ROEHANA KUDUS

Bab 1

preliminary

Rohana Kudus was a female figure from West Sumatra who published the Soede Melajoe
women's newspaper in 1912. He also championed the education of women in Minangkabau by
building a craft school of Amai Setia and Roehana School. He is called a figure who managed to
voice change for women.

Bab 11

content

Rohana Kudus was a female figure from West Sumatra who published the Soede Melajoe
women's newspaper in 1912. He also championed the education of women in Minangkabau by
building a craft school of Amai Setia and Roehana School. He is called a figure who managed to
voice change for women.
Rohana Kudus was born in Koto Gadang, Agam District, West Sumatra, on December 20, 1884
and died on 17 August 1972 in Jakarta. His father was named Mohamad Rasjad Maharadja
Soetan while his mother was named Kiam. Holy name itself is taken from the name of her
husband, Abdul Kudus. Rohana Kudus is also the half-brother (half-brother) of Sutan Sjahrir.
Her father married Sjahrir's mother after her mother died. Rohana is also Haji Agus Salim's
cousin, because of Rohana's grandfather and Agus Salim's siblings. He also has a nephew of the
famous poet Chairil Anwar.

Since childhood Rohana greeted with the call "One" by his father and his younger siblings. He
did not go to school, because generally Minangkabau women were not sent to formal school. Yet
he likes to learn by reading books and newspapers. Since the age of 8 he has been adept at
writing in Malay, Arabic, and Malay Arabic and the activity continues until adulthood. From a
neighbor who is a wife of a Dutch official Rohana taught women skills such as sewing,
embroidery, crochet, knitting. Not only that, Rohana was introduced to various magazines in
Dutch.

At the age of 24 Rohana was married to Abdul Kudus, her father's niece. He is an activist and
notary who often writes criticism of the Dutch government in local newspapers. Her husband is a
forward-thinking person. He strongly supports Rohana's ideals to promote Minangkabau women.
At that time to advance women in West Sumatra was not an easy thing.

In 1911 Rohana founded the Amai Setia Craft School, a skill school for women to read and
write, sew, embroider. There is also taught general knowledge and knowledge of religion.
Rohana saw that at that time there was no special newspaper for women in Minangkabau. So he
sent a letter of supplication to the editor of Oetoesan Melajoe, Datuk Sutan Maharadja. Rohana
asked Sutan to be willing to fund the establishment of a newspaper for women in Minangkabau.
The forward-thinking Sutan Maharadja was impressed with Rohana's letter until he went to
Rohana to discuss the first publication of the paper.

The newspaper is called Soenting Melajoe for Malay women. Edit itself means women. Here
Rohana becomes editor in chief with the help of Ratna Djuwita who is the son of Datuk Sutan
Maharadja. In this newspaper Rohana highlights the lives of women. He also rejected polygamy
because it would harm women and families.
In 1916 Rohana was subjected to many trials, ranging from allegations of corruption to
accusations of having an affair with Dutch officials. As a result of embezzlement he was almost
removed from his position as a director at the Amai School and several times had to attend the
trial. Although this allegation is not proven, Rohana refused to re-occupy his position at Amai
School. He chose to move to Bukittinggi and set up a school there called Roehana School. This
time Rohana also taught the boys.

Until the old age, Rohana often moved to follow her only child, Djasma June. He once traveled
to Lubuk Pakam and Medan and led the Women's Movement newspaper. When he returned to
Padang he became editor of the Radio Newspapers published by the Chinese-Malays in Padang.
He is also the editor of the Cahaya Sumatera newspaper.

Two years after he died Rohana was awarded by West Sumatra Regional Government as the first
journalist. In 1987 the Advisory Council of Indonesian Journalists Association gave him the title
of pioneering press award.

Bab III

Conclusion

Roehana is a woman who has a strong commitment to education especially for women. In his
day Roehana was one of the few women who believed that discrimination against women,
including the opportunity to get an education, was arbitrary and had to be resisted. With
Roehana's brilliance, courage, sacrifice and struggle against injustice to change the fate of
women.

Although Roehana could not get a formal education but he studied with his father, a Dutch
government official who always brought Roehana reading material from the office. High desire
and spirit of learning makes Roehana quickly master the material taught by his father.