Ruhana Kuddus

Ruhana Kuddus was a pioneer of women's emancipation and journalism in Indonesia. She was born in a village in West Sumatra in 1884, where she learned to read and write in Arabic, Jawi, and Latin scripts from her father and neighbors. She was interested in teaching girls and women skills beyond their household duties, such as crafts, reading, and writing. She married Abdoel Koeddoes, a notary public, in 1908, who supported her efforts in education and journalism. She started writing for Poetri Indonesia, a women's newspaper published by Tirto Adhi Soerjo, another national hero and the father of Indonesian journalism, in 1908. After Poetri Indonesia was banned by the Dutch colonial government, she founded Soenting Melajoe, a weekly newspaper for women and edited by women, in 1912. She served as the chief editor until 1920 and continued to write for various publications until the 1940s. She also established two private schools for girls: Kerajinan Amai Setia in Koto Gadang in 1911 and the Roehana School in Bukittinggi in 1916. She advocated for girls' schooling, women's rights, and social justice in her writings and activities. She was recognized as a national hero by President Joko Widodo in 2019. She died in Jakarta in 1972 due to illness and was buried at the Karet Bivak Cemetery.