Organisations
Indonesian Women's Movement (Gerwani)
- Acronym
- Gerwani
- Original name
- Gerakan Wanita Indonesia
- Type
- Indonesian women's organisation
- Country
- Indonesia
- Founded
- 1954
- Dissolved
- 1966
- Description
- Left-wing Indonesian women's mass organisation close to the PKI, renamed from Gerwis in 1954; destroyed and banned after the events of 1 October 1965.
- Deskripsi
- Organisasi massa perempuan kiri Indonesia yang dekat dengan PKI, berganti nama dari Gerwis pada 1954; dihancurkan dan dilarang setelah peristiwa 1 Oktober 1965.
- Also written as
- Gerwani; DPP Gerwani; Indonesian Women's Movement; Gerwani (Indonesian Women's Movement); Gerwani (Women's Movement of Indonesia); GERWANI; Gerakan Wanita Indonesia (Gerwani); Gerwani (Indonesian women's movement); Gowani (Gerwani/Gerwis, as printed); Gerwani (unnamed Indonesian women's organisation); Gerwani (implied); DPD Gerwani Jawa Tengah; Gerwani (Indonesian delegation); Indonesian women's movement (national conference); 'Indonesia's largest women's movement'); Gerwani (Indonesian Women's Movement Association); Gerwani (not named; Gerwani (organisation unnamed in the text
1951 – 2026
Often appears with
1659 items
Tossed Down by the Rising Waves (Sudjinah, Prison Memoir)
English typescript prison memoir by Sudjinah, Gerwani translator and journalist (c. 2000): courier in 1945-49, WIDF secretariat in Berlin, Gerwani HQ in 1965, capture in 1967, torture and detention at Bukit Duri and Tangerang. Key Gerwani survivor memoir.
Women's Movement Members (Gerwani Surabaya III Branch), Suparna Sastra Diredja Collection
IISG photograph (n.d., collection Suparna Sastra Diredja): sepia studio group portrait of about fifteen women and girls in kebaya, one holding a child; a slate on the floor reads 'GERWANI... S.BAJA III' (Surabaya III branch). No individuals named.
Gerwani Commemoration at Istora Senayan Attended by President Sukarno, 15 March 1965 (Khastara)
National Library reproduction of Presidential Photo Collection images (15 March 1965) catalogued as a Gerwani commemoration at Istora Senayan with Sukarno speaking; visible signboards refer to technicians, not women, so the caption may be mismatched. Visual record.
Depicting Gerwani as a band of murderers and devils (Stanley, 1999)
Short Indonesian essay by 'Stanley' (probably Stanley Adi Prasetyo) for a 1999 history seminar, quoting the canonical army account of Gerwani at Lubang Buaya and showing from the autopsy reports (Anderson, Dr Arief Budianto) that the genitals were intact and eye damage came from the fall into the well. Debunking the sl
S.K. Trimurti lights Kartini's fire (Historia, preview)
Historia premium feature by Budi Setiyono (preview only) on S.K. Trimurti's role in founding Gerwani, noting she resigned when Gerwani 'started leaning left' and chose her husband Sayuti Melik; opens at the Waluya Sejati elderly home. Partial text.
Gerwani and the Perfumed Ghost (Historia, preview)
Historia article by Martin Sitompul (preview only): after destroying Gerwani the New Order used the 'kuntilanak' image to restrict progressive women's movements; quotes Wieringa at a Kuntilanak Wangi discussion. Partial text.
'Committee of the People's Will' (Panitya Kehendak Rakjat, Makassar 1951)
Het Nieuwsblad voor Sumatra (4 Sep 1951, p.2): at a Makassar meeting eight speakers, including PKI's Tular, Mrs Towoliu ('Gowani'), Mrs Salawati Daud and others, back formation of a twenty-organisation 'Comité Volkswens' to help the government and to send people to Kahar Muzakar, urging minimal casualties in any milita
Commemorative Volume of the Second Gerwis Congress, 25-31 March 1954
Commemorative volume of the second Gerwis congress (Jakarta, 25–31 March 1954): greetings, foreign women's federations' telegrams, general report, resolutions, and the unanimous 30 March 1954 decision to rename Gerwis as Gerwani. Includes new statutes and a WIDF memorandum to the UN.
CIA report, 6 May 1954: Financial preparations for the Gerwis congress, March 1954
CIA report, 6 May 1954: Trimurti and Dr Thung Sin Nio collecting funds to finance the Gerwis (now Gerwani) congress in Jakarta, 25-31 March 1954, including from Chinese-Indonesian donors. Evidence on congress financing and cross-community support.
Women Write to Us From Everywhere: Indonesia (Darmini, 1954)
Short 1954 item in WIDF's 'Women Write to Us From Everywhere' by Darmini, Assistant General Secretary of Gerwani. She reports the Gerwani congress as a success, with WIDF representative Monica Felton present and foreign delegates (Dutch, Australian, Soviet) touring the country, a first in Indonesian women's movement hi
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
Results of the Gerwis congress: name changed to Gerwani
De Vrije Pers report (3 Apr 1954) on the press conference after the second Gerwis congress (Jakarta, 25-31 March 1954). Gerwis changed its name to Gerwani, dropping "Sedar" after criticism; it opposed the demonstration ban and arrests of labour organisers, urged a marriage law against forced marriage, would field no ow
Results of the Gerwis congress: name changed to Gerwani (page version)
De Vrije Pers report (3 Apr 1954) on the press conference after the second Gerwis congress (Jakarta, 25-31 March 1954). Gerwis changed its name to Gerwani, dropping "Sedar" after criticism; it opposed the demonstration ban and arrests of labour organisers, urged a marriage law against forced marriage, would field no ow
FBIS, 4 April 1954: 'Gerwani' representatives visit Sukarno
FBIS-monitored Jakarta radio (4 Apr 1954): President and Madame Sukarno received Gerwani members after their Second Congress; Sukarno said equal rights are not women's final mission, which needs a just, prosperous country. A Dutch women's movement member spoke for peace; Sukarno tied Indonesian-Dutch understanding to W
FBIS, 4 April 1954: Indonesian women support Geneva talks
FBIS-monitored Xinhua item (4 Apr 1954): at its congress (25 Mar-1 Apr, Jakarta) the Indonesian women's movement, Gerwani, pledged support for the Geneva Conference and demanded prohibition of weapons of mass destruction. Says Gerwani is the new name of the women's democratic federation (Gerwis), a permanent WIDF membe
Sukarno urges communist to support transfer of New Guinea; Mrs Lips-Odinot, interpreter of 'peaceful' Netherlands
Algemeen Handelsblad (1954-04-05): President Sukarno received participants of the Gerwani congress; Dutch communist MP Rie Lips-Odinot conveyed the sympathy of the 'peace-loving part of the Dutch people'. Sukarno replied that good relations require return of New Guinea, and she endorsed Indonesia's claim. The paper cal
Untruthful communist business: Gerwani congress in Jakarta
De Maasbode, 5 Apr 1954: Sukarno receives at the palace women attending the Gerwani congress in Jakarta (described as a continuation of the communist Gerwis). The Dutch communist MP Mrs Lips-Odinot conveys the 'peace-loving' Dutch people's support; Sukarno says New Guinea is the main barrier to good relations. Shows Ge
Sukarno hopes for a communist Netherlands (Gerwani congress received by Sukarno)
Eindhovensch Dagblad front-page report (5 Apr 1954) that President Sukarno received delegates of a congress in Jakarta of 'Gewani' (a continuation of communist Gerwis). Dutch communist MP Rie Lips-Odinot expressed support for Indonesia's national struggle; Sukarno answered that good relations require resolving New Guin
Good relations with Netherlands only after return of Irian (Gerwani received by Sukarno)
Het Nieuwsblad voor Sumatra (5 Apr 1954, p.1): President and Mrs Sukarno received Gerwani members (the former Gerwis) after their five-day Jakarta congress. Sukarno said a just state cannot be achieved by one sex alone. Dutch communist MP Rie Lips-Odinot, who attended, voiced Dutch sympathy; Sukarno replied that good r
Java-Bode, 5 April 1954, p. 2: WIDF vice-president Monica Felton lectured in Jakarta on the Federation's work and its relevance to Indonesia, after attending the second Gerwani congress as a guest. Rie Lips Odinot (Dutch Women's Movement) and the Australian Democratic Women's organisation also spoke on their groups' wo
President receives Gerwani: 'Men and women must build the state together'
Java-Bode, 5 April 1954, p. 2: President Sukarno and his wife received Gerwani (formerly Gerwis) members at the end of their five-day Jakarta congress. Sukarno said the just and prosperous state cannot be built by one sex alone, and that women's problems are solved not by equal rights alone but by that state, which men
Sukarno addresses 'peace-loving Netherlands'
Leeuwarder Courant, 5 April 1954, p. 2: Dutch regional paper reports Sukarno receiving participants of Gerwani's Jakarta congress (Gerwani called a communist Gerwis continuation). Communist MP Rie Lips-Odinot voiced Dutch peace-lovers' sympathy; Sukarno said no good relations are possible until New Guinea is returned,
Communist MP spoke on New Guinea: reception with Sukarno
Twentsch Dagblad Tubantia (5 Apr 1954): President Sukarno receives participants of a Gerwani congress (described as continuing the communist Gerwis). Dutch CPN MP Rie Lips-Odinot conveys sympathy of the 'peace-loving part of the Dutch people' for Indonesia's New Guinea claim; Sukarno answers that no good relationship i
Russian women visiting for the Gerwani congress
De Vrije Pers item (6 Apr 1954), citing Suluh Indonesia: three Soviet women (A. Kholopova of Moscow University, a poetess and a translator) arrived in Jakarta to attend the Gerwani congress and gave a talk on women's position in the USSR; the paper remarks they wore no lipstick and simple dresses.
Foolish business in Jakarta (Gerwani congress 1954)
Gazet van Limburg editorial item (6 Apr 1954, p.1) disapproving that communist MP Rie Lips-Odinot, vice-chair of the Dutch communist women's movement, attends the Jakarta congress of 'Gewani' (Gerwani) and speaks for the 'peace-loving part' of the Dutch people supporting Indonesia's claim to New Guinea. It also objects
Russian guests for 'Gerwani'
Java-Bode, 6 April 1954, p. 2: citing Suluh Indonesia, three Soviet women (A. Kholopova of Moscow University, poetess K. Sowilyowa, translator T. Gerinewa) arrived in Jakarta for the Gerwani congress and lectured at Podium on Soviet women's position and rights. The paper remarks on their lack of lipstick and simple dre
Visitors from Russia (delegation to the Gerwani congress)
One-sentence Het Nieuwsblad voor Sumatra item (7 Apr 1954, p.3): according to Suluh Indonesia, three Russian women arrived in Jakarta on Sunday to attend the congress of the Indonesian women's organisation Gerwani. Evidence of Soviet-bloc delegates at the 1954 congress.
Izvestiia, 11 Apr 1954: delegation of Soviet women in Indonesia
Izvestiia, 11 Apr 1954. TASS, citing Harian Rakyat: when a Soviet women's delegation led by A. Kholopova reached Surakarta (Solo), thousands of Gerwani members, students and housewives met it in a demonstration of friendship; the delegation received dozens of invitations in Surakarta and Yogyakarta.
Men and women must build the state together
Indische Courant voor Nederland, 14 Apr 1954, p. 3: President Sukarno receives Gerwani delegates after their five-day congress in Jakarta, saying women's problems are solved by a just state built by men and women together. Dutch MP Rie Lips-Odinot raises West Irian; WIDF vice-president Monica Felton lectures; Australia
Russian guests for Gerwani
Indische Courant voor Nederland, 14 Apr 1954, p. 2, citing Suluh Indonesia: three Soviet women (A. Kholopova of Moscow University, poet K. Sowilyowa, translator T. Gerinewa) arrive in Jakarta on 4 April for the Gerwani congress and lecture on Soviet women's rights; the paper remarks they wore no lipstick and simple dre
Neues Deutschland, 15 Apr 1954, p. 5: Radioactive clouds over Mexico (Djakarta report on the national conference of the
Neues Deutschland, 15 April 1954, p. 5: under the headline "Radioaktive Wolken über Mexiko", a roundup of ADN items on US hydrogen-bomb tests includes a Djakarta item: the national conference of the Indonesian women's movement appealed to the world's peoples to avert the H-bomb threat and secure lasting peace, alongsid
Position of women discussed
Java-Bode, 23 April 1954, p. 2: Gerwani held a Wednesday-evening meeting at Adhuc Stat to welcome foreign women's delegates. Australian delegate Allison Diekei, Dutch delegate Rie Lips and Soviet delegate Alexandra Kholopova spoke on women's position in their countries; Kholopova also described study opportunities for
We need their friendship: 80 million Indonesians
Tribune (Sydney), 12 May 1954, p. 11: Allison Dickie, Union of Australian Women delegate, reports on the 1954 Indonesian women's congress. She describes Gerwis, the league of women 'more politically awake', whose work helped hundreds of thousands become literate and from which Gerwani developed; the six-day Gerwani Nat
We need their friendship: 80 million Indonesians
Tribune (Sydney), 12 May 1954, p. 11: Allison Dickie, Union of Australian Women delegate, reports on the 1954 Indonesian women's congress. She describes Gerwis, the league of women 'more politically awake', whose work helped hundreds of thousands become literate and from which Gerwani developed; the six-day Gerwani Nat
A great and strong people fights for a better life: Rie Lips on Java
De Waarheid, 12 May 1954, p. 5: opening of an interview with Rie Lips, vice-chair of the NVB, back from six weeks on Java after the Gerwis/Gerwani congress. She rejects stereotypes of Indonesians as lazy, dirty or stupid, citing women who work in factories or walk hours to attend meetings of the women's movement, 'the
Gerwis and Gerwani: congress decides to change the name
De Waarheid, 12 May 1954, p. 5: short note that the recent congress of the Indonesian women's movement unanimously decided to change the name Gerwis to Gerwani, because 'Gerwis' (aware women) implied that only aware women could join, whereas every Indonesian woman should be able to become a member. Key evidence for the
On the plantations: Rie Lips tells about Indonesia
De Waarheid, 12 May 1954, p. 5: Rie Lips's account of her Java trip: plantation workers' wages (about 3 rupiah per day), child labour on tea and rubber estates, and volunteer village schools. Quotes the Gerwani congress appeal that those who can read should teach others; Soviet delegate Alexandra Kolopowa speaks; photo
Gerwani central board (80,000 members) supports the WIDF at ECOSOC (Bintang Timur, 29 May 1954)
Bintang Timur (Jakarta daily), 29 May 1954, p. 2 of a multi-article issue; only one item concerns Gerwani. Its central board (DPP Gerwani), speaking for 80,000 members, protests to the UN against ECOSOC's removal of the WIDF from consultative status, citing a letter from WIDF president Eugenie Cotton, and demands reins
Gerwani conference in Surabaya: renewing programme and board
De Vrije Pers item (1 Jun 1954) on a Gerwani conference in Surabaya: renewing programme and board, aiming to raise membership two- to fourfold with sub-branches in all wards, endorsing the Jakarta congress decisions (marriage law, democratic rights, H-bomb), demanding dissolution of the city council, backing peasants i
Impressive ceremony on the invasion beach (with item on Gerwani and the Union)
Het Vaderland front page (8 Jun 1954) opening with Dutch resistance veterans' wreath-laying at the Normandy invasion beaches, followed by Indonesian news. A short passage 'Indon. comm. women and the Union' says the Indonesian feminist movement Gerwani, recently hostess to delegations of communist women from Russia and
General Assembly of Perbepsi
Short Het Nieuwsblad voor Sumatra item (9 Jun 1954, p.2): a nationwide conference of the veterans' body Perbepsi will be held in Medan on 19-24 June on ex-fighters' fate, security and national cooperation. Youth and women's organisations including Pemuda Rakjat, Pemuda Demokrat and Gerwani will take part.
Latest news from Indonesia (June 1954)
Antara news roundup, Indische Courant voor Nederland, 16 Jun 1954, p. 4 (5-9 June). Relevant item: the Gerwani central board urges the government to abrogate the Netherlands-Indonesian Union unilaterally and pledges support. Other items cover foreigner registration, trade with Yugoslavia, oil wells, smuggling and the c
Izvestiia, 20 Jun 1954: 'In Indonesia', travel notes of a Soviet women's delegate
Izvestiia, 20 Jun 1954. Travel notes by a member of the Soviet women's delegation (Anti-Fascist Committee of Soviet Women) touring Indonesia: Jakarta, Boyolali rally where Gerwani representatives and the woman who invited them questioned the guests about the USSR, plantation conditions near Bandung, Round Table agreeme
Joint declaration of thirty parties (abolition of the Netherlands-Indonesian Union)
Het Nieuwsblad voor Sumatra (24 Jun 1954, p.1): the Jakarta cooperation committee of about thirty parties and organisations, including PNI, PKI, Partai Buruh, Pemuda Rakjat, Gerwani, SOBSI, BTI and Wanita Rakjat, issued a joint declaration demanding immediate abolition of the Indonesian-Dutch Union, blaming Dutch imper
Unrest in Indonesia continues
Algemeen Handelsblad (1954-07-02): a Committee of Co-operating Parties of 31 parties and organisations, including PKI, PNI, NU, SOBSI and Gerwani, urges the Dutch government to declare High Commissioner Van Bylandt persona non grata, recall Indonesia's delegation, abolish the Netherlands-Indonesia Union unilaterally an
Cooperating parties want High Commissioner persona non grata
De Gooi- en Eemlander, 2 July 1954: a committee of 31 cooperating parties and organisations, including the PKI, PNI, SOBSI and Gerwani, demands that Dutch High Commissioner Count van Bylandt be declared persona non grata. It also asks for unilateral abolition of the Netherlands-Indonesia Union and a West Irian administ
Communique of cooperating Indonesian parties: expulsion of Dutch High Commissioner demanded
De Waarheid, 2 Jul 1954, p. 1: Jakarta dispatch that a committee of 31 cooperating Indonesian parties and organisations, including PNI, PKI, NU, SOBSI and Gerwani, asked the government to declare the Dutch High Commissioner Count van Bylandt persona non grata over his 25 June speech, recall the Hague negotiators if it
Indonesian parties: 'Declare Count Van Bylandt persona non grata'
Het Rotterdamsch Parool report (2 Jul 1954, p.3): the Jakarta committee of cooperating parties, 31 parties and organisations including PKI, PNI, Partai Buruh, NU, Perbepsi, Gerwani and SOBSI, urges the government to declare Dutch High Commissioner Count Van Bylandt persona non grata after his statement, and to recall t
Indonesian parties demand Van Bylandt be declared persona non grata
Nieuw Utrechtsch Dagblad, 2 July 1954, p. 3: a committee of 31 cooperating Indonesian parties and organisations, including PKI, PNI, Partai Buruh, NU, Sobsi and Gerwani, urges the government to declare Dutch High Commissioner Count Van Bylandt persona non grata over his statement, and to recall the Indonesian delegatio
Action against Netherlands High Commissioner
Twentsch Dagblad Tubantia (2 Jul 1954): a committee of cooperating parties and organisations, including Gerwani with PKI, PNI, NU and SOBSI, urges the government to declare Netherlands High Commissioner Count van Bylandt persona non grata, recall the delegation from The Hague, end the Union and form a West Irian admini
Indonesian parties act against High Commissioner: committee asks unilateral end of Union
Ons Noorden (3 Jul 1954): a committee of 31 cooperating parties and organisations, Gerwani among them with PKI, PNI, NU and SOBSI, urges the government to declare Netherlands High Commissioner Count van Bylandt persona non grata, recall the delegation from The Hague, end the Netherlands–Indonesia Union and form a West
Indonesian parties act against High Commissioner: committee asks unilateral end of Union
Overijsselsch Dagblad (3 Jul 1954), truncated version of the Reuter/ANP item: a committee of 31 cooperating parties including Gerwani, PKI, PNI and SOBSI asks that Netherlands High Commissioner van Bylandt be declared persona non grata and the delegation recalled from The Hague. Text breaks off.
17 August committee in Jakarta with Gerwani in secretariat
De Nieuwsgier, 8 July 1954: Jakarta forms a committee to celebrate 17 August for national unity, abolition of the Netherlands-Indonesia Union and the return of West Irian; its secretariat, at the Balai Kota, is run by Gerwani, SOBSI and FPI. No Soetanti Aidit; Gerwani appears only as a secretariat organiser.
Gerwani conference in Salatiga on implementing congress decisions
De Locomotief, 29 July 1954: the Salatiga branch of Gerwani, with Central Java provincial delegates and BTI, SOBSI and women's organisation representatives, discusses implementing the latest congress decisions. Sub-branches will be set up in every subdistrict capital. Gerwani fields no candidates in the elections but i
Indonesian workers greet Piet van Staveren: telegrams on his release
De Waarheid, 6 Aug 1954, p. 3: report of congratulatory telegrams from Indonesia on Piet van Staveren's release from Dutch prison, including from SOBSI, SBPP, Pemuda Rakjat (200,000 members), Sarbupri and the World Federation of Trade Unions. A telegram signed GERWANI, from 'Indonesian women and mothers', thanks him fo
Ekaterina in Java: Soviet delegates and the Gerwani congress
De Nieuwsgier, 7 Aug 1954: a Dutch-Indonesian paper recounts that Russian delegates invited to the Gerwani congress arrived after it ended but toured Java with organisers. Ekaterina Sheveleva's Izvestia report praises roads built by colonisers, laments farmers' primitive tools and notes a women's union meeting at a rai
CIA weekly, 9 August 1954: Recent communist conciliatory gestures and exchanges between the orbit and the non-communist
CIA weekly 'Recent Communist Conciliatory Gestures...' (9 Aug 1954), a long chronology of Soviet-bloc exchanges. The only Gerwani item (p.24, 1 August 1954) says the Indonesian women's organisation GERWANI, labelled Communist-front, was reported planning to send ten women on a three-week tour of the USSR, reciprocating
Transmigration to South Sumatra; Medan cooperation body resolution
De Locomotief, 24 Aug 1954: a note on 50 families transmigrating from Purwokerto to South Sumatra, and a brief item that the Medan Badan Kerdjasama Nasional (BKN), to which PKI, PNI, SKI and Gerwani are affiliated, urged by resolution that the mayor be relieved of his post (text breaks off).
Medan cooperation body demands mayor's resignation
De Nieuwsgier, 24 Aug 1954: the Medan Badan Kerdjasama Nasional, to which PKI, PNI, SKI and Gerwani are affiliated, adopts a resolution urging the government to relieve Medan's mayor A.N. Djalaluddin. Same item as in De Locomotief of the same date.
Resolution against Medan's mayor
Java-Bode, 24 August 1954, p. 2: one-sentence item that the Medan Badan Kerdjasama Nasional (BKN), whose affiliates include PKI, PNI, SKI and Gerwani, passed a resolution urging the government to dismiss Medan's mayor A.M. Djalaludin.
Replacement of mayor requested (Medan)
Short Het Nieuwsblad voor Sumatra item (25 Aug 1954, p.2): the Medan national cooperation body BKN, to which the PKI, PNI, SKI and Gerwani are affiliated, adopted a resolution asking the government to remove Medan's mayor A.M. Djalaluddin from office.
Report on New Guinea
Algemeen Indisch Dagblad (1954-08-26, p. 2): first item on the Dutch UN report on New Guinea for 1953. A final line says the Badan Kerdjasama Nasional in Medan, affiliating PKI, PNI, SKI and Gerwani, urged the government to dismiss Medan's mayor A.M. Djalaluddin.
Saturday agenda in Surabaya: Gerwani reception
Daily events agenda in De Vrije Pers (27 Aug 1954) for Surabaya on Saturday 28 August 1954. The only item of interest is a Gerwani reception at 19:00 in the Yayasan Tani Kebudayaan building (Stadstuin); the rest are dances, sports and a church service.
Saturday agenda in Surabaya: Gerwani reception (second copy)
Daily events agenda in De Vrije Pers (28 Aug 1954) for Surabaya on Saturday 28 August 1954. The only item of interest is a Gerwani reception at 19:00 in the Yayasan Tani Kebudayaan building (Stadstuin); the rest are dances, sports and a church service.
Resolution against the mayor of Medan
One-sentence item, Indische Courant voor Nederland, 28 Aug 1954, p. 3: the Medan Badan Kerdjasama Nasional, whose affiliates include PKI, PNI, SKI and Gerwani, resolves to urge the government to dismiss Medan mayor A.M. Djalaludin.
Gerwani East Java conference ends with reception and performance
De Vrije Pers note (31 Aug 1954) on the Gerwani East Java conference, which ended with a reception and artistic performance at the Stadstuin in Surabaya. Topics discussed included the draft marriage law, the multi-wife pension regulation, the elections, food prices and pornographic reading matter and films.
Meeting with Indonesian women: delegation returns from the Soviet Union
De Waarheid, 8 Sep 1954, p. 5: report on an Indonesian women's delegation passing through Amsterdam after five weeks in the USSR (three in Moscow). Members came from different organisations: Masjumi Islamic women (Samsudin), PM Ali Sastroamidjojo's sister, Partai Buruh, a ministry official, students, Wanita Taman Siswa
FBIS, 25 September 1954: Report on USSR (Gerwani-sponsored meeting)
FBIS item (25 Sep 1954): on 24 September three Indonesian women who recently visited the Soviet Union lectured on their impressions: social care of women, workers, equal rights, absence of prostitution and marriage legislation. The meeting, sponsored by Gerwani, drew a large audience of women and trade unionists. Shows
Peace: Soviet women visit Indonesia (account by Soviet delegates)
De Waarheid, 29 Sep 1954, p. 5: Dutch printing of an account from Soviet Woman by Soviet delegates Alexandra Cholopowa and Jekaterina Sjeweljowa on their three-week visit to Indonesia at Gerwani's invitation. They describe the word 'damai' (peace), women workers' and plantation conditions in East Java and Bandung, the
Surabaya branch of People's Security Congress founded to secure the elections
De Vrije Pers report (6 Oct 1954) on founding a Surabaya branch of the Congress Keamanan Rakjat to secure the coming elections, chaired by Pemuda Rakyat's Moh. Rasjad. Ansor objected; SOBSI, Lekra, Gerwani, IPPI and others agreed, and Gerwani Surabaya was elected second treasurer.
Safe: People's Security Congress committee for East Java elections
Short De Vrije Pers note (22 Oct 1954): a People's Security Congress committee for the East Java elections was set up on 18 Oct at a meeting of 25 organisations; seat-holders include Gerwani, Perbepsi, Sarbupri and others.
For democratic marriage laws in Indonesia: protest against PP-19
De Waarheid, 27 Oct 1954, p. 5: report on the draft marriage regulation PP-19, which would allow polygamy for men and which tens of thousands of Indonesian women protested. Quotes Umi Sardjono, Gerwani chair, in Harian Rakjat urging mass action, mobilising all women's groups and unions (PP-19 also risks mass dismissals
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
The situation in Aceh; Gerwani Lampung anti-pornography resolution
De Nieuwsgier news roundup (15 Nov 1954, p. 2) mostly on Aceh security incidents. One item reports that Gerwani of Lampung, at its first congress in Tanjung Karang, resolved to ask the government to ban pornographic reading matter, indecent advertisements and films, and urged other women's and democratic organisations
Gerwani of Lampung: first congress, resolution against pornography
De Locomotief, 16 Nov 1954: a one-line item that Gerwani of Lampung, at its first congress at Tanjungkarang, decided to submit to the government a resolution requesting a ban and confiscation of pornographic reading matter and improper newspaper and film advertisements. Other items (Stork-Werkspoor orders, Tokyo, Phili
Agrarian affairs again: PKI central committee plenum chaired by Aidit
De Vrije Pers report (19 Nov 1954), citing Pedoman, on the PKI central committee plenum (8-10 Nov) chaired by Aidit and attended by Pemuda Rakyat, SOBSI, Gerwani and Perbepsi representatives. It decided to seek a place in the Ali cabinet, delegating MPs Sakirman and Mrs. Mudigdo, and not to make the agrarian portfolio
Gerwani congress: forced marriages must be abolished in modern Indonesia
Algemeen Indisch Dagblad (1954-11-30, p. 2): two-day congress of Gerwani's Bandung branch ('formerly Gerwis') sends sympathy to Maisoeri, a sixteen-year-old in South Sumatra jailed for refusing a forced marriage to a sixty-year-old, and calls for abolishing forced marriages. It also demands bans on 'modern dances' and
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
In brief: Gerwani Bandung congress sends sympathy to Maisuri
Column of short news items in De Vrije Pers (30 Nov 1954). Relevant item: a two-day Gerwani congress of the Bandung branch decided to send a message of sympathy to Maisuri, a young woman in South Sumatra who suffered a "forced marriage". Other items are unrelated world news.
Gerwani congress (Bandung branch)
Java-Bode, 30 November 1954, p. 2: the Bandung branch of Gerwani (formerly Gerwis), at a two-day congress, sent sympathy to Maisuri, victim of a forced marriage in South Sumatra, and urged abolition of forced marriages. It also called for banning modern dances and immoral film imports, and backed the Ali-Arifin cabinet
Java-Bode 30 Nov 1954, page: Gerwani congress (whole page)
Whole-page OCR of Java-Bode, 30 November 1954, p. 2. The only Gerwani item is the Bandung branch congress: sympathy for Maisuri (forced marriage victim), call to abolish forced marriage, ban modern dances and immoral films, and support for the Ali-Arifin cabinet. Other articles cover West Irian at the UN, the Chinese a
Gerwani congress (Bandung branch)
Short item, Indische Courant voor Nederland, 4 Dec 1954, p. 3: the two-day congress of the Bandung branch of Gerwani (formerly Gerwis) sends sympathy to Maisuri, a South Sumatran girl in a forced marriage, calls for abolition of forced marriage, bans on 'modern dances' and 'immoral' films, and backs the Ali-Arifin cabi
Gerwani congress (newspaper page, early December 1954)
Whole newspaper page, Indische Courant voor Nederland, c. 1-4 Dec 1954 (columns interleaved). Gerwani-relevant item: Bandung branch congress backs Maisuri, opposes forced marriage and 'immoral' films, supports the Ali cabinet. Other articles: PRN women's congress, no-confidence motion, West Irian at the UN, Bogor confe
Tens of thousands gathered in Djakarta: resolution demands unilateral incorporation of Irian
Algemeen Indisch Dagblad (1954-12-06, p. 2): tens of thousands rally on Merdeka Square, Jakarta, organised by the West Irian Liberation Committee with women's organisations. Speakers include Perwari chair Mrs. Kartowijono and Mrs. Sardjono of Gerwani, who reads the resolution demanding unilateral incorporation of West
Mass demonstration in Jakarta demands incorporation of West Irian
De Locomotief, 6 Dec 1954: tens of thousands rally on Merdeka Square, Jakarta, organised by the West Irian liberation committee with women's associations. Speakers include Umi Sardjono of Gerwani, who read out the resolution demanding unilateral incorporation of West Irian, severing relations with the Netherlands and a
Mass demonstration in Jakarta demands incorporation of West Irian (duplicate copy)
Second copy of the De Locomotief report of 6 Dec 1954 on the Merdeka Square mass meeting for West Irian. Umi Sardjono of Gerwani spoke and read the resolution demanding unilateral incorporation, severing of Dutch relations and abrogation of the agreements; text differs slightly in wording ('colonial Dutch government').
Mass demonstration on Medan Merdeka for West Irian
De Nieuwsgier front-page report (6 Dec 1954) on a mass demonstration at Medan Merdeka, Jakarta, organised by the West Irian liberation committee with women's organisations, demanding incorporation of Irian and rupture with the Netherlands. Speakers included Mrs. Sudarman Hadikusumo, Mrs. Kartowijono (Perwari) and Mrs.
Action for liberation of Irian (mass meeting, Jakarta, December 1954)
Het Nieuwsblad voor Sumatra (6 Dec 1954, p.2): a mass meeting in Jakarta, organised by the Irian liberation committee and women's organisations, adopted a resolution urging unilateral incorporation of Irian, breaking relations and agreements with the Netherlands. Speakers included Mrs Sularman Hadikusumo (Wanita Demokr
Mass demonstration in Jakarta for incorporation of West Irian
Java-Bode, 6 December 1954, p. 2: report on a mass rally at Merdeka Square, Jakarta, by the West Irian liberation committee with the women's associations' central body, drawing tens of thousands. Umi Sardjono of Gerwani read the resolution demanding unilateral incorporation of West Irian, breaking relations with the Ne
West Irian struggle committee: meeting and procession in Semarang
De Locomotief, 13 Dec 1954: Semarang public meeting of the West Irian struggle committee draws thousands, with speakers from Gerwani, PSII, PNI, PKI and the Biro Pusat urging national unity. A kilometres-long procession of about 50,000 people followed, with wreaths laid at Tugu Muda.
Child labour on plantations: Pariani's Harian Rakjat article summarised
De Waarheid, 15 Dec 1954, p. 5: summary of an article by Pariani, Gerwani board member, in Harian Rakjat on child labour on Indonesian plantations. She notes laws banning it and unequal pay are not applied in practice; Dutch rubber estates use a quota system so families must bring wives and children to work. She urges
Mass demonstration in Jakarta for incorporation of West Irian
Indische Courant voor Nederland, 15 Dec 1954, p. 3: Jakarta mass rally of tens of thousands for the incorporation of West Irian, organised by the liberation committee with the women's organisations' central body. Umi Sardjono of Gerwani reads the resolution demanding severance of relations with the Netherlands; Kartowi
CIA study, May 1955: The Communist Party of Indonesia - a survey of PKI organization and history
CIA study, May 1955, surveying PKI organisation and history before the 1955 elections, with a short section on Gerwani among eight front organisations (pp. 49-50) and PKI foreign channels. Earliest extended US assessment of Gerwani as a PKI front.
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
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
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
Maisuri, symbol of resistance to forced marriage (Harian Rakjat, 26 January 1955)
Harian Rakjat, 26 Jan 1955, p. 3: women's-page feature 'Maisuri, symbol of resistance to forced marriage', signed Ny. Suwarti (DPP Gerwani). Maisuri refused a marriage imposed by her family to an older man (Kyai Ahmad) who already had wives; the piece uses the case to argue against forced marriage and for a marriage la
Lecture by Mrs Suharti (DPP Gerwani) on the general election (Harian Rakjat, 31 January 1955)
Harian Rakjat, 31 Jan 1955, p. 2: local-news page. A short item reports a lecture by Ny. Suharti of DPP Gerwani on the coming general elections, among a series of PKI-linked election lectures and rallies in Jakarta; Gerwani lectures are also announced for 17-22 February. Most of the page is unrelated Indonesian and for
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.
Mrs Suharti (Gerwani) and the PMI Volunteer Corps to Geneva (Harian Rakjat, 3 February 1955)
Harian Rakjat, 3 Feb 1955, p. 3: economic and local-news page. Gerwani appears only in a short item on the Palang Merah Indonesia Corps Sukarela (volunteer corps), which refers to Ny. Suharti of Gerwani and a Geneva trip in September 1952. The rest concerns textile imports and licences; OCR is poor and the Gerwani pass
Diane's Diary: New Homeland (Daily News, 9 February 1955)
Daily News (Perth), 9 Feb 1955, p. 18, 'Diane's Diary' women's column. The second item reports Mrs A. Dickie, a Presbyterian minister's wife, who was the Union of Australian Women's delegate to a conference in Djakarta 'conducted by the Indonesian Women's Movement' (about 500 women) in April 1954, then toured Java and
Diane's Diary: New Homeland (Daily News, 9 February 1955), duplicate
Daily News (Perth), 9 Feb 1955, p. 18, 'Diane's Diary' women's column. The second item reports Mrs A. Dickie, a Presbyterian minister's wife, who was the Union of Australian Women's delegate to a conference in Djakarta 'conducted by the Indonesian Women's Movement' (about 500 women) in April 1954, then toured Java and
Supplementary statements (Maisuri affair)
Java-Bode, 10 February 1955, p. 2: report on supplementary testimony in the Maisuri forced-marriage case before the customary court in South Sumatra, showing the marriage was arranged by Hadji Achmad, his wife, her father and an intermediary without Maisuri's consent. It notes Gerwani and other women's organisations ma
Re-examination of forced marriage of a minor girl
Java-Bode, 10 February 1955, p. 2: report that the customary court at Tanjungraja began re-examining the Maisuri case on appeal. Maisuri, forced by her father to marry a 45-year-old hadji, married her chosen partner Kojum instead and was sentenced with him and her uncle to six months. Prominent Palembang women and Sout
Marriage concluded by father valid? (the Maisuri case)
Het Nieuwsblad voor Sumatra (11 Feb 1955, p.4): in a customary-court retrial in Tanjungraja, village girl Maisuri, forced by her father to marry a 45-year-old hadji, is defended by lawyer Mr Muwalladi provided by the women's association Gerwani. She had married Kojum, her own choice, and was sentenced with him and her
Now a national issue: re-examination of the Maisuri forced-marriage case
De Locomotief, 12 Feb 1955: the adat court at Tanjungraja re-examines the Maisuri case, a village girl forced by her father to marry a 45-year-old hadji, who instead married the youth she chose and was sentenced to six months with her husband and uncle. Prominent Palembang women and delegates of Gerwani's South Sumatra
Statements in the Maisuri forced-marriage case
De Locomotief, 12 Feb 1955: follow-up on the Maisuri forced-marriage case. Supplementary testimony shows Maisuri never agreed to marry Hadji Achmad and the match was arranged without her and her mother. The case became a national question through Gerwani and other women's organisations, which see it as breaking the con
Re-examination of forced marriage of a minor girl (Maisuri case)
Indische Courant voor Nederland, 16 Feb 1955, p. 3: the customary court at Tanjungraja re-examines the Maisuri case, a village girl forced to marry a 45-year-old hadji who sentenced her and her chosen husband to six months. Gerwani South Sumatra delegates attend; Gerwani and other women's groups made it a national issu
FBIS, 19 February 1955: Peace campaign (Gerwani statement)
FBIS item (19 Feb 1955): Gerwani issued a statement on 18 Feb welcoming the Indonesian Peace Committee's appeal against war and the use of atomic and hydrogen bombs, urging members and all women to sign and aid the committee, and to take part in implementing plans for the all-Indonesia congress suggested by Sukarno. Sh
PKI candidate list: Sulami, general secretary of DPD Gerwani East Java (Harian Rakjat, 23 February 1955)
Harian Rakjat, 23 Feb 1955, p. 3: PKI's list of candidates for the 1955 election (nos. 94-117 visible, with party and non-party 'takberpartai' candidates). No. 100 is Sulami, independent, general secretary of DPD Gerwani East Java; no. 101 Suwarinah, member of DPD Gerwani East Java. Same page: Ny. Mudigdio, vice-chair
Indonesian Women's 3rd Congress, Palembang, 2-6 March 1955 (Indian Daily Mail)
Indian Daily Mail (Singapore), 2 March 1955, p. 1: the third Indonesian Women's Congress is held in Palembang, 2-6 March, with 300 delegates of women's organisations. Preparatory committee chair is Mrs S.A. Hanafiah (Gerwani), secretary Mrs R. Mailan (Gerwani), treasurer Mrs Djauhari; Perwari, Gerwani, Wanita Demokrat
Salatiga: International Women's Day, 1955
De Locomotief, 9 Mar 1955: Salatiga's women's federation (10 organisations) marks International Women's Day on 8 March in the people's building; Mrs Kaslah of Gerwani gives the opening speech and Mrs Sugijarto of Rukun Wanita explains the day's meaning, followed by remarks from agencies and parties.
Signature campaign against atomic war begins in Indonesia
De Waarheid, 9 Mar 1955, p. 2: Jakarta report on the start of a signature campaign against atomic war, signed by ministers, professors and Masjumi's Wiwoho. Gerwani called on all women to join, aiming for 10,000 signatures in 12 weeks. A Peace Committee delegation was received by Sukarno; wives of the Jakarta mayor and
Suara Kalimantan, 9 Mar 1955: 'International Women's Day'
Suara Kalimantan (Banjarmasin), 9 Mar 1955, p. 3: report on International Women's Day (8 March 1955), about 1,500 women, mostly Chinese-Indonesian, with a lecture on Clara Zetkin by Nj. Soeparsono and a speaker from Gerwani.
PKI candidate list: Miss Maimunah, DPD Gerwani Central Sumatra (Harian Rakjat, 10 March 1955)
Harian Rakjat, 10 Mar 1955: PKI candidate list for the 1955 election with PKI and non-party candidates for Sumatra and elsewhere. No. 11 is Nn. Maimunah (PKI), state high-school teacher and member of DPD Gerwani Sumatera Tengah, Bukittinggi. Also lists trade-union, BTI and Perbum figures; the rest of the page is film a
PKI candidate list: Mrs Charlotte Salawati (Harian Rakjat, 17 March 1955)
Harian Rakjat, 17 Mar 1955, p. 3: PKI candidate list (Sulawesi/Maluku section). No. 5 Ny. Charlotte Salawati (non-party, former deputy mayor of Makassar); no. 12 Sorongan Helena (non-party, Gerwani leader in North Sulawesi); no. 6 Henk Ngantung. Page also has sports and anti-atomic-weapons items.
CIA intelligence survey of the PKI's history, structure and front organisations, May 1955, before the September 1955 elections. Section III.E (report pp. 49-50) profiles Gerwani: founded 1950 as Gerwis, renamed Gerwani at the March 1954 congress, 25,000+ members, S.K. Trimurti general chairman and Umi Sardjono chairman
Mme Suharti, president of the Indonesian Women's Movement; Sukarno and polygamy
La Presse (17 May 1955, p.10): feature on a Muslim feminist campaign against polygamy, starting with the Pakistani PM Mohamed Ali's second marriage and spreading to Java. Says Fatmawati Sukarno was recruited and that Hartini was pregnant during the Bandung Conference. A snippet names Mme Suharti, president of the 'very
Mme Suharti, president of the Indonesian Women's Movement; Sukarno and polygamy (extract)
La Presse (17 May 1955, p.10), snippet extract of the polygamy feature: unrest in Indonesia over Sukarno's marriage to Hartini, in which Mme Suharti, president of the 'very communist-leaning' Indonesian Women's Movement (Gerwani), took advantage; Hartini's pregnancy surfaced as the Bandung Conference drew attention.
Other speakers at the PKI meeting: Umi Sardjono explains choosing PKI
De Nieuwsgier report (31 May 1955, p. 2) on a PKI anniversary/election rally in Jakarta where Aidit spoke. Mrs. Oemi Sartono (Umi Sardjono), described as a non-party Gerwani member, said she chose the PKI because it is a choice of being for or against the people; non-party candidate Astrawinata also spoke.
PKI is 35 years old
Java-Bode, 31 May 1955, p. 2: report on the PKI's 35th anniversary rally on Merdeka Square. D.N. Aidit urged the Dutch to leave and stressed Muslim-Nationalist-Communist unity; Umi Sardjono, Gerwani general chair, spoke sharply against surviving feudalism and large landownership; judge Astrawinata explained his PKI can
The Ali cabinet: PKI mass meeting with Umi Sardjono
De Locomotief, 1 June 1955: report of a PKI mass meeting in Jakarta where Aidit backs the Ali cabinet and urges peaceful election campaigning. Mrs Umi Sardjono, introduced as a non-party Gerwani member and PKI candidate, says she chose the PKI because it is a choice of being for or against the people. Date: the party's
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
The PKI is 35 years old
Indische Courant voor Nederland, 8 Jun 1955, p. 2: report on the PKI's 35th-anniversary rally at Merdeka Square, Jakarta. Umi Sardjono, general chairwoman of Gerwani, attacks feudalism and large landownership; Aidit speaks on Muslim-nationalist-communist unity and Dutch profits, with slogans against Dutch and landlords
Pravda, 4 Jul 1955: World Congress of Mothers; the situation in Indonesia
Pravda, 4 July 1955 (selected pages 1, 3, 4). Page 3: WIDF deputy secretary Z. Ivanova on preparations for the World Congress of Mothers (Lausanne, 7-10 July); says WIDF established cooperation in Indonesia with 'the numerous women's organization Gerwani' and the plantation workers' union, and that Indonesia's committe
Pravda, 4 Jul 1955: Gerwani named in article on World Congress of Mothers (excerpt)
Keyword-hit excerpt of Pravda, 4 July 1955, from the article on preparing the World Congress of Mothers (Lausanne). Records that WIDF organisations established cooperation in Indonesia with 'the numerous women's organization Gerwani' and the plantation workers' union, alongside links in Australia, New Zealand, Norway,
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
Pravda, 5 Aug 1955: Gerwani telegram in Indonesian cabinet crisis (excerpt)
Keyword-hit excerpt of Pravda, 5 Aug 1955 (TASS, Jakarta) on the cabinet crisis after Masjumi's Burhanuddin Harahap was asked to form a government. Harian Rakjat published telegrams from SOBSI, BTI, Gerwani, Pemuda Rakjat and others demanding a truly democratic government, opposing a Masjumi cabinet and 'a military dic
1945 - 17 August - 1955: Maisuri sets the example
De Waarheid, 10 Aug 1955, p. 5: illustrated story marking ten years of the Republic about Maisuri, a 17-year-old from Talang-Dukun, South Sumatra, sold by her parents to a landlord as fourth wife, who fled and married her chosen partner, was jailed for 'adultery' and freed after her mother turned to a Gerwani officer a
Against the composition of the new cabinet: Semarang meeting rejects Burhanuddin cabinet
De Locomotief, 12 Aug 1955: a Semarang provincial meeting of mass and women's organisations rejects the new Burhanuddin cabinet and demands an all-party cabinet and elections on schedule. A five-person delegation to Jakarta represents workers (SOBSI), youth, women (Gerwani), peasants and ex-fighters. Shows Gerwani as t
Solidarity with strikers at Public Works
Brief Algemeen Indisch Dagblad item (1955-08-13, p. 2): during the Public Works workers' strike, the women's organisation Gerwani declared solidarity with the strikers, as did the metalworkers' union SBIM and the SOBSI branch in Bandung.
Ten years of the Republic (Cor Geugjes)
De Waarheid, 17 Aug 1955, p. 3: Cor Geugjes's article for the Republic's tenth anniversary, covering Dutch colonial violence, the Bandung Conference, the Ali Sastroamidjojo government's fall and replacement by a Masjumi-PSI cabinet under Harahap, and the PKI's election platform. It lists Gerwani only as 'the strong wom
Harian Rakjat, 31 August 1955, p. 4
Harian Rakjat, 31 Agustus 1955, hlm. 4. Advertisement and notice page with an election comic strip; panel 6 shows Aminah meeting Gerwani activists who organise women's teams for childcare, drinks and medical help at polling.
S. Hadikusumo: Indonesia is ready for the elections
Het Nieuwsblad voor Sumatra (5 Sep 1955, p.1): S. Hadikusumo, head of the central election committee, says all regions except unrest areas (Aceh, South Sulawesi) are ready for the 29 September 1955 parliamentary elections. Gerwani urged its members to help ensure elections are held on time because they will express wom
Childcare centre planned for election day by Gerwani in Jombang
De Locomotief, 7 Sept 1955: the Gerwani branch in Jombang forms a committee, led by a Mrs Kenrati (uncertain), to set up a children's care centre during the coming general elections so mothers can vote calmly. Evidence of Gerwani's practical electoral support for women and childcare.
Preparation of election details
Java-Bode, 8 September 1955, p. 2: news column. The Gerwani branch Djomblang (Jombang) formed a committee to run a child day-care centre during the elections so mothers can vote calmly. Other items concern Surabaya mobilising students as polling-station order helpers and Colonel Simbolon's visit to Sukarno.
Preparing election details (Gerwani day-care for voters)
Indische Courant voor Nederland, 14 Sep 1955, p. 1: the Gerwani Jomblang branch sets up a committee to run a children's day-care place during the 1955 elections so mothers can vote in peace. Same item reports Surabaya's plan to use students as order-keepers at polling stations.
Grand PKI election campaign: Aidit speaks to 700,000 in Yogyakarta
De Waarheid, 21 Sep 1955, p. 5: air-mail report on the PKI's 1955 election campaign: Aidit speaking to 700,000 in Yogyakarta, 550,000 in Semarang, Njoto and Lukman elsewhere. In Jakarta, Umi Sardjono, chair of Gerwani, explained why she stands as a non-party candidate on the PKI list, saying its programme matches the d
Central Java news: Salatiga election campaign schedule
De Locomotief, 23 Sept 1955, Central Java news: Salatiga campaign schedule lists Gerwani among parties with election meetings at the Gris Theatre (23 Sept afternoon), alongside Masjumi, PIR and PNI. The rest covers people's housing built in Salatiga.
A village cast its vote
Algemeen Indisch Dagblad reportage (1955-09-30, p. 2) from the village of Tjoblong-Sekeloa, Bandung, on the 29 September 1955 election: 1,147 voters at a bamboo polling place. A child-minding and first-aid post near the booths is run by a committee of eleven women: one from Muslimat, two from Wanita Demokrat and eight
Events in Indonesia (conclusion): Harahap government and mass organisations
De Waarheid, 8 Oct 1955, p. 3: final part of Cor Geugjes's series on events in Indonesia, arguing the Harahap government (which replaced Ali Sastroamidjojo) is resisted: elections could not be postponed, New Guinea was raised at the UN, and preliminary results defeat Masjumi and PSI. Cites PKI (500,000), SOBSI (3 milli
Constituent Assembly and marriage legislation: Gerwani statement
De Nieuwsgier item (28 Nov 1955) reporting a Gerwani central board statement: speaking of the president's household while ignoring the fight for a democratic marriage law is pointless. It urges women to vote so the Konstituante secures women's rights per the UN Declaration, citing the forced marriage of Maisuri of Tanj
Gerwani wants a democratic marriage law
De Locomotief, 29 Nov 1955: statement by Gerwani's central board (OCR partly garbled) calling for a democratic marriage law, citing the Maisuri forced-marriage case as proof that women's constitutional rights are violated. It urges women to be active in the Constituent Assembly elections and argues the 'first lady' deb
Active in the elections
Java-Bode, 29 November 1955, p. 2: partly missing statement by the Gerwani central board secretariat, on the 'first lady' debate, urging women to be active in the Konstituante elections and to focus on a democratic marriage law, not on the first-lady status. It rejects privileges derived from a husband's position and c
Gerwani on the position of women in marriage
Java-Bode, 29 November 1955, p. 2: Gerwani central board secretariat statement on women's position in marriage, ahead of the Konstituante elections and amid the 'first lady' issue. It says women's constitutional rights are not respected, citing the Maisuri forced-marriage case, and blames governments' failure to enact
Gerwani on marriage: polygamy should in principle be forbidden
De Locomotief, 30 Nov 1955: Gerwani's central board announces its proposals for marriage regulation to the coming Constituante: marriage without coercion, free choice and equal rights; abolition of child, forced and purchase marriages and mistress-keeping; polygamy to be forbidden in principle, and if allowed on religi
Gerwani on marriage: full page with four-point marriage programme
Whole scrambled page of De Locomotief, 30 Nov 1955, with the fullest text of Gerwani's four-point marriage programme for the Constituante: no coercion, abolition of child, forced and purchase marriages and mistresses, polygamy forbidden in principle, divorce open to both sexes before a court and support for divorced wo
Lectures by Gerwani Semarang on women's rights and Regulation 19
De Locomotief, 30 Nov 1955: Gerwani Semarang held an evening of lectures by board members on women's rights and the inequality kept in force by Government Regulation 19 (1952 pensions for plural wives). Speakers recalled the organisation's help in vote counting and childcare centres during the elections. Text partly ga
Protest against beauty contest: Gerwani condemns 'Bunga Indonesia' contest
Short De Nieuwsgier item (30 Nov 1955): Gerwani, via board member Maria Ulfa Santoso, publicly condemned a planned "Bunga Indonesia" beauty contest by Gadjah Mada University students in Yogyakarta; student representatives were to travel to Jakarta to talk with the Gerwani board.
Gerwani on the position of women in marriage
Indische Courant voor Nederland, 3 Dec 1955, p. 3: statement by the Gerwani central board secretariat, citing the Maisuri case, that women's constitutional rights are not respected without a democratic marriage law. Urges women to take part in Konstituante elections and rejects the 'first lady' debate as divisive and a
Successful festive evening of the Dutch Women's Movement (ten years of WIDF)
De Waarheid, 12 Dec 1955, p. 3: report on the NVB's festive evening in Amsterdam for the WIDF's tenth anniversary, with a speech by Betty Zeehandelaar on equal pay and women's rights, a Belgian greeting, and a Scapino ballet programme. At the close, letters were sent to the WIDF and to Gerwani asserting Indonesia's rig
With the Constituent Assembly in sight: Gerwani announces demands on marriage regulation
Algemeen Indisch Dagblad (1955-12-29, p. 3): ahead of the Constituent Assembly, Gerwani's central board announces its marriage-law programme: abolish feudal, forced, child and purchase marriages and concubinage; equal rights for spouses; in principle ban polygamy, or if allowed on religious grounds regulate it by law (
Rights
Short Algemeen Indisch Dagblad sidebar 'Rechten' (1955-12-29, p. 3) from the Gerwani marriage-law announcement: spouses should have equal rights and freedom to choose occupation and social activity; no distinction between adopted and stepchildren; children born out of wedlock to be legally protected.
Conditions
Short Algemeen Indisch Dagblad sidebar 'Voorwaarden' (1955-12-29, p. 3) listing Gerwani's conditions for marriage: free choice of spouse, minimum ages of 18 for men and 15 for women, a ban on marriage between direct blood relatives, compulsory registration, with religious or adat ceremonies still allowed.
First Lady
Short Algemeen Indisch Dagblad item 'First Lady' (1955-12-31, p. 1): Perwari chair Mrs. Kartowijono says any socially acceptable woman can be First Lady and urges a marriage law quickly. Muslimat (Masyumi) and Gerwani are still deliberating on the question and could not yet comment, in the context of the Sukarno marria
Umi Sardjono's General Report to the Third DPP Plenum, June 1956
Umi Sardjono's general report for the Gerwani DPP Executive to the 3rd DPP Plenary (16-19 June 1956), published by DPP Gerwani. Reviews the 1955 election campaign (23,480 new Gerwani workers; five Gerwani members elected, including Umi Sardjono and Salawati), marriage-law and anti-polygamy casework (86 of 115 cases res
Widening Actions for Women's, Children's and Peace Demands (Umi Sardjono, 1956)
Brochure of Umi Sardjono's general report to the Third DPP Plenum of Gerwani, 16–19 June 1956. Reviews election work, marriage-law cases, peasant women's wage struggles, kindergartens, peace and WIDF work, membership and cadre education, in the setting of Bandung and the 1955 elections.
Biographical Sheets: Mrs Umi Sardjono and Others, 1956/57
Seven-page Ministry of Information file of short official biographies; only the first concerns Gerwani: parliamentary member no. 86 Umi Sardjono (b. Salatiga 1923, PKI list for East Java), with her career from Semarang telephone office to Kediri and Gerwani.
Constituent Assembly Member Profile: Mrs Amir Sjarifuddin (Djaenah)
Konstituante.Net member profile (transcribed) of Ny. Amir Sjarifuddin (Jaenah), PKI member no. 60 of the Constituent Assembly. Born 11 December 1911 in Pontianak, with MULO education; teacher at HIS and Perguruan Rakyat 1930-35, active in Indonesia Muda and Perkumpulan Isteri Indonesia. From 1950 she sat on the leaders
Constituent Assembly Member Profile: Mrs S.D. Soesanto
Konstituante.Net member profile (transcribed) of Nj. S.D. Soesanto, PKI member no. 202 of the Constituent Assembly. Born 22 February 1914 in Yogyakarta; Taman Siswa teacher training. Taught in Yogyakarta, Godean and Kebumen, belonged to Isteri Sedar and PIA, served in Perwari Yogyakarta, headed a TNI women's inspectora
Pravda, 1956: working people of Indonesia respond to the 20th CPSU Congress
Pravda, No. 59, 1956 (c. 28 Feb), p. 3: Jakarta dispatch 'The working people of Indonesia speak' among foreign responses to the 20th CPSU Congress. SOBSI leaders (Sumandi, Sudoyo, Sudadi) praise the Congress; Gerwani leader Suharti says she followed it via newspapers and Moscow radio in Indonesian and is 'amazed' at So
Pravda, 1956: interview with Gerwani leader Suharti (excerpt)
Keyword-hit excerpt of Pravda, No. 59, 1956 (Jakarta dispatch of 27 Feb) on Indonesian reactions to the 20th CPSU Congress: SOBSI Jakarta secretary Sudadi and Suharti, 'leader of the women's organization Gerwani', who says she followed the Congress and admires Soviet progress toward communism. Followed by an unrelated
US Monthly Indonesian Press Survey (1956): Gerwani expansion, Umi Sardjono, Setiati Surasto
US Monthly Indonesian Press Survey (1956) extracts. A list of PKI's 39 parliamentary seats includes Gerwani leaders (Umi Sardjono, Suharti Suwarto, Mudigdio, Sundari Abdurachman, Charlotte Salawati); notes the Central Sumatra Gerwani conference (Bukittinggi, Feb 1956; 14,000 members, 216 sections) and new branches in J
Let Us Respect All Opinions: speeches by Teng Ying-chao, Hajrah Begum and Suharti (1956)
1956 page of speeches to the WIDF Council: Teng Ying-chao (China), Hajrah Begum (India) and Suharti, Gerwani Vice-President and MP. Suharti reports Gerwani membership grew from 281,000 to 565,147, its cooperation at the Palembang Women's Congress (March 1955), International Children's Day events, and delegations demand
1956 WIDF bulletin item on Indonesia: the Gerwani Central Council's report on cooperation with other women's organisations, overcoming mistrust, membership rising from 281,000 to 565,147, local marriage-rights actions, rural work with peasant groups, the All-Indonesia Women's Congress adopting Gerwani's proposed Charte
Better roads
Short Algemeen Indisch Dagblad item 'Betere wegen' (1956-01-03, p. 2): at the Wanita Demokrat's instigation, the village of Tjoblong in North Bandung sets up a road-improvement committee led by lurah Ateng Sutisna. Members include PSII, PKI, Wanita Demokrat, Gerwani, Permai, PNI, NU and the local guard; first project i
Gerwani and Mrs Fatmawati: statement on a private divorce matter
De Nieuwsgier item (5 Jan 1956) on a Gerwani statement about Fatmawati Sukarno's divorce request: Gerwani calls it a private matter, defends free democratic marriage, regrets that certain parties exploited it to undermine national unity and the president's name, and uses it to demand a democratic marriage law.
Gerwani chair: a political background to Fatmawati's divorce request?
Java-Bode, 5 January 1956, p. 2: Gerwani general chair Umi Sardjono tells the press Gerwani regrets that certain groups have systematically pressed Fatmawati Sukarno to seek divorce, serving colonial aims of splitting national unity and besmirching the president. She calls the divorce a private matter and says Gerwani
Java-Bode 5 Jan 1956, page: Gerwani chair on Fatmawati's divorce request (whole page)
Whole-page OCR of Java-Bode, 5 January 1956, p. 2. Gerwani-relevant is Umi Sardjono's statement on Fatmawati's divorce request, urging a democratic marriage law, plus press reports on Fatmawati, Hartini and women leaders' reactions to a president with two wives. Other articles (Colonel Lubis on security, Ceramese ex-KN
A political background to Fatmawati's divorce request?
Indische Courant voor Nederland, 14 Jan 1956, p. 1: Gerwani chair Umi Sardjono tells the press that groups are pressing Fatmawati Sukarno to seek divorce for political ends, calls it a private matter, upholds marriage without compulsion and demands a democratic marriage law. Also repeats press reports on Fatmawati, Har
Work conference of Gerwani
Short Algemeen Indisch Dagblad notice (1956-01-18, p. 2): the Krawang branch of Gerwani will hold a work conference on Friday to discuss its 1956 activities, attended by Ibu Sutarsih of the West Java board.
Gerwani and painless childbirth
Java-Bode, 23 January 1956, p. 2: the Gerwani central board wrote to the government welcoming Pope Pius XII's endorsement of painless childbirth, credited the theory's discoverer, Soviet professor Pavlov, and urged the government to let Indonesian scholars learn it for mass application. Other snippets (Kalimantan impor
Gerwani and painless childbirth
Short item, Indische Courant voor Nederland, 4 Feb 1956, p. 3: the Gerwani central board writes to the government welcoming Pope Pius XII's acceptance of painless childbirth, praising its Soviet discoverer Pavlov, and asking that Indonesian scientists be enabled to learn the method for mass application.
Gerwani central board welcomes the World Conference of Working Women (Bintang Timur, 14 February 1956)
Bintang Timur (Jakarta daily), 14 Feb 1956, p. 1 of a multi-article issue. The headline item reports that the DPP Gerwani welcomed with enthusiasm the call for a World Conference of Working Women (WIDF-linked), with a related Gerwani meeting mentioned; OCR is badly garbled so details are uncertain. Other news concerns
Gerwani statement on abrogating the KMB; women at the SOBSI national council (Bintang Timur, 23 February 1956)
Front page (with pp. 2-4) of Bintang Timur, Jakarta, 23 Feb 1956. The DPP Gerwani issues a statement, after a meeting with Central Java, West Java and Jakarta delegates, demanding full unilateral abrogation of the KMB agreements. Women delegates Setiati Surasto (Sarbupri), Sri Ambar, Tuti, Rantiyem and Emmy Purwati att
Gerwani endorses prosecutor's demand against Jungschlager (Bintang Timur, 28 February 1956)
Front page (with pp. 2-4) of Bintang Timur, Jakarta, 28 Feb 1956, dominated by the KMB abrogation debate and the Masyumi/PNI-NU stand-off. A short item reports Gerwani welcoming and endorsing the prosecutor's demand against the Dutch defendant Jungschlager, calling it commensurate with his crimes. Other items cover the
ACDWF telegrams for 8 March to women's groups incl. Gerwani (Renmin Ribao, 8 March 1956)
Xinhua note in Renmin Ribao, 8 Mar 1956 (p. 4): the All-China Democratic Women's Federation sent International Women's Day telegrams to women's bodies in India, Burma, Pakistan, Egypt and Japan and, in Indonesia, to Gerwani, to Kowani (the Indonesian Women's Congress) and to the Indonesian Women's 8 March Commemoration
ACDWF telegrams for 8 March to women's groups incl. Gerwani (Renmin Ribao, 8 March 1956)
Xinhua note in Renmin Ribao, 8 Mar 1956 (p. 4): the All-China Democratic Women's Federation sent International Women's Day telegrams to women's bodies in India, Burma, Pakistan, Egypt and Japan and, in Indonesia, to Gerwani, to Kowani (the Indonesian Women's Congress) and to the Indonesian Women's 8 March Commemoration
Umi Sardjono at the WIDF 10th anniversary: women's rights in the Konstituante (Bintang Timur, 9 March 1956)
Front page (with pp. 2-4) of Bintang Timur, Jakarta, 9 Mar 1956. One column reports the 10th-anniversary celebration of the Women's International Democratic Federation (GWDS/WIDF) at the SBKA hall, Manggarai: Gerwani chair Umi Sardjono urges women's organisations to get women's rights written into the Konstituante, cit
Foster Dulles arrived in Jakarta
Java-Bode, 12 March 1956, p. 1: report on US Secretary of State John Foster Dulles's arrival at Kemajoran airport, Jakarta. Demonstrators shouted 'Abolish SEATO' and a 25-year-old woman, Samsia, a member of Gerwani (called communist-minded), threw a red pamphlet into his car and was detained by police.
Demonstration (against Dulles)
Nieuwsblad van het Noorden, 12 March 1956: short item on the Jakarta airport demonstration against Dulles, where about two dozen Indonesians shouted 'Abolish SEATO' and a young woman of the left-leaning Gerwani threw a paper at his car and was detained.
Gerwani member Sansia arrested during Dulles visit to Jakarta (Kankakee Daily Journal, 12 March 1956)
Full 20-page issue of the Kankakee Daily Journal (Illinois), 12 March 1956. Front-page AP/UP report on US Secretary of State Dulles's visit to Jakarta (talks with Sukarno) says police arrested a woman named Sansia, who said she was a member of Gerwani, 'a leftist women's organization founded in 1954', over a banner pro
Dulles on Trip to Indonesia (Toowoomba Chronicle, 13 March 1956)
Toowoomba Chronicle, 13 Mar 1956, p. 3 (AAP-Reuters): US Secretary of State Dulles visits Jakarta after the SEATO conference; demonstrators shout 'Abolish SEATO' and 'We want peace, not war'. A young girl arrested for throwing a pamphlet says she is a Gerwani member; Gerwani had earlier protested the visit.
Dulles on Trip to Indonesia (Toowoomba Chronicle, 13 March 1956), duplicate
Toowoomba Chronicle, 13 Mar 1956, p. 3 (AAP-Reuters): US Secretary of State Dulles visits Jakarta after the SEATO conference; demonstrators shout 'Abolish SEATO' and 'We want peace, not war'. A young girl arrested for throwing a pamphlet says she is a Gerwani member; Gerwani had earlier protested the visit.
Dulles in Djakarta: 'Our joint effort will one day lead to a better world'
Algemeen Indisch Dagblad (1956-03-13, p. 1): US Secretary of State John Foster Dulles arrives in Jakarta; a score of demonstrators shout 'Hapuskan SEATO'. A 25-year-old woman, Samsia, a member of Gerwani ('a communist-minded women's organisation'), threw a red anti-SEATO pamphlet into his car and was arrested for quest
Gerwani's objections
Short Algemeen Indisch Dagblad item (1956-03-13, p. 1): the Gerwani central board issues a statement objecting to John Foster Dulles's visit, his interference and his push for Indonesia to join SEATO, which it says contradicts the Bandung (Afro-Asian) Conference decisions on peace and friendship.
America offers Jakarta economic aid - Dulles in Indonesia
Arnhemsche Courant, 13 Mar 1956 (UP-Reuters): John Foster Dulles visits Sukarno in Jakarta and informally offers economic aid. A young woman of Gerwani among about two dozen protesters shouting 'Abolish SEATO' threw a piece of paper at his car and was detained for questioning.
Objections to visit
Java-Bode, 13 March 1956, p. 1: before John Foster Dulles's Jakarta visit, the Gerwani central board issued a statement objecting to the visit, to his interference in Indonesia's internal affairs and to his pressure on Indonesia to join SEATO, after studying US interventionism in Latin America and Asia.
Economic aid offered to Indonesia (Dulles in Jakarta)
Nieuwe Tilburgsche Courant, 13 March 1956: report on US Secretary of State Dulles's visit to Jakarta, where about two dozen demonstrators shouted 'Abolish SEATO' and a young woman of the left-leaning Gerwani threw a paper at his car and was detained for questioning. Dulles also met Sukarno, discussed New Guinea and off
High Commissioner absent at Dulles's arrival
Nieuwsblad van het Zuiden, 13 March 1956: report on Dulles's arrival in Jakarta (no Dutch high commissioner present), his statement, and an airport incident in which a young Gerwani woman threw a paper at his car and was detained. Also Sukarno's accepted invitation to the US and discussion of New Guinea and economic ai
Dulles in Indonesia: America offers Jakarta economic aid
Nijmeegsch Dagblad (13 Mar 1956) on John Foster Dulles's brief Jakarta visit and offer of economic aid. A young woman belonging to Gerwani, among about two dozen demonstrators shouting 'Abolish SEATO', threw a piece of paper at his car and was detained for questioning.
Jakarta protests against Dulles visit; Gerwani statement (Renmin Ribao, 13 March 1956)
Two Xinhua dispatches from Jakarta in Renmin Ribao, 13 Mar 1956 (p. 4). First: US Secretary of State Dulles was met at the airport on 12 March by demonstrators shouting against SEATO, and a girl was arrested for sticking a slogan on his car. Second: Gerwani issued a statement on 11 March condemning the visit as an atte
Jakarta protests against Dulles visit; Gerwani statement (Renmin Ribao, 13 March 1956)
Two Xinhua dispatches from Jakarta in Renmin Ribao, 13 Mar 1956 (p. 4). First: US Secretary of State Dulles was met at the airport on 12 March by demonstrators shouting against SEATO, and a girl was arrested for sticking a slogan on his car. Second: Gerwani issued a statement on 11 March condemning the visit as an atte
Communist crowd welcomes the president at Kemayoran airport
De Nieuwsgier report (19 Mar 1956) on Sukarno's return to Kemajoran airport, where PKI supporters, communist veterans and the "communist women's organisation Gerwani" demanded PKI inclusion in Ali Sastroamidjojo's cabinet. Sukarno urged calm; Gerwani appears only among the crowd with banners.
PKI has one million members: Aidit interview with Ogonyok
De Waarheid, 23 Mar 1956, p. 2: Moscow dispatch that the PKI has one million members, per Aidit in an interview with the Soviet magazine Ogonyok; SOBSI has 2.6 million, the peasant union BTI 2.5 million, Pemuda Rakjat 700,000 and Gerwani about 500,000. Useful as a contemporary membership figure for Gerwani.
Appreciation from Gerwani
Algemeen Indisch Dagblad (1956-03-28, p. 2): Gerwani's West Java branch publishes an open letter praising the police over the Tengku Angkasa affair, but argues prostitution persists while foreign capital controls resources and prices rise. It urges police to support the people's struggle against foreign capital and for
Umi Sardjono in the DPR on the Maisuri case (Bintang Timur, 17 April 1956)
Bintang Timur (Jakarta daily), 17 April 1956, full issue. The Gerwani-relevant item is a report on the DPR debate on the Ali Sastroamidjojo cabinet programme, in which Umi Sardjono (Fraksi Pembangunan) objects to a verdict punishing Maisuri for refusing a forced customary marriage and demands abolition of feudal remnan
Kartini committee in Rangkasbitung
Algemeen Indisch Dagblad (1956-04-20, p. 2): in Rangkasbitung a Kartini committee is formed with Hartati (Gerwani) as chairwoman and all women's organisations taking part; Kartini Day events from 21 April include a health campaign and a commemoration speech. A second item reports a school and meeting hall built by comm
Women's delegates speak at WIDF Council; Suharti, Gerwani vice-chairman (Renmin Ribao, 26 April 1956)
Xinhua report in Renmin Ribao, 26 Apr 1956 (p. 1), on day two of the WIDF Council meeting in Beijing, with speeches from Indian, German, Malagasy, Argentine, Soviet, Tunisian and British delegates. Suharti, WIDF Council member and vice-chairman of Gerwani, says Indonesian women's organisations are growing, oppose US ef
Women's delegates speak at WIDF Council; Suharti, Gerwani vice-chairman (Renmin Ribao, 26 April 1956)
Xinhua report in Renmin Ribao, 26 Apr 1956 (p. 1), on day two of the WIDF Council meeting in Beijing, with speeches from Indian, German, Malagasy, Argentine, Soviet, Tunisian and British delegates. Suharti, WIDF Council member and vice-chairman of Gerwani, says Indonesian women's organisations are growing, oppose US ef
Speeches at the WIDF Council, part 1 (Renmin Ribao, 7 May 1956)
Renmin Ribao, 7 May 1956, p. 5: abridged speeches (part 1) at the WIDF Council meeting in Beijing. Includes a short statement by Mrs Suharti for Gerwani, welcoming the Bandung resolutions, reporting that Gerwani set up the national preparatory committee and delegation for the Lausanne World Assembly of Mothers, and not
Speeches at the WIDF Council, part 1 (Renmin Ribao, 7 May 1956)
Renmin Ribao, 7 May 1956, p. 5: abridged speeches (part 1) at the WIDF Council meeting in Beijing. Includes a short statement by Mrs Suharti for Gerwani, welcoming the Bandung resolutions, reporting that Gerwani set up the national preparatory committee and delegation for the Lausanne World Assembly of Mothers, and not
USIS refuses Gerwani representative; Gerwani central board explains (Bintang Timur, 8 May 1956)
Bintang Timur (Jakarta daily), 8 May 1956, full issue. A front-page item reports that the Indonesian Women's Congress decided to send five organisation representatives, including one from Gerwani, to accompany the delegation to the UN Economic and Social Council in New York, but USIS refused the Gerwani delegate withou
Berliner Zeitung, 27 May 1956, p. 6: In June in Budapest ...
Berliner Zeitung, 27 May 1956, p. 6: women's column item "Im Juni wird in Budapest ..." ahead of the World Congress of Working Women. One short paragraph reports that the Indonesian women's organisation GERWANI demands a ban on child marriage, forced marriage and bride-purchase, an end to the ban on widows remarrying,
Decisions of the 3rd Plenary Session of Gerwani DPP/DPD (Bintang Timur, 21 June 1956)
Front page of Bintang Timur, 21 June 1956 (four-page issue; OCR columns heavily interleaved). The only Gerwani material is a fragmentary report of the third plenary session (Sidang Pleno ke-III) of Gerwani's leadership, begun 16 June and closed on Tuesday night, with decisions announced and a reference to a Gerwani nat
BP4 congress
Short Algemeen Indisch Dagblad item (1956-06-21, p. 2): the BP4 (marriage-counselling body) will hold its first Indonesian congress in August. Gerwani had applied some time earlier for BP4 membership without a decision; nineteen organisations are affiliated so far.
Salawati Daud and Umi Sardjono welcome William Morrow (Bintang Timur, 2 July 1956)
Bintang Timur, 2 July 1956, p. 1 (four-page issue). Reports the arrival at Kemayoran of William Morrow, Australian peace-movement figure and World Peace Council bureau member, guest of the Indonesian Peace Committee 30 June to 4 July. Ch. (Charlotte) Salawati Daud and Umi Sardjono of Gerwani are named among those welco
Indonesian women workers' delegation (Darmini, Gerwani) refused entry to Thailand (Bintang Timur, 5 July 1956)
Bintang Timur, 5 July 1956, p. 1 (four-page issue). Reports that the Indonesian women workers' delegation returning from the world women workers' conference in Budapest was refused entry/visas in Thailand on the way back via Copenhagen and told to continue flying or be jailed. Ten delegates are named from trade unions,
Gerwani Central Sumatra demands death penalty
Short item, Indische Courant voor Nederland, 5 Jul 1956, p. 2: the Gerwani Central Sumatra branch writes to the government demanding the death penalty for Attamimi, tried for a sexual assault that killed a woman from Pasuruan, and urges other women's groups to do the same.
Gerwani Central Sumatra demands death penalty (full page)
Whole newspaper page, Indische Courant voor Nederland, c. 3-5 Jul 1956. Relevant items: Gerwani Central Sumatra demands the death penalty for Attamimi, accused of a fatal sexual assault; and the Kongres Wanita Indonesia's contacts with India, Burma and others toward an Asian-African women's congress.
Communist Campaign in Indonesia (OIR report, July 1956)
State Department intelligence report (17 July 1956) on the Soviet and Chinese communist campaign in Indonesia after the 1956 visits, with a chronology of Indonesia-China exchanges. Gerwani features only in the chronology: a May 1956 Gerwani protest against US H-bomb tests, plus Indonesian delegations to the WIDF meetin
The committee
Short Algemeen Indisch Dagblad item (1956-08-06, p. 2): composition of the Bandung 17 August committee, chaired by the mayor, with vice-chairs from Masyumi, PNI, PKI and NU. Treasurers are Mrs. Kamarga (Perwari), Mrs. S. Sriwenda (Parkiwa) and one more Gerwani member still to be named. Also a basketball tournament anno
In Jember the railwaymen strike again; Gerwani feeds the strikers
De Nieuwsgier item (7 Aug 1956): railway union SBKA strike in Jember halted two goods trains; the local Gerwani branch voluntarily supplied food to the strikers, and railway management's attempt to register absentees was withdrawn after worker reaction. An example of Gerwani solidarity with labour.
Railway strike in Jember
Java-Bode, 7 August 1956, p. 2: report on a railway workers' (SBKA) strike at Jember that stopped two goods trains. The Jember branch of Gerwani voluntarily supplied the strikers with food; management's attempt to register absentees was withdrawn after worker reaction, and there was no disorder.
Domestic news roundup: Buleleng Gerwani protests bail in rape-murder case
Domestic news roundup in De Nieuwsgier (11 Aug 1956). One item: the Buleleng branch of Gerwani protested to the government against the release on bail (Rp 400,000) of S. Atamimi, suspected of rape and murder, demanding re-arrest and heavy punishment. Other items concern military operations and Fatmawati Sukarno.
Mrs Fatmawati Sukarno
Java-Bode, 14 August 1956, p. 2: Fatmawati Sukarno arrives in Surabaya after visiting her mother-in-law in Blitar with daughters Megawati and Sukmawati, calling it a family visit. Representatives of Gerwani's Surabaya branch handed her a resolution raising the Atamimi question; she did not answer whether she would go w
Gudok, 17 Aug 1956: 'Indonesia today' for the Republic's 11th anniversary
Gudok (Soviet railwaymen's paper), 17 Aug 1956, p. 4. Survey article by G. Svetlanov for the Republic's 11th anniversary: Dutch colonial legacy, nationalisations, five-year plan, foreign policy and Sukarno's coming visit. One passage lists Gerwani, 'half a million members', among leading patriotic mass organisations be
Mrs Soong Ching Ling at Institute for the Deaf-Mute
Algemeen Indisch Dagblad (1956-08-20, p. 2): report of Soong Ching Ling's visit to Bandung, including the Institute for the Deaf-Mute and a dinner with Governor Sanusi. At nine in the evening a women's delegation led by Gerwani called on her, after which the evening continued with singing and dancing.
Gerwani's greetings to Egyptian women (Bintang Timur, 28 August 1956)
Bintang Timur, 28 August 1956, p. 2 (four-page issue; OCR jumbled). A short item, 'Salam Gerwani pada wanita Mesir', reports Gerwani's message of solidarity to Egyptian women in the Suez nationalisation crisis: Indonesian women are 'proud' and fully support Egypt's heroic, patriotic defence of its national claim. Surro
Pravda, 5 Sep 1956: President Sukarno's visit to the Soviet Union
Pravda, 5 Sept 1956 (No. 249), partial issue (pp. 1, 4, 6, machine-translated): TASS and correspondents' reports on President Sukarno's tour of the USSR (Sverdlovsk, Tashkent) and Indonesian reactions. On p. 6 O. Chechetkina quotes Darmini, 'one of the leaders of the mass women's organization Gerwani', hailing the visi
Pravda, 5 Sep 1956: Gerwani leader on Sukarno's visit to the USSR (excerpt)
Keyword-hit excerpt of Pravda, No. 249, 5 Sept 1956, report by correspondent O. Chechetkina (Jakarta, 4 Sept) on Indonesian reactions to President Sukarno's visit to the USSR. D. N. Aidit and Darmini, 'one of the leaders of the mass women's organization Gerwani', hail it as the first visit of Indonesia's president to t
Installation of transitional council
Algemeen Indisch Dagblad (1956-09-13, p. 2): installation of Bandung's transitional municipal council by Governor Sanusi Hardjadinata. A photo caption lists members, including Mrs. Rd. Moesmini of Gerwani, Miss Sari Banon Jachja (NU) and Mrs. Amartiwi Moh. Saleh (PSI); the council serves one year.
CIA compilation, October 1956: WIDF - a compilation of available basic information
CIA compilation 'WIDF: A Compilation of Available Basic Information' (Oct 1956). In its affiliate list it gives Gerwani (Gerakan Wanita Indonesia) claimed strength of 281,000 (Feb 1955) and 565,147 (Apr 1956), with president Umi Sardjono and vice-president Suharti Suwarto (p.20); the WIDF Council list shows Indonesian
Statements
Short Algemeen Indisch Dagblad item (1956-11-12, p. 2): a campaign of protest statements and telegrams against the British-French and Israeli attack on Egypt (Suez) is sent to the Indonesian government and British and French embassies by SOBSI, Sarbupri, Lekra West Java, Gerwani, OBSI Sumatra, KBKI Bandung, SBII and Pe
US Monthly Indonesian Press Survey (1957): Gerwani leaders and branches, Umi Sardjono chair
US Monthly Indonesian Press Survey (1957) extracts: a Central Borneo women's committee, including Gerwani, backing Sukarno's Concept and asking that marriage law be prioritised; Kowani's Fourth Congress (Surabaya) with Mudigdio of Gerwani as treasurer; Muljani as Central Java Gerwani chair; new North Sumatra and Jakart
1957 'Letter to an Unknown Friend' by Sudjinah (Gerwani) on Indonesian children's conditions, framed by colonial history, Japanese occupation and the Round Table agreement. Gives statistics (15-20% infant mortality, one doctor per 59,000, illiteracy 65%, 5 of 12 million children in school) and notes Gerwani, with the I
Indonesia: social protection for mothers and children (Suwarti Bintang Suradi, 1957)
Excerpt from the WIDF Information Bulletin No. 14 (1957): Mme Suwarti (Suwarti Bintang Suradi), member of the Gerwani executive, reports on social insurance and protection for mothers and children in Indonesia. She notes obstacles for women officials, company rules such as Shell-BPM ending employment on marriage, lack
We Saw and Heard at the Council Meeting, Helsinki 1957: Umi Sardjono for Gerwani
WIDF magazine 1957 'We Saw and Heard at the Council Meeting' with delegate speeches at the Helsinki Council. Umi Sardjono, President of Gerwani (640,000 members), reports a nationwide marriage-law campaign, the 1955 elections (five Gerwani members in parliament, six in the Constituent Assembly, 52 provincial councillor
Bandung in brief
Algemeen Indisch Dagblad 'Bandung in short' column (1957-01-02, p. 2), partly unreadable. Relevant items: Gerwani's regional congress will end with a reception on 3 January at the Gedung Jajasan in Bandung to announce its decisions; Gerwani Tasikmalaya sent a statement to the Constituent Assembly wanting the constituti
Bandung in brief: Gerwani reception
Short Algemeen Indisch Dagblad item (1957-01-02): to conclude its regional congress, Gerwani will hold a reception on 3 January at 19.30 at the Gedung Jajasan in Bandung, at which the congress decisions will be announced.
Constitution 1945
Short Algemeen Indisch Dagblad item 'Constitutie 1945' (1957-01-02): the Constituent Assembly secretariat received statements from Semarang youth, individuals, Gerwani Tasikmalaya, Sebda and Ex-TP Solo, all wanting the constitution grounded in the spirit of the 1945 Proclamation and Pancasila.
Pewarta Soerabaia, 3 January 1957: 'Gerwani anniversary' (Malang)
Pewarta Soerabaia, 3 Jan 1957, p. 4: Malang item on Gerwani Kota Besar Malang celebrating its sixth anniversary (30–31 Dec 1956) with a history of its founding, about 100 members and a sandiwara; page damaged.
Yu Siyem, Gerwani activist, by Sulami (Harian Rakjat, 16 January 1957)
Harian Rakjat, 16 Jan 1957, p. 3: women's page ('Wanita') with a short story by Sulami (Gerwani) about 'Yu Siyem', a village market woman and Gerwani branch activist who recruits neighbours, tours distant villages and wins her husband's support, showing membership expansion and the Anak-Cabang structure. Also Soviet sc
Surabaya Post, 21 January 1957, p. 2: Sujoso's lecture on a visit to Moscow
Surabaya Post p. 2, 21 January 1957: Malang report on Masyumi MP A.W. Sujoso's lecture on the parliamentary mission to Moscow, mocking Soviet life and saying Indonesian women, 'surely also Gerwani', would reject Soviet views on free unions. Gerwani appears only as a foil in anti-communist rhetoric.
The report must be fair: on education in the Soviet Union, by Mrs Mudigdio (Harian Rakjat, 30 January 1957)
Harian Rakjat, 30 Jan 1957, p. 3: the page carries only the headline 'Laporan harus wajar - Tentang pendidikan di Sovyet Uni' by Ny. Mudigdio; the article body is not recoverable from the OCR. Page 4 advertises Soviet booklets on women's right to education. Page 1 covers Hatta and the Konsepsi Presiden debate. Mudigdio
CIA directories, February 1957: International communist-front organizations (WIDF section)
CIA compilation of reference data (February 1957, data to 1 October 1956) on international communist-front organisations and friendship societies, including the Women's International Democratic Federation (WIDF). The WIDF directory lists headquarters, publications, executive officers and national affiliates. Under Indo
Harian Rakjat celebrates its sixth anniversary (Renmin Ribao, 2 February 1957)
Renmin Ribao, 2 Feb 1957, p. 5 (Xinhua, Jakarta): the PKI daily Harian Rakjat marks its sixth anniversary at a Jakarta meeting of about 1,000 on 31 Jan; Njono gives circulation as 60,000 and Aidit speaks for the PKI. Gerwani appears only among bodies sending congratulatory telegrams.
Harian Rakjat celebrates its sixth anniversary (Renmin Ribao, 2 February 1957)
Renmin Ribao, 2 Feb 1957, p. 5 (Xinhua, Jakarta): the PKI daily Harian Rakjat marks its sixth anniversary at a Jakarta meeting of about 1,000 on 31 Jan; Njono gives circulation as 60,000 and Aidit speaks for the PKI. Gerwani appears only among bodies sending congratulatory telegrams.
Jakarta diary: International Women's Day
Java-Bode, 11 February 1957, p. 2: Jakarta women's organisations formed a committee to prepare International Women's Day on 8 March: chair Mrs Jahja Malik (Perwamu), vice-chair Mrs Hermen, first secretary Mrs Kusnan of Gerwani, second secretary Mrs Darpin Busono (Baperki), treasurers Mrs Mandagi and Mrs Prawoto.
Merdeka, 12 February 1957: International Women's Day committee
Merdeka, 12 Feb 1957, p. 3: Antara item on Jakarta women's organisations forming a committee for International Women's Day (8 March 1957), chaired by Ny. Jahja Malik (Perwamu), with Gerwani, Baperki and others.
Indonesia in a bird's-eye view
Java-Bode, 13 February 1957, p. 2: column of Indonesian miscellany (shipping, floods, police study trip to Japan, FAO expert). One item says 28 parties and organisations in Maluku and West Irian, including PNI, PKI, PSII, Gerwani and Badan Rebut Irian, telegraphed the Indonesian UN delegation backing Indonesia's West I
Surabaya Post, 15 February 1957, p. 2: Surabaya International Women's Day committee
Surabaya Post p. 2, 15 February 1957: brief reporting that the Surabaya women's organisation federation formed a committee, chaired by Gerwani, to celebrate International Women's Day, with other left and nationalist women's groups as officers. Evidence of Gerwani's leading role in local women's coalitions.
Sukarno's Konsepsi widely supported; Nahdlatul Ulama opposes (Renmin Ribao, 24 February 1957)
Renmin Ribao, 24 Feb 1957, p. 6 (Xinhua, Jakarta): reports support for Sukarno's Konsepsi (mutual-cooperation cabinet) from SOBSI and Gerwani, whose 22 Feb statement cites imperialist plots and the rebellions of Lubis, Simbolon and Hussein; Nahdlatul Ulama's Duta Masyarakat and parliamentary chair Asjin oppose it.
Sukarno's Konsepsi widely supported; Nahdlatul Ulama opposes (Renmin Ribao, 24 February 1957)
Renmin Ribao, 24 Feb 1957, p. 6 (Xinhua, Jakarta): reports support for Sukarno's Konsepsi (mutual-cooperation cabinet) from SOBSI and Gerwani, whose 22 Feb statement cites imperialist plots and the rebellions of Lubis, Simbolon and Hussein; Nahdlatul Ulama's Duta Masyarakat and parliamentary chair Asjin oppose it.
Terror in Central Sumatra: Banteng Council arrests PKI members and Gerwani leaders
De Waarheid, 28 Feb 1957, p. 7: short report that the rebel 'Banteng Council' in Central Sumatra has set up a terror regime, arresting PKI members, unionists and democrats, and placing prominent members of the women's organisation Gerwani under 'town arrest'. SOBSI in Jakarta decided to call protest strikes. Early repo
'One-man factions' in parliament disappointed
Algemeen Indisch Dagblad political roundup (1957-03-02, p. 2) on Sukarno's 'conception' of gotong-royong cabinet: one-man MP factions complain of exclusion, Nasution meets Sukarno, PNI Surabaya rallies, Natsir attacks the plan. An 'Adhesion' item says declarations of support came from the youth council DPI, Gerwani Ban
Merdeka, 4 March 1957: 12 women's organisations back the President's Konsepsi
Merdeka, 4 Mar 1957, p. 3: twelve Surabaya women's organisations including Wanita Demokrat and Gerwani declare support for Sukarno's February 1957 Konsepsi, alongside veterans' groups.
Umi Sardjono article and Mudigdio speech in parliament; Gerwani defends menstrual leave (Harian Rakjat, 7 March 1957)
Harian Rakjat, 7 Mar 1957, p. 3: includes an article by Ny. Umi Sardjono for International Women's Day on women's struggle and rights (alongside a science piece), a DPR report with Ny. Mudigdio (PKI) speaking on 6 March, and Gerwani branch items. Notes 46 organisations including Gerwani opposing abolition of menstrual
Harian Rakjat, 8 March 1957: Setiati Surasto on menstrual leave
Harian Rakjat issue of 8 March 1957 (International Women's Day), noisy OCR. Page 3 carries Setiati Surasto's women's-day article defending menstrual leave (cuti haid) for women workers under Labour Law 1951/1948. Elsewhere: a Gerwani branch (Blitar) reported gaining members, a Gerwani public lecture is announced, and t
Pravda, 8 Mar 1957: International Women's Day statement by T. Sulami (Indonesia)
Page 4 of Pravda (8 March 1957), International Women's Day, carrying a statement signed 'T. Sulami, member of the national 8 March Committee of the Republic of Indonesia'. She describes Indonesian women's life and struggle, sixteen women elected to parliament and 33 to the Constituent Assembly, rising schooling, anti-c
Harian Rakjat, 9 March 1957: Umi Sardjono at the Women's Day exhibition
Harian Rakjat issue of 9 March 1957, very noisy OCR. Page 1 reports the International Women's Day exhibition (handicrafts, cooking, costumes, foreign stalls) in Jakarta, where Umi Sardjono (Gerwani leader) is among women leaders present alongside Fatmawati; the committee of ten women's organisations is chaired by Yahya
Djuanda vows to carry out programme; parties and groups back the new cabinet (Renmin Ribao, 13 April 1957)
Renmin Ribao, 13 Apr 1957, p. 6 (Xinhua, Jakarta): PM Djuanda's broadcast on the new extra-parliamentary cabinet and reactions of parties and organisations (PNI, NU, PKI/Aidit, Masjumi, PSII, Parkindo, Murba). Gerwani appears only in a list of mass organisations, with SOBSI, Perwari and others, that telegraphed support
Djuanda vows to carry out programme; parties and groups back the new cabinet (Renmin Ribao, 13 April 1957)
Renmin Ribao, 13 Apr 1957, p. 6 (Xinhua, Jakarta): PM Djuanda's broadcast on the new extra-parliamentary cabinet and reactions of parties and organisations (PNI, NU, PKI/Aidit, Masjumi, PSII, Parkindo, Murba). Gerwani appears only in a list of mass organisations, with SOBSI, Perwari and others, that telegraphed support
Suluh Indonesia, 29 April 1957: DPP Gerwani cable to commanders' and governors' conference
Suluh Indonesia (PNI-aligned daily), Jakarta, 29 April 1957; four newspaper pages, OCR very noisy. Front page covers the Dewan Banteng/Ismail Lengah-Sutan Sjuis clash in Padang, cabinet changes and military authority. A short item on p. 2 reports that DPP Gerwani cabled the conference of regional military commanders an
Dolgozó Nő, 1 May 1957: the Indonesian women's movement named 'Gerwani'
Hungarian women's magazine Dolgozó Nő, 1 May 1957. Short piece on the Indonesian women's movement 'Gerwani': women can now vote and stand for parliament (17 women candidates, 40 women officials), its educational work helped force a parliamentary resolution against H-bomb tests, women face cheap labour, no marriage law,
Aminah Djamil, death notice
Death notice in Het Nieuwsblad voor Sumatra (13 May 1957, p.2): Mrs Aminah Djamil, PKI representative in North Sumatra's provisional provincial council, died on Friday night. She was also the leader of Gerwani, 'the communist women's movement', in the province. Her husband Ali Hadihroto sits on the Langkat regency exec
Jakarta sets up National Council: Sukarno names members (New York Times, 16 June 1957)
New York Times, 16 June 1957, p.37, Special to the Times from Jakarta: Sukarno names the 45 members of the new National Council (Dewan Nasional), chaired by himself, with Roeslan Abdulgani as deputy chairman and secretary-general. About a quarter are described as Communists or sympathisers, including PKI member Sujono
Suluh Indonesia, 2 August 1957: Gerwani welcomes formation of BKSPM
Suluh Indonesia, Jakarta, 2 August 1957 (four pages, OCR noisy, mostly general news: Darul Islam, Churchill, sports). A short item on p. 2, 'Gerwani sambut pembentukan BKSPM', reports that the DPP of Gerwani, speaking for 650,000 members, welcomed the formation of the Youth-Military Cooperation Body (BKSPM, set up 26 J
PKI protest over arrests in Minahassa
Algemeen Indisch Dagblad (1957-08-29, p. 3): the PKI central committee publishes North Sulawesi branch protest against arrests in Minahasa starting 20 July 1957 (about 30 detained, mostly PKI) and the sealing of the Manado PKI office. Listed detainees include Karel Supit and Mrs. Wuntu-Ottay of the Gerwani leadership i
In an alley of Kebon Sirih
Photo caption item in Algemeen Indisch Dagblad (1957-09-09, p. 2): municipal councillors investigate living conditions of low-end sex workers in an alley of Kebon Sirih, Jakarta. Two women councillors speak with the women: Mrs. Musmini (Gerwani) standing left and Mrs. Amartiwi Saleh (PSI) in the middle.
Pewarta Soerabaia, 4 October 1957: Lumajang women's organisations federation
Pewarta Soerabaia, 4 Oct 1957, p. 4: Lumajang women's federation revived on 21 Sept 1957 by Wanita Demokrat, Aisyiyah, Gerwani, Bhayangkari and others, with a new board drawn from all except Gerwani.
Pewarta Soerabaia, 7 October 1957: Surabaya women's organisations federation
Pewarta Soerabaia, 7 Oct 1957, p. 2: Surabaya women's federation elects a board (30 Sept 1957) with the governor's wife as patron and Nj. Moh. Tam of Gerwani as first secretary.
Bandung in brief
Algemeen Indisch Dagblad 'Bandung in short' column (1957-10-19, p. 2) of local news. Relevant: Gerwani, which now has fifteen kindergartens across West Java, has begun a one-month emergency course to train teaching staff, with theory taught by Miss Sri Sulistiewaty of IPPI. Other items cover rice distribution, a Red Cr
Pewarta Soerabaia, 21 November 1957: Concordia building, Malang
Pewarta Soerabaia, 21 Nov 1957, p. 4: Malang municipality orders six organisations including BTI and Gerwani (Malang regency branch) to vacate the ruins of the former Societeit Concordia within seven days.
Sukarno: with two billion people's support Indonesia will win; West Irian (Renmin Ribao, 23 December 1957)
Renmin Ribao, 23 Dec 1957, p. 6 (Xinhua, Jakarta): Sukarno receives WIDF vice-president Maria Maddalena Rossi, invited to Gerwani's Third National Congress, and says two billion people back Indonesia on West Irian; second item reports Djuanda placing the West Irian struggle under the National Security Council and the D
Sukarno: with two billion people's support Indonesia will win; West Irian (Renmin Ribao, 23 December 1957)
Renmin Ribao, 23 Dec 1957, p. 6 (Xinhua, Jakarta): Sukarno receives WIDF vice-president Maria Maddalena Rossi, invited to Gerwani's Third National Congress, and says two billion people back Indonesia on West Irian; second item reports Djuanda placing the West Irian struggle under the National Security Council and the D
ACWF telegram to Gerwani supporting the West Irian struggle (Renmin Ribao, 24 December 1957)
Renmin Ribao, 24 Dec 1957, p. 6 (Xinhua): the All-China Women's Federation telegraphs Gerwani on 21 Dec congratulating it on its national women's congress and pledging that Chinese women fully support Indonesia's struggle to recover West Irian. Short solidarity item.
ACWF telegram to Gerwani supporting the West Irian struggle (Renmin Ribao, 24 December 1957)
Renmin Ribao, 24 Dec 1957, p. 6 (Xinhua): the All-China Women's Federation telegraphs Gerwani on 21 Dec congratulating it on its national women's congress and pledging that Chinese women fully support Indonesia's struggle to recover West Irian. Short solidarity item.
Hon. M.M. Rossi talks with the Indonesian President: interview with Sukarno (l'Unita, 31 December 1957)
Front page of l'Unità (PCI daily), 31 Dec 1957: special-correspondent interview by Maria Maddalena Rossi (UDI president, WIDF vice-president) with President Sukarno in Jakarta on 21 Dec. Rossi says she came for the WIDF to Gerwani's congress at Solo (23-27 Dec 1957) and conveyed WIDF solidarity; Sukarno discusses colon
l'Unita, 31 December 1957, p. 1: interview with Sukarno by M.M. Rossi (OCR text)
OCR text version of the same l'Unità front page (31 Dec 1957): Maria Maddalena Rossi (UDI/WIDF) interviews Sukarno in Jakarta on 21 Dec, saying she attended the Gerwani congress at Solo for the WIDF and conveying WIDF solidarity; Sukarno speaks on anti-colonialism and the 'four-legged horse' concept. Rest of page cover
US Monthly Indonesian Press Survey (1958): National Conference of Communist Women
US Monthly Indonesian Press Survey (1958) analysis of the First National Conference of Communist Women (Jakarta, 26-31 May 1958). Aidit's address presents the 'Communist woman' and calls for a wider Gerwani; Suharti Suwarto (Gerwani second deputy chair) and Sundari report on women's groups, only 100,000 women PKI membe
US Monthly Indonesian Press Survey (1958): Gerwani branches, Kowani secretariat, Sulami
US Monthly Indonesian Press Survey (1958) extracts: Kowani secretariat (Maria Ulfah Santoso chair, Mudigdio of Gerwani treasurer); Harian Rakjat's 30 Dec 1957 list of Gerwani's working council (Umi Sardjono chair; Mudigdio, Suharti, S.K. Trimurti deputies; Kartinah secretary-general; Sulami deputy; Suwati Sutrimo Sudji
FBIS, 6 May 1958: Gerwani message to the UN Secretary General protesting American intervention
FBIS Daily Report (6 May 1958), HathiTrust scan p.430: Xinhua report that Indonesian mass organisations endorsed Premier Djuanda's denunciation of US intervention (PRRI crisis). Gerwani sent a message to the UN Secretary-General strongly protesting American intervention and urging the UN to warn the US and expel the Ch
Geeta Mukherjee, 'About the Movement of Indonesian Women' (WIDF Circular Attachment, 21 April 1958)
Report by Indian MP Geeta Mukherjee on Gerwani, attached to a WIDF circular of 21 April 1958, based on talks with her neighbour Suwarti Bintang Suradi, WIDF Secretariat member and Gerwani organisation chair. It covers Gerwis's 1950 origin and renaming, the Third Congress, membership growth (to 460,000 by August 1957),
WIDF study publication (Berlin, 1958) on protection of motherhood as a right of women and a responsibility of society, with country contributions from Study Days participants, the ILO Convention 103 text and national summaries. It names Suwarti Bintang Suradi as Gerwani executive member and constituent assembly member.
Mudikdio, 'Indonesia': Speech at the 4th WIDF Congress, Vienna, 1958
Speech by Mrs Mudikdio (Mudigdio), vice-chair of Gerwani and head of the Indonesian delegation, to the WIDF Fourth Congress, Vienna 1958. She urges a WIDF study or seminar on peasant women (50% illiteracy in Indonesia), explains Gerwani's 1954 draft marriage-law principles and support for the draft before Parliament (G
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
IVth Congress of the WIDF, Vienna, 1958 (Berlin Edition): Conference on the Rights of Women
Berlin edition of the WIDF IVth Congress (Vienna, June 1958) pamphlet on the conference 'Conditions which will enable woman to fulfil her role as mother, worker and citizen' (98 delegates, 55 countries). The Indonesian section (pp. 66-70) has Mudigdio, Gerwani vice-chair, urging a WIDF study or seminar on peasant women
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
Indonesia: Gerwani report since the Third Congress (WIDF Information Bulletin, 1958)
WIDF Information Bulletin no. 10/1958 report on Gerwani since its Third Congress (December 1957): regional conferences, new constitution (branches replace workplace branches, 20-member minimum), plan to double membership, campaign for a national marriage law against polygamy with Sumari (PNI) and Mudigdio (PKI) MPs in
1958 WIDF note: Indonesian women write that the country faces rebellion backed by SEATO and the US (the PRRI/Permesta crisis), and that women join the struggle shoulder to shoulder with men. Gerwani sets up public kitchens, collects food and magazines for the front, runs first aid; in rebel-held West Sumatra its leader
Dolgozó Nő, 1 Feb 1958: the ground burns under the Dutch (West Irian)
Dolgozó Nő, 1 Feb 1958. Article on West Irian and the Netherlands, presenting Dutch rule as colonial exploitation of a resource-rich territory that is part of Indonesia; it states Gerwani is highly active in the campaign to regain West Irian, supported by Asian and African women's groups and all 80 member federations o
Suluh Indonesia, 14 February 1958: Welcoming the Asian-African Women's Conference in Colombo
Suluh Indonesia, Jakarta, 14 February 1958 (four pages, OCR very noisy). Front page: the Husein ultimatum, cabinet and Sumatra crisis. Page 3 (cont. from p. 1) carries 'Menyambut Konperensi Wanita Asia-Afrika' on the conference due in Colombo 15-24 Feb 1958 (education, health, labour, slavery, nationality), and lists t
President Sukarno leaves Tokyo for home (Renmin Ribao, 16 February 1958)
Renmin Ribao, 16 Feb 1958, p. 6 (Xinhua): Sukarno ends a Japan visit, denouncing imperialism and rejecting interference; a Jakarta item reports SOBSI, Pemuda Rakjat, Gerwani, BTI and others backing the arrest of rebels such as Hussein and Lubis. Gerwani appears only in that list.
President Sukarno leaves Tokyo for home (Renmin Ribao, 16 February 1958)
Renmin Ribao, 16 Feb 1958, p. 6 (Xinhua): Sukarno ends a Japan visit, denouncing imperialism and rejecting interference; a Jakarta item reports SOBSI, Pemuda Rakjat, Gerwani, BTI and others backing the arrest of rebels such as Hussein and Lubis. Gerwani appears only in that list.
President Sukarno brings new strength to the Indonesian people (Renmin Ribao, 17 February 1958)
Renmin Ribao commentary, 17 Feb 1958, p. 5: praises Sukarno's nine-nation tour, backs Indonesia's West Irian claim and calls the PRRI/Permesta rebels imperialist-instigated. Notes that SOBSI, Pemuda Rakjat, Gerwani, BTI and seventeen Sumatran organisations backed the arrest of the rebels, and cites Aidit's call to brin
President Sukarno brings new strength to the Indonesian people (Renmin Ribao, 17 February 1958)
Renmin Ribao commentary, 17 Feb 1958, p. 5: praises Sukarno's nine-nation tour, backs Indonesia's West Irian claim and calls the PRRI/Permesta rebels imperialist-instigated. Notes that SOBSI, Pemuda Rakjat, Gerwani, BTI and seventeen Sumatran organisations backed the arrest of the rebels, and cites Aidit's call to brin
Gerwani DPP (650,000 members): dissolve SEATO (Bintang Timur, 24 March 1958)
Bintang Timur, 24 March 1958, p. 1 (during the PRRI rebellion). Front-page statement of the Gerwani national leadership (DPP), said to represent 650,000 members, condemning US and SEATO intervention and the US Seventh Fleet's movements, and demanding that SEATO be dissolved ('Bubarkan SEATO'), in an open letter. Same p
Protest against SEATO: Gerwani letter to the US embassy
De Waarheid, 24 Mar 1958, p. 1: short item that Gerwani, on behalf of its 650,000 members, sent a letter to the US embassy in Jakarta asking for SEATO's dissolution and protesting American interference after Washington asked to deploy paratroopers to protect US citizens in the Pekanbaru oil area during the government o
Gerwani Central Sumatra: statement against the PRRI rebels (Bintang Timur, 31 March 1958)
Bintang Timur, 31 March 1958, p. 1 (during the PRRI rebellion). Reports a statement by the Gerwani Sumatera Tengah leadership: women and people of Central Sumatra cannot be fooled again by the 'traitors' (PRRI, proclaimed 14 February 1958), stand firmly behind the central government, the army chief and President Sukarn
FBIS Daily Report, 28 Apr 1958: Mme Tanti Aidit and Mme Sutarsih arrive in Peking for May Day
US FBIS Daily Report (Foreign Radio Broadcasts), page of 1 May 1958 carrying an NCNA English item of 28 April 1958: Mme Tanti Aidit and Mme Sutarsih, members of the central committee of the 'Indonesian Women's Movement' (Gerwani), arrived in Peking by air as guests of the National Women's Federation to attend May Day.
Two Gerwani Central Committee members arrive in Beijing (Renmin Ribao, 29 April 1958)
Renmin Ribao, 29 Apr 1958, p. 4 (Xinhua): Gerwani Central Committee members Tanti Aidit and Sudarsih arrive in Beijing by air on 28 April at the All-China Women's Federation's invitation, to visit and attend May Day. Brief arrival notice.
Two Gerwani Central Committee members arrive in Beijing (Renmin Ribao, 29 April 1958)
Renmin Ribao, 29 Apr 1958, p. 4 (Xinhua): Gerwani Central Committee members Tanti Aidit and Sudarsih arrive in Beijing by air on 28 April at the All-China Women's Federation's invitation, to visit and attend May Day. Brief arrival notice.
FBIS, 5 May 1958: Protests by mass organizations
FBIS-monitored Xinhua report (5 May 1958), a noisier excerpt of the same item as GA-02461: Indonesian mass organisations endorsed Premier Djuanda's denunciation of US intervention; the Peasants' Front claimed 3.5 million members; Gerwani sent a strong protest to the UN Secretary-General and demanded expulsion of the Ch
Gerwani DPP protests to the US and Taiwan governments (Bintang Timur, 6 May 1958)
Bintang Timur, 6 May 1958, p. 1 (after APRI's recapture of West Sumatran towns). Reports the Gerwani DPP's protest to the US and Taiwan governments over their intervention supporting Permesta/PRRI, demanding they stop interference, respect Indonesia's sovereignty and Asia-Africa, and appealing to American women to pres
Calls for unity to stop American interference; Gerwani protest to the UN (Renmin Ribao, 6 May 1958)
Renmin Ribao, 6 May 1958, p. 6 (Xinhua, Jakarta; Jiang Yousheng commentary): Indonesian organisations back Djuanda's statement against US and Chiang Kai-shek aid to the rebels. Gerwani telegraphed the UN Secretary-General on 4 May protesting American interference; BTI, the Peace Committee and seventeen Jakarta mass org
Calls for unity to stop American interference; Gerwani protest to the UN (Renmin Ribao, 6 May 1958)
Renmin Ribao, 6 May 1958, p. 6 (Xinhua, Jakarta; Jiang Yousheng commentary): Indonesian organisations back Djuanda's statement against US and Chiang Kai-shek aid to the rebels. Gerwani telegraphed the UN Secretary-General on 4 May protesting American interference; BTI, the Peace Committee and seventeen Jakarta mass org
FBIS, 5 June 1958: Indonesian women's visit (Tanti Aidit and Sutarsih leave Peking)
FBIS-monitored Xinhua item (5 Jun 1958): Mmes Tanti Aidit and Sutarsih, members of the Central Committee of the Indonesian Women's Movement, left Peking after visiting China at the All-China Women's Federation's invitation for May Day (arrived 28 Apr); they also visited North Korea at the invitation of the Korean Democ
Two Gerwani Central Committee members return home (Renmin Ribao, 6 June 1958)
Renmin Ribao, 6 Jun 1958, p. 4 (Xinhua): Gerwani Central Committee members Tanti Aidit and Sudarsih Rachman leave Beijing on 5 June for home via Kunming and Rangoon after their All-China Women's Federation visit (arrived 28 April), which also included a trip to North Korea at the invitation of the Korean Democratic Wom
Two Gerwani Central Committee members return home (Renmin Ribao, 6 June 1958)
Renmin Ribao, 6 Jun 1958, p. 4 (Xinhua): Gerwani Central Committee members Tanti Aidit and Sudarsih Rachman leave Beijing on 5 June for home via Kunming and Rangoon after their All-China Women's Federation visit (arrived 28 April), which also included a trip to North Korea at the invitation of the Korean Democratic Wom
CIA study, September 1958: The international communist fronts in 1958
CIA/US government study (September 1958) surveying the activities of the international Communist fronts (World Peace Council, Afro-Asian Solidarity Council, WFDY/IUS, WIDF, WFTU and others) in 1958. Chapter IV covers WIDF's Fourth Congress (Vienna, 1-5 June 1958) and secretariat. Gerwani appears only briefly: Suharti (
Do not allow the US to interfere in China's internal affairs (Renmin Ribao, 20 September 1958)
Renmin Ribao, 20 Sep 1958, p. 4 (Xinhua, Jakarta): amid the Taiwan Strait crisis, Gerwani, speaking for its 650,000 members, protests American interference over Taiwan and the offshore islands; Indonesian railway and rice-workers' unions make similar demands. Other items give Syrian, Pakistani, Omani and Mauritanian su
Do not allow the US to interfere in China's internal affairs (Renmin Ribao, 20 September 1958)
Renmin Ribao, 20 Sep 1958, p. 4 (Xinhua, Jakarta): amid the Taiwan Strait crisis, Gerwani, speaking for its 650,000 members, protests American interference over Taiwan and the offshore islands; Indonesian railway and rice-workers' unions make similar demands. Other items give Syrian, Pakistani, Omani and Mauritanian su
Api Kartini No. 1, Year 1, June 1959
Inaugural issue of Api Kartini (June 1959), published by Jajasan Melati with Maasje Siwi as editor in chief. Built around Hari Kartini: Kartini's writings and socialist reading, profiles, and contributions from S.K. Trimurti, Rukiah Kertapati and Sulami.
Api Kartini No. 2, Year 1, 1959
Second issue of Api Kartini (Jajasan Melati, 1959). Covers the Vienna World Youth Festival delegation, West Irian, World Children's Day, Pramoedya's call to publish Kartini's works, an interview with athlete Karnah, and health and household columns.
Api Kartini No. 3, Year 1, August 1959
Third issue of Api Kartini (Aug 1959), tied to the 17 August anniversary and return to UUD 45. Features women in the 1945–49 revolution, a poem against polygamy and cheap female labour, and international women's solidarity for Indonesian independence and West Irian.
Api Kartini No. 4, Year 1, 1959
Fourth issue of Api Kartini (1959). Editorial praises Sukarno's Political Manifesto; features a report on peasant women's economic conditions (land tenure, usury, wage discrimination), ethnography, recipes and household advice; contributors include S.K. Trimurti and Sudjinah.
Api Kartini No. 5, Year 1, October 1959
Fifth issue of Api Kartini (1959). Cover profile of WIDF president Eugenie Cotton; Umi Sardjono cited on 235 Gerwani TK Melati kindergartens in Java; also Sumpah Pemuda editorial, ethnography of the Tengger, recipes and child-health advice.
Api Kartini No. 6, Year 1, November 1959
Sixth issue of Api Kartini (Nov 1959), centred on Hari Pahlawan. Includes Sulami's report from the WIDF Bureau and Council in Prague, with Umi Sardjono and Mudigdio attending after visits to India and China, plus news on Albania and Yugoslavia.
Api Kartini No. 7, Year 1, December 1959
Seventh issue of Api Kartini (Dec 1959), centred on Hari Ibu (22 December). Includes an article on the peace movement against nuclear testing, S. Djin's report on the November 1959 Latin American women's congress in Santiago, and an interview on food and clothing supply.
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
News from Here and There (Api Kartini, December 1959)
Api Kartini (December 1959) news-roundup column. Notes the Kungalv (Sweden) women's disarmament conference attended by A. Hidayat, a Gerakan Ibu protest letter to the UN on French A-bomb tests, Jakarta preparations for the 50th International Women's Day (lectures among peasant women, bazaar), and a DPP Gerwani work mee
Cameroon Independent
Api Kartini (1959) article welcoming Cameroon's coming independence (1 January 1960). Profiles Marthe Ouandie of the Cameroon women's movement and WIDF (based in East Berlin), who knows Indonesian women of GERWANI through WIDF and the peasant-women's federation; expresses Indonesian women's solidarity and support for U
Getting to Know the WIDF Up Close
Api Kartini preview of the WIDF Bureau meeting due in Indonesia (early 1960), profiling its leaders: President Eugenie Cotton, Secretary-General Carmen Zanti, Marie Ange, Beatrice Johnson and Asian-African vice-presidents. Notes WIDF's support for Indonesian independence and condemnation of Dutch aggression, and that G
Fifty Years of International Women's Day Celebrated Lavishly in Jakarta (March 1960)
Api Kartini report on the lavish Jakarta commemoration of 50 years of International Women's Day (6-8 March 1960): exhibition at Gedung Pertemuan Umum, a two-day seminar, and an 8 March reception attended by 1,500. Umi Sardjono spoke on the history of the women's movement; Setiati Surasto presented on food and clothing;
Meeting of the WIDF Bureau (Jakarta, 1960)
Api Kartini report on the WIDF Bureau meeting in Jakarta, 31 January-3 February 1960, at Hotel Duta Indonesia, the first WIDF meeting held in Indonesia. Quotes Prime Minister Juanda's welcome and speeches by Anasuya Gyankhand, Marie Pritt, Thiele, Maria Rossi and Marguerite de Ponce; delegates met Kowani and Gerwani ac
Speech of Suharti (Deputy Chair of DPP Gerwani) at the PKI Sixth Congress, 1959
Speech by Gerwani vice-chair Suharti (Suwarto) to the PKI Sixth Congress (Sept 1959), responding to Aidit's report. The fullest statement in the corpus of PKI 'work among women' from a Gerwani leader, on women's oppression by the economic crisis.
Birth and Growth of the Indonesian Women's Movement, Part I (Sulami, 1959)
Part I of Sulami's 1959 history of the Indonesian women's movement in WIDF's magazine: Kartini, Putri Merdika (1912), Wanita Sedar, the 1928 Women's Congress, the Congress League of Indonesian Women, and demands on marriage, education and voting rights through 1941, with PKI influence noted after 1920. Prefaces the bir
Birth and Growth of the Indonesian Women's Movement, Part II (Sulami, 1959)
Part II of Sulami's 1959 history: Indonesian women under Japanese occupation (Fujinkai, women coerced as 'geishas'), the 1945 proclamation, founding of Perwari (Klaten, Dec 1945), the formation of KOWANI (Solo, Feb 1946), its second congress at Madiun deciding to affiliate to WIDF, and women's role in partisan resistan
Birth and Growth of the Indonesian Women's Movement, Part III (Sulami, 1959)
Part III of Sulami's 1959 history: KOWANI conflicts and 1948 Solo congress, founding of Gerwis at Semarang (4 June 1950), its 1954 renaming as Gerwani, structure with six commissions, membership growth (6,000 Java 1951; 642,460 in January 1957; 700,000 at the Third Congress, Solo, Dec 1957), 1955 election results (5 MP
Suara Tani, January 1959 (10th anniversary issue): Gerwani greeting and cooperation with BTI
Suara Tani (BTI organ), special 10th-anniversary issue, January 1959, OCR noisy. Contains greetings from ministers, army chief Nasution and Gerwani; BTI New Year message; agrarian seminar results; BTI membership table (3.39 million); exposés of landlord exploitation in Java. On p. 5 Gerwani's national leadership (claim
Izvestiia, 18 Jan 1959: brief news, Gerwani letters on nuclear tests
Izvestiia, 18 Jan 1959, p. 5, 'Brief news': the mass women's organisation Gerwani sent letters to the USA, USSR and British embassies in Jakarta demanding an immediate end to nuclear tests. Page context notes a London anti-nuclear conference.
Dolgozó Nő, 1 Feb 1959: WIDF news (Indonesia, Gerwani)
Dolgozó Nő, 1 Feb 1959, 'WIDF News' column. Indonesia items: parliament unanimously approved the bill on women's political rights, and Gerwani, in the name of its 650,000 members, protested to South Africa over 1,100 women imprisoned in Johannesburg. Other items concern Berlin, Latin America and Czechoslovakia.
The Marriage Law
Tribune (Sydney), 18 Feb 1959, p. 4: brief Jakarta dispatch reporting that Gerwani, 'the influential Indonesian women's organisation', called on women to struggle for a democratic marriage law and demanded the Constituent Assembly guarantee women equal political, economic, social and family rights, as Parliament prepar
The Marriage Law
Tribune (Sydney), 18 Feb 1959, p. 4: brief Jakarta dispatch reporting that Gerwani, 'the influential Indonesian women's organisation', called on women to struggle for a democratic marriage law and demanded the Constituent Assembly guarantee women equal political, economic, social and family rights, as Parliament prepar
Hula hoops 'improper' (Evening Post, 3 April 1959)
Evening Post (Wellington), 3 April 1959, UPI report 'Hula Hoops Improper': the Indonesian Women's Movement (probably Gerwani, though not named) urged the government to ban hula hoops as inconsistent with Eastern ethics and harmful to mental health, as Surabaya military authorities warned hooping children about decency.
Hula hoops 'improper' (Evening Post, 3 April 1959), headline clipping
Headline-only clipping ('Hula Hoops Improper') of the Evening Post article of 3 April 1959 on the Indonesian Women's Movement's call for a hula hoop ban; no further text.
Hula hoops 'improper' (Evening Post, 3 April 1959), article clipping
Article-body clipping from the Evening Post, 3 April 1959: the Indonesian Women's Movement urged Indonesia's government to ban hula hoops as contrary to Eastern ethics and harmful to mental health, as reported by UPI from Jakarta, alongside a Surabaya military warning on decency.
Aidit returns to Jakarta (Renmin Ribao, 9 April 1959)
Renmin Ribao, 9 Apr 1959, p. 4 (Xinhua, Jakarta): PKI delegation led by Aidit returns from the CPSU's 21st Congress via China and Vietnam. Gerwani leaders are named only among those greeting it at the airport, with Njono, PKI MPs, SOBSI and Pemuda Rakjat.
Aidit returns to Jakarta (Renmin Ribao, 9 April 1959)
Renmin Ribao, 9 Apr 1959, p. 4 (Xinhua, Jakarta): PKI delegation led by Aidit returns from the CPSU's 21st Congress via China and Vietnam. Gerwani leaders are named only among those greeting it at the airport, with Njono, PKI MPs, SOBSI and Pemuda Rakjat.
FBIS, 7 July 1959: Parties express support of Sukarno (1945 constitution decree)
FBIS summary (7 Jul 1959) of a broadcast report to Australia, New Zealand and the Pacific on reactions to Sukarno's decree reinstating the 1945 constitution and dissolving the Constituent Assembly: Catholic Party, Democratic Youth, film union, PKI, economic congress and SOBSI supported it. Final line: the Indonesian Wo
Tages-Anzeiger, 11 July 1959: Indonesia on the road to dictatorship
Tages-Anzeiger analysis (11 July 1959, signed Th. v. R.) of Sukarno's return to the 1945 constitution and the army's rising power under Nasution. Lists PKI-linked mass organisations, giving Gerwani 75,000 members alongside SOBSI, Pemuda Rakyat, BTI, and notes PKI's 1957 vote.
WIDF delegation members including Mrs Mudigdio arrive in Beijing (Renmin Ribao, 24 September 1959)
Renmin Ribao, 24 Sep 1959, p. 6 (Xinhua): a WIDF delegation arrives in Beijing for National Day, including Mrs Mudigdio, identified as WIDF Council member, PKI-group MP and vice-chairman of Gerwani, with delegates from Japan, Australia, Canada and Ghana.
WIDF delegation members including Mrs Mudigdio arrive in Beijing (Renmin Ribao, 24 September 1959)
Renmin Ribao, 24 Sep 1959, p. 6 (Xinhua): a WIDF delegation arrives in Beijing for National Day, including Mrs Mudigdio, identified as WIDF Council member, PKI-group MP and vice-chairman of Gerwani, with delegates from Japan, Australia, Canada and Ghana.
FBIS, 29 September 1959: Delegations arrive for National Day (Peking)
FBIS editorial report (29 Sep 1959) listing foreign delegations arriving in Peking for China's National Day celebrations (communist parties, youth, student, peace and women's bodies). Under the WIDF delegation, 'N.J. Mudikdio' (Mudigdio) is named as a PKI parliamentary-group member, WIDF council member and vice chairma
Renmin Ribao, 5 Oct 1959, p. 6: Greetings from people's organisations of various countries (Gerwani among them)
People's Daily page 6, 5 October 1959 (excerpt only): congratulatory telegrams and letters from foreign people's organisations, apparently for the PRC's anniversary. The excerpt lists women's bodies, including the Indonesian Women's Movement Association (Gerwani), alongside Albanian, Belgian, Danish and Japanese women'
Renmin Ribao, 5 Oct 1959, p. 6: Greetings from people's organisations of various countries (Gerwani among them)
People's Daily page 6, 5 October 1959 (excerpt only): congratulatory telegrams and letters from foreign people's organisations, apparently for the PRC's anniversary. The excerpt lists women's bodies, including the Indonesian Women's Movement Association (Gerwani), alongside Albanian, Belgian, Danish and Japanese women'
Mrs Andreen and others leave Beijing (Renmin Ribao, 9 October 1959)
Renmin Ribao, 9 Oct 1959, p. 6 (Xinhua): WIDF vice-president Andrea Andreen, with her daughter, leaves Beijing for Prague after an All-China Women's Federation invitation. Mrs Mudigdio (Gerwani) and Helen Kesian of the WIDF delegation fly on the same plane to Prague; a Tunisia-China Association delegation also departs.
Mrs Andreen and others leave Beijing (Renmin Ribao, 9 October 1959)
Renmin Ribao, 9 Oct 1959, p. 6 (Xinhua): WIDF vice-president Andrea Andreen, with her daughter, leaves Beijing for Prague after an All-China Women's Federation invitation. Mrs Mudigdio (Gerwani) and Helen Kesian of the WIDF delegation fly on the same plane to Prague; a Tunisia-China Association delegation also departs.
Moroccan PM on foreign bases; Indonesian opinion attacks US over sailors' dance party (Renmin Ribao, 9 November 1959)
Renmin Ribao, 9 Nov 1959, p. 6: multi-item foreign-news column. The Indonesia item says the Gerwani Central Committee condemned an invitation from Jakarta's American Women's Association to Indonesian women students for a dance with US Seventh Fleet sailors as leading to moral corruption and sullying national dignity; t
Moroccan PM on foreign bases; Indonesian opinion attacks US over sailors' dance party (Renmin Ribao, 9 November 1959)
Renmin Ribao, 9 Nov 1959, p. 6: multi-item foreign-news column. The Indonesia item says the Gerwani Central Committee condemned an invitation from Jakarta's American Women's Association to Indonesian women students for a dance with US Seventh Fleet sailors as leading to moral corruption and sullying national dignity; t
CIA Current Intelligence Weekly Summary, 12 November 1959
CIA Current Intelligence Weekly Summary, 12 Nov 1959, a long multi-topic report; the Indonesia part (pp.23-27) assesses PKI strength (Aidit's claim of 1.5 million members, Java as base, army and Sukarno restrictions, Aidit's 1959 Moscow and Peking trip). It names GERWANI as the PKI's women's front, alongside Pemuda Rak
US Monthly Indonesian Press Survey (1959-60): Api Kartini magazine (Maasje Siwi), Umi Sardjono in the DPR-GR
US Monthly Indonesian Press Survey (1959-60) extracts. A review of the new monthly Api Kartini, published by Yayasan Melati and headed by Maasje Siwi, lists its editors (S. Asijah, Darmini, Parjani Pradono, S.K. Trimurti, Rukiah Kertapati and others). Parliamentary notes list Umi Sardjono (functional group for women) a
Api Kartini No. 1, Year 2, January 1960
First issue of Api Kartini's second year (Jan 1960). Editorial on price rises after the currency sanering and ministers refusing housewives' delegations; a profile of WIDF leaders (Carmen Zanti, Eugenie Cotton) ahead of the WIDF Bureau meeting in Indonesia.
Api Kartini No. 10, Year 2, 1960
Issue 10 of year 2 (1960). Includes a profile of painter Mia Bustam, a Kartini quotation column, housewives running kindergartens, a delegation of Indonesian women to China, women printing workers and women's health in East Germany.
Api Kartini No. 11-12, Year 2, November-December 1960
Double issue (Nov–Dec 1960) marking Hari Ibu and the WIDF's 15th anniversary, with Maasje Siwi's first-person report on the WIDF Council session in Warsaw (29 Nov–5 Dec 1960) and coverage of the new MPRS.
Api Kartini No. 2, Year 2, February 1960
February 1960 issue. Editorial on the WIDF Bureau session in Jakarta, the youth congress in Bandung and Khrushchev's visit; kindergarten curriculum, health guidance, Wisma Rini student residence and a satirical column on textile rationing.
Api Kartini No. 3, Year 2, March 1960
March 1960 issue devoted to the 50th anniversary of International Women's Day and the Copenhagen International Women's Congress (21–24 April 1960); interviews with delegation figures Arudji Kartawinata, Ratu Aminah Hidajat and Hurustiati Subandrio.
Api Kartini No. 4, Year 2, April 1960
April 1960 issue on Hari Kartini and the fifth anniversary of the Bandung Conference. Kartini as writer and painter, her translations, and a historical essay on the women's movement from Kartini to the 1928 congress and after.
Api Kartini No. 5, Year 2, May 1960
May 1960 issue on women workers: wage discrimination, absent childcare and maternity protection, and non-enforcement of ILO Convention 100. Also a piece on Christina Martha Tiahahu and a short story about a cigarette-factory worker.
Api Kartini No. 6, Year 2, June 1960
June 1960 issue marking the magazine's first anniversary, Gerwani's tenth anniversary exhibition and World Children's Day. Profile of Kartini's son Singgih Soesalit and Sukarno's return and inauguration of DPR-GR.
Api Kartini No. 7, Year 2, July 1960
July 1960 issue centred on the new DPR-GR, with interviews with women members on economic hardship, marriage law reform and land reform; Kartini's letters, fiction, children's education and international solidarity statements.
Api Kartini No. 8, Year 2, August 1960
August 1960 issue for the 15th anniversary of independence: Sukarno's address to DPR-GR, a profile of Ceylon PM Sirimavo Bandaranaike with her letter of thanks to Gerwani, and a satire on state-enterprise corruption.
Api Kartini No. 9, Year 2, September 1960 (probable)
Probably September 1960 issue, focused on peasant women: a poem, an essay linking Kartini to an upcoming Gerwani seminar on peasant women (case of landless widow Mak Ni), a Batak ethnographic feature and the Rome Olympics.
Kowani Delegation in North Korea
Fragmentary Api Kartini item (1960s) closing a statement by the Indonesian Women's Congress (Kowani) delegation after visiting North Korea, thanking hosts, praising Korean revolutionary culture and socialist construction, and backing Korean reunification and the 'Crush Malaysia' campaign. Signatories listed include Suh
Soviet Relations with Indonesia, State Department Files 1960-1963
Compilation of State Department central-file items on Soviet relations with Indonesia, 1960-63 (telegrams, airgrams, despatches). One airgram (7 Dec) 'Soviets Woo Indo Women' describes the Soviet ambassador's wife hosting Indonesian women's leaders at the embassy, noting Gedung Wanita as a hub for Gerwani and Kongres W
Api Kartini: the new women's magazine (Maasje Siwi, 1960)
Short interview note (1960) in WIDF's magazine: Maasje Siwi, director of the new monthly women's magazine Api Kartini, explains its aims. Published under the Jajasan Melati committee, which includes Gerwani members. Magazine launched June 1959; aims to develop women's knowledge, patriotism and international friendship;
Documents of the PKI Sixth National Congress, Vol. II (Bintang Merah special, 1960)
Volume II of the documents of the PKI Sixth National Congress (Jakarta, 7-14 September 1959; Bintang Merah special, Yayasan Pembaruan, 1960): delegates' speeches. It includes the speech of Suharti, deputy chair of the Gerwani national leadership (pp. 595-603), on women as the most oppressed, peasant women, women cadres
Documents of the PKI Sixth National Congress, Vol. II (Bintang Merah special, 1960)
Volume II of the documents of the PKI Sixth National Congress (Jakarta, 7-14 September 1959; Bintang Merah special, Yayasan Pembaruan, 1960): delegates' speeches. It includes the speech of Suharti, deputy chair of the Gerwani national leadership (pp. 595-603), on women as the most oppressed, peasant women, women cadres
Weekly Situation Reports, Indonesia, January 1960 (State Department Central Files)
Compilation of Djakarta embassy weekly political, economic and military situation telegrams to the State Department, January 1960. One item (21 Jan) reports labour union and women representatives picketing the Trade Minister's office over prices despite an army ban, with a newspaper identifying many women as members of
Izvestiia, 2 Mar 1960: 'A moving meeting', Khrushchev with Indonesian delegations in Jakarta
Izvestiia, 2 Mar 1960, p. 3, conclusion of a report on Khrushchev's farewell meeting in Jakarta with Indonesian representatives; Gerwani leaders are listed among those present with SOBSI, BTI, Pemuda Rakyat, Lekra. Speeches by Njono, Buntaran Martoatmodjo and peace activist Setiadi (probably not Gerwani); Khrushchev's
Pravda, 2 Mar 1960: Gerwani among Indonesian mass organisations at Khrushchev's farewell
Pravda, 2 Mar 1960 (No. 62), pp. 1-3, 5 (machine-translated): coverage of the end of Khrushchev's 12-day visit to Indonesia (farewell speeches by Khrushchev and Sukarno; Calcutta stop). Pp. 2-3 report a farewell meeting on 29 Feb with delegates of mass organisations, naming 'the Indonesian women's movement (Gerwani)' a
Pravda, 2 Mar 1960: Gerwani welcomes Khrushchev among mass organisations (excerpt)
Keyword-hit excerpt of Pravda, No. 62, 2 March 1960, report 'People must live happily!' on Khrushchev's Indonesia visit. Leading figures of SOBSI, BTI, Pemuda Rakjat, the women's movement Gerwani, the Peace Committee, the Soviet friendship society and Lekra gathered with gifts at his residence; SOBSI's Njono spoke of f
Sovetskaya Kirgiziya, 3 Mar 1960: Khrushchev's visit to Indonesia
Sovetskaia Kirgiziia, 3 Mar 1960, p. 2: TASS coverage of Khrushchev's 12-day Indonesia visit: toasts with Sukarno, Khrushchev's farewell at Kemayoran, and crowds. On the last day Khrushchev received delegates of mass organisations including SOBSI, BTI, Pemuda Rakyat and Gerwani; Njono spoke. No Gerwani speaker is named
Farewell visit to departing overseas Chinese by Indonesian people's organisations (Renmin Ribao, 7 March 1960)
Renmin Ribao, 7 Mar 1960, p. 6 (Xinhua, Jakarta): representatives of the Indonesia-China Friendship Association, Gerwani and the Indonesian Mothers' Committee against Atomic and Hydrogen Bombs visit West Java Chinese gathered in Jakarta to return to China, bringing coffee, tea, medicine and soap; women hug Chinese wome
Farewell visit to departing overseas Chinese by Indonesian people's organisations (Renmin Ribao, 7 March 1960)
Renmin Ribao, 7 Mar 1960, p. 6 (Xinhua, Jakarta): representatives of the Indonesia-China Friendship Association, Gerwani and the Indonesian Mothers' Committee against Atomic and Hydrogen Bombs visit West Java Chinese gathered in Jakarta to return to China, bringing coffee, tea, medicine and soap; women hug Chinese wome
Advertising: International Women's Day Jubilee Celebrations, Townsville
Townsville Daily Bulletin classified-advertising page, 11 Mar 1960, p. 10: mostly unrelated ads and notices. The relevant item is an advertisement for 'International Women's Day Jubilee Celebrations' at the C.W.A. Hall, Townsville, on 15 March 1960, inviting the public to hear overseas visitors from the National Federa
Advertising: International Women's Day Jubilee Celebrations, Townsville
Townsville Daily Bulletin classified-advertising page, 12 Mar 1960, p. 10: mostly unrelated ads and notices. The relevant item is an advertisement for 'International Women's Day Jubilee Celebrations' at the C.W.A. Hall, Townsville, on 15 March 1960, inviting the public to hear overseas visitors from the National Federa
Advertising: International Women's Day Jubilee Celebrations, Townsville
Townsville Daily Bulletin classified-advertising page, 14 Mar 1960: mostly unrelated ads and notices. The relevant item is an advertisement for 'International Women's Day Jubilee Celebrations' at the C.W.A. Hall, Townsville, on 15 March 1960, inviting the public to hear overseas visitors from the National Federation of
Pravda, 22 Mar 1960: Tairova on Khrushchev's Asian tour; Gerwani and Umi Sardjono
Pravda no. 82, 22 March 1960 (full issue). Page 3 carries T. Tairova's account of Khrushchev's Asian tour (India, Indonesia, Burma, Afghanistan). Only a short passage concerns Indonesia's women: she describes Gerwani as the largest progressive women's organisation, with hundreds of thousands of members, led by Umi Sard
Pravda, 22 Mar 1960: Tairova on Khrushchev's Asian tour; Gerwani and Umi Sardjono (excerpt)
Pravda no. 82, 22 March 1960 (excerpt of the page). Page 3 carries T. Tairova's account of Khrushchev's Asian tour (India, Indonesia, Burma, Afghanistan). Only a short passage concerns Indonesia's women: she describes Gerwani as the largest progressive women's organisation, with hundreds of thousands of members, led by
Indonesian Defense Affairs: Biographical Profiles, April 1960
Compilation of US embassy Djakarta despatches (April 1960) giving biographical profiles of members of the Supreme Advisory Council and other leaders. Gerwani appears in the profile of PSII chairman Arudji Kartawinata, whose wife was a Gerwani member (1954) and praised China after a Nov 1959 Beijing visit; women members
Surabaya friendship association chairman visits Chinese about to return home (Renmin Ribao, 5 April 1960)
Renmin Ribao, 5 Apr 1960, p. 6 (Xinhua, Jakarta): the chairman of the Surabaya Indonesia-China Friendship Association visits over two hundred Chinese from Malang, Kediri, Tulungagung and Blitar sheltered in Surabaya before they sail home on 1 April after the retail-trade ban. Surabaya Gerwani also sent people to presen
Surabaya friendship association chairman visits Chinese about to return home (Renmin Ribao, 5 April 1960)
Renmin Ribao, 5 Apr 1960, p. 6 (Xinhua, Jakarta): the chairman of the Surabaya Indonesia-China Friendship Association visits over two hundred Chinese from Malang, Kediri, Tulungagung and Blitar sheltered in Surabaya before they sail home on 1 April after the retail-trade ban. Surabaya Gerwani also sent people to presen
Woman guest from Indonesia
Tribune (Sydney), 20 Apr 1960, p. 9: profile of Mrs Rusijah Sukardi (name as OCR'd), an ANTARA journalist visiting Australia as guest of the International Women's Day Committee. She says she joined the youth movement in 1928 and gives figures on Indonesian women MPs and teachers. Names Gerwani, 'the Indonesian Women's
Woman guest from Indonesia
Tribune (Sydney), 20 Apr 1960, p. 9: profile of Mrs Rusijah Sukardi (name as OCR'd), an ANTARA journalist visiting Australia as guest of the International Women's Day Committee. She says she joined the youth movement in 1928 and gives figures on Indonesian women MPs and teachers. Names Gerwani, 'the Indonesian Women's
Anti-Dutch agitation again in Indonesia: Gerwani urges confiscation of Dutch capital
Short De Telegraaf wire item (17 May 1960, AP): the oil workers' union Perboem and Gerwani, described as affiliated with the Indonesian communist party, urged the government to confiscate Dutch capital in Dutch Shell during the nationalisation of Dutch interests.
Seizure of Shell capital in Indonesia demanded
Short Eindhovensch Dagblad AP item (17 May 1960, p.4): two communist-led organisations urged Jakarta to seize Dutch capital in Shell. The oil workers' union Perboem backs nationalisation, and the PKI-affiliated women's organisation Gerwani presses for seizure of Dutch capital 'still hidden' in mixed enterprises.
New anti-Dutch demonstrations
Ons Noorden (17 May 1960): amid anti-Dutch demonstrations, the oil union Perboem and the PKI-affiliated women's organisation Gerwani urge the government to seize remaining Dutch capital in mixed enterprises such as Shell, BPM and Unilever. Demonstrations continue in Bandung, Surabaya and Semarang.
Suara Tani, June 1960: Biography of Kartinah Kurdi (DPR-GR) and her article on International Children's Day
Suara Tani (BTI organ), June 1960 (vol. XI no. 6), OCR noisy. Issue marks PKI's 40th anniversary, the DPR-GR, the sharecropping law and the 5-Principles rice method. P. 3 (cont. p. 6) gives short biographies of BTI peasant representatives in the DPR-GR, including Ny. Kartinah Kurdi (Taman Siswa teacher, Yogyakarta, act
Indonesian mothers: 'Do not send your sons to West Irian'
De Waarheid, 8 Jun 1960, p. 3: report that the NVB received a telegram from Gerwani, 'For peace and humanity, do not send your sons to West Irian', and replied that it will try to launch a big protest campaign. Quotes the NVB's letter to the Dutch cabinet opposing troop and arms shipments to New Guinea and recalling th
Friendship association and other groups see off returning overseas Chinese (Renmin Ribao, 19 June 1960)
Renmin Ribao, 19 Jun 1960, p. 6 (Xinhua, Jakarta): representatives of the Indonesia-China Friendship Association, the Peace Committee and Gerwani see off East and West Java Chinese leaving on Chinese ships. Peace Committee chair Mrs Arudji (PSII) and Gerwani leader Mrs Mandaki speak of lasting friendship; returnees say
Friendship association and other groups see off returning overseas Chinese (Renmin Ribao, 19 June 1960)
Renmin Ribao, 19 Jun 1960, p. 6 (Xinhua, Jakarta): representatives of the Indonesia-China Friendship Association, the Peace Committee and Gerwani see off East and West Java Chinese leaving on Chinese ships. Peace Committee chair Mrs Arudji (PSII) and Gerwani leader Mrs Mandaki speak of lasting friendship; returnees say
ACWF mourns Kanba Michiko; Indonesian organisations support the Japanese people (Renmin Ribao, 25 June 1960)
Renmin Ribao, 25 Jun 1960, p. 5 (Xinhua): the All-China Women's Federation telegraphs mourning for Kanba Michiko, killed in the anti-Security Treaty protests. A Jakarta item says Gerwani, 'Indonesia's largest women's organisation', telegraphed condolences on 22 June and support for Japanese women and people; Indonesian
ACWF mourns Kanba Michiko; Indonesian organisations support the Japanese people (Renmin Ribao, 25 June 1960)
Renmin Ribao, 25 Jun 1960, p. 5 (Xinhua): the All-China Women's Federation telegraphs mourning for Kanba Michiko, killed in the anti-Security Treaty protests. A Jakarta item says Gerwani, 'Indonesia's largest women's organisation', telegraphed condolences on 22 June and support for Japanese women and people; Indonesian
Biographic Data on Members of the Gotong Royong Parliament (US Embassy despatch, July 1960)
US State Department Central Files despatch from Embassy Djakarta (July 1960, chargé Rolland Buchner): biographic data, with alphabetical index, on about 110 former members of parliament appointed to the Gotong Royong parliament, grouped by party. Biographies of women MPs include Gerwani figures. Mrs Mudigdio (Gerwis/Ge
Gerwani delegation arrives in Beijing (Renmin Ribao, 11 July 1960)
Renmin Ribao, 11 Jul 1960, p. 6 (Xinhua): a four-member Gerwani delegation led by Mrs Suwarti arrives in Beijing by air at the All-China Women's Federation's invitation; ACWF officials meet them at the airport and a fifth member will follow. Brief arrival notice, no programme given.
Gerwani delegation arrives in Beijing (Renmin Ribao, 11 July 1960)
Renmin Ribao, 11 Jul 1960, p. 6 (Xinhua): a four-member Gerwani delegation led by Mrs Suwarti arrives in Beijing by air at the All-China Women's Federation's invitation; ACWF officials meet them at the airport and a fifth member will follow. Brief arrival notice, no programme given.
Over ten thousand overseas Chinese hold memorial meeting in Cimahi (Renmin Ribao, 15 July 1960)
Renmin Ribao, 15 Jul 1960, p. 5 (Xinhua, Jakarta): over 15,000 ethnic Chinese hold a memorial in Cimahi, West Java, for Ye Jinniang and Yang Mumei, killed 3 July by West Java military during forced removals. Gerwani's Central Council and its Jakarta, Bandung, West and East Java and Cimahi branches sent representatives.
Over ten thousand overseas Chinese hold memorial meeting in Cimahi (Renmin Ribao, 15 July 1960)
Renmin Ribao, 15 Jul 1960, p. 5 (Xinhua, Jakarta): over 15,000 ethnic Chinese hold a memorial in Cimahi, West Java, for Ye Jinniang and Yang Mumei, killed 3 July by West Java military during forced removals. Gerwani's Central Council and its Jakarta, Bandung, West and East Java and Cimahi branches sent representatives.
Ashes of Yang Mumei and Ye Jinniang shipped home (Renmin Ribao, 21 July 1960)
Renmin Ribao, 21 Jul 1960, p. 5 (Xinhua, Jakarta): ceremony at Tanjung Priok on 18 July sending home the ashes of Yang Mumei and Ye Jinniang, ethnic Chinese women killed in West Java, with their families and 700 poor or displaced Chinese (Presidential Decree No. 10). Gerwani, SOBSI, BTI, Baperki's women's department an
Ashes of Yang Mumei and Ye Jinniang shipped home (Renmin Ribao, 21 July 1960)
Renmin Ribao, 21 Jul 1960, p. 5 (Xinhua, Jakarta): ceremony at Tanjung Priok on 18 July sending home the ashes of Yang Mumei and Ye Jinniang, ethnic Chinese women killed in West Java, with their families and 700 poor or displaced Chinese (Presidential Decree No. 10). Gerwani, SOBSI, BTI, Baperki's women's department an
Biographical Profiles of DPR-GR Members, Aug 1960
Compilation of US embassy Djakarta biographical despatches (2 Aug 1960) on members of the new Gotong Royong parliament. Contains profiles of Gerwani figures: Umi Sardjono (Gerwis then Gerwani chairwoman, WIDF delegate 1960), Francisca Fanggidaej (PKI women's group Gerwani board), Setiati Surasto (SARBUPRI, Gerwani link
Colonel in South Borneo 'suspends' PKI and Gerwani activity
De Waarheid, 26 Aug 1960, p. 1: report that the military commander of South Kalimantan, Colonel Hasan Basry, 'temporarily suspended' activities of the PKI and other organisations in the province, including SOBSI, Pemuda Rakjat, the BTI peasant front, the women's organisation Gerwani and a cultural body, saying PKI ideo
A letter from Indonesia to the Dutch Women's Movement (Gerwani reply)
De Waarheid, 29 Aug 1960, p. 2: publication of Gerwani's reply letter to the NVB, thanking Dutch women on behalf of its 710,000 members for their efforts to prevent sons being sent to West Irian, promising to publish the NVB letter in Indonesia and to keep working for peace. Prefaced by a note recalling Gerwani's teleg
Weekly Situation Reports on Indonesian Politics, September 1960
Compilation of Djakarta embassy weekly situation telegrams to the State Department, September 1960, on the army-Sukarno struggle over the PKI ban and a temporary ban on party activity. Gerwani is mentioned only in passing among PKI front organisations (with SOBSI, BTI) protesting bans.
FBIS, 11 September 1960: Indonesian women's delegation (Gerwani in Peking)
FBIS-monitored Xinhua item (11 Sep 1960): five members of the Indonesian Women's Movement (Gerwani) delegation, including Siti Asijah (surname OCR-garbled), arrived in Peking as the second group visiting China at the invitation of the PRC National Women's Federation; Wu Chuan-heng of the federation met them. Shows Gerw
Gerwani delegates arrive in Beijing (Renmin Ribao, 12 September 1960)
Renmin Ribao, 12 Sep 1960, p. 5 (Xinhua): the second group of the Gerwani delegation, Mrs Siti Aisjah Sediagraha and four others, arrives in Beijing at the All-China Women's Federation's invitation, welcomed by ACWF secretary Wu Quanheng. Brief arrival notice.