Women On The Rise
More than a century after the national struggle against colonialism was first launched, many Indonesians today remain oppressed by a different kind of scourge: poverty and ignorance. A number of women felt compelled to fight this modern-day 'oppression, each in their own different way. In Poso, Central Sulawesi province, Lian Gogali built a school for women, to treat them from the trauma of the areas recent bloody communal coflict. Artist Lena Simanjuntak commits her time and energy to help marginalized groups to speak up for their rights, through theater classes she has organized in Aceh, Poso and lately, in Biak, Papua. Meanwhile, philanthropist Nila Tanzil has built 24 reading rooms throughout the island of Flores, filling them with books for the children to learn from. In celebration of National Awakening Day on May 20, Tempo English pays tribute to these and other courageous and selfless women.
June 6, 2012
School of Peace
Lian Gogali has been promoting religious tolerance and understanding to Poso women traumatized by religious conflict. She has received an international award for her efforts.
Eighty women roared with laughter in the cottage of Siuri Pamona, in Tentena, Central Sulawesi. Some shared hugs. In the corner, several ladies held hands, sharing news on each others lives. Conversations were neverending. "Some cried, fearing they would not see
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