Gerwani's 4th National Congress (Jakarta, December 1961): Gloria Garton (WIDF and Australian women), Dzhura Ilkhamova and Nina Voronina (USSR), Kuo Chien and Chang Chieh-hsun (China), and Nitze of East Germany. They toured Yogyakarta, Bogor and Bandung, praised Gerwa
Women of 18 Nations Support Irian Barat
Api Kartini (1962) clipping: 'Women of 18 Nations Support Irian Barat', reporting a women's meeting in Vienna (Austria), with the surviving text mostly the tail of an article on Laos, praising Laotian women partisans and the Pathet Lao and welcoming a coalition government. OCR is minimal; Gerwani not named.
Irian Barat Is the Most Important Issue (Gloria Garton)
Article by Gloria Garton (1962), translated into Indonesian from the Australian 'Tribune' and quoted from Harian Rakyat, reporting her Indonesian visit. She says Indonesians, including women who suffered Dutch imprisonment, regard Dutch-held West Irian as a threat to independence, express wishes for friendship with Aus
1 May 1963: Irian Barat Free!
Api Kartini (May 1963) editorial 'Irian Barat Free!' on the UNTEA handover of West Irian to Indonesia on 1 May 1963. Celebrates mothers' sacrifices for Trikora and tells the Netherlands that normal relations require accepting the new situation, dropping colonial 'privileges' and unreasonable claims for compensation, in
With Manipol Strengthen the United Women's Front (Gerwani DPP Plenary, January 1963)
Api Kartini (1963) report by Ratna on the Gerwani DPP Plenary held in Jakarta, 6-10 January 1963, a year after the 4th Congress. Umi Sardjono's general report praised the Irian Barat victory and the end of the state of emergency (1 May 1963), and the plenary resolved to strengthen the Nasakom-based national front, supp
World Congress of Women, Moscow, June 1963
WIDF publication on the World Congress of Women, Moscow, 24-29 June 1963 (1,543 women, 113 countries): reports, speeches, resolutions and the new WIDF council list. Gerwani is mentioned briefly: its roughly 1,000 day nurseries for working mothers are cited as a model; its role in the West Irian campaign is praised; and