Soviet Woman, 30 November 1954: 'Our Guests' (delegasi wanita Indonesia pertama di Uni Soviet)

=== [PDF page 1] === O U R G U E S T S A rousing welcome awaited this group of smiling women as they landed at the Moscow air port— the first Indonesian women's delegation to visit the Soviet Union. A little fair-haired girl went up to the group, which was headed by Mrs. Sastrohusodo Andreas, and saying, "This is from the children of the So viet Union," presented them with flowers. The Indonesian visitors were warmly received wherever they went during their tour of the U.S.S.R. Mrs. Olive V. Cox with pupils of the Zoya Kosmode myanskaya School, Moscow In our next issue we shall print an article by Mrs. Supardjo, from Java, about the delegation's stay in the Soviet Union. A Rumanian women's delegation consisting of a textile worker, a children's doctor, a writer, a chairman of a collective farm, and women's organizers, visit ed Moscow, Stalingrad, Lenin grad, and the Moldavian Soviet Socialist Republic recently. They had friendly talks with Soviet people at factories and collective farms, children's institutions and exhibitions. W e met our Rumanian friends at the U.S.S.R. Agricultural Exhi bition as they were walking in the Michurin Garden and singing the folk song "Marinike." They spent hours in the Mechaniza tion and Electrification Pavilion. For Peace and Friendship Mrs. Olive V. Cox, head of a British women's dele gation which visited the Soviet Union at the end of September, shared some of her impressions of this country with a “Soviet Woman" correspondent in an interview granted on the eve of her departure for home. Mrs. Cox is a councillor of the Metropolitan borough of Stoke Newington, London. "One can never go by hearsay," Mrs. Cox said. "To come to know a strange country one must see it for oneself. When I left London I knew very little about your country, and I came here to form some idea of what it was like and to learn more about your people. Now, if I should be asked how Soviet people live and work, I shall be able to answer the question. "I shall never forget my meetings with Soviet chil dren. They are charming and friendly. In Minsk, a lit tle girl came up to me and, removing a badge depict ing the dove of peace which she had been wearing, pinned it on my lapel. My visit to a Moscow school was a very interesting one. When we asked a tenthgrade schoolgirl whether they were familiar with Eng lish literature, she promptly mentioned Shakespeare, Shaw, Thackeray, Galsworthy and Charlotte Bronte. "The friendly atmosphere we found everywhere sprang up of itself, from the very hearts of your peo ple. On this score I have not the slightest doubt. "I shall take advantage of this opportunity to say to the readers of "Soviet Woman" that we women of Britain, irrespective of our political opinions and affil iations, want everlasting peace and friendship among the nations, and would like to see our two countries trade with each other. W e both need lasting peace and friendship. I have no greater wish than this.” "W e shall never forget what we've seen here,” said Stela Enescu, the head of the delegation and Chairman of the Rumanian Democratic Women's Committee. The Soviet Women's Antifascist Committee also played host to a women's delegation from Albania. The group, headed by Yito Kapo, ViceChairman of the Albanian Women's Union, spent several days in Yerevan, the capital of the Arme nian Soviet Socialist Republic, and made a trip to Stalingrad. Besides seeing the sights of Stalin grad, they were entertained at his home by a local worker, P. Vakulenko. The Soviet women have also exchanged dele gations with the women of Israel. "W e have seen for ourselves how much the Soviet people want peace,” the Israeli women's delegation to the U.S.S.R., which was headed by Esther W ilenska, member of the Israeli Parliament, declared in their statement. "The So viet Union is systematically and consistently championing on the international arena the cause of peace and the independence of all nations, big and small." Besides seeing Moscow and Leningrad, the delegation made a trip down the Volga-Don Canal. They visited a synagogue and a Russian Ortho dox church, and looked over the Moscow State University and the Moscow Underground. Mes s age of Gr eet i ng In this leather-bound folder of fine parchment we read the heartfelt words: "W e, the hosiery workers of Mansfield, Nottingham shire, England, greet the women of the Soviet Union with our warmest fraternal greetings in the spirit of international trade-union solidarity. W e believe that only by developing the knowledge of and under standing between our two peoples can we both play our part in helping to solve our future problems, and above all in the maintenance of Peace. "Long live the friendship and solidarity between the women of Britain and the Soviet Union!" The message of greeting was brought by Ida Hackeft, a member of the recent British women's delega tion. She is a hosiery worker from a Mansfield factory, a member of the National Union of Hosiery Workers, shop steward, and secretary of the factory committee. itwr» fhtfcnt b tT w m ffu<- ®Wmii Knfrwi sScwfftakW!