Blogger Indonesia of the Week (40): Nana Podungge

Blogger Indonesia of the Week (40): Nana Podungge

Notes of an Indonesian Feminist Blogger

If there’s a topic which is classic and everlasting it’s feminism. Feminism becomes a talking point since time immemorial because feminism does not only connote to a name of a gender, the opposite of male, the offsprings of Eve and the spouse of Adam. It also means mother of humanity without whom we, boys and girls, will never exist. Feminism can also mean struggle of women to achieve what they call “men discriminatory behaviour against women.”

The struggle towards freedom from men’s oppression; towards equality in terms of life, education, rights to choose whatever path they want to take, rights to be treated with respects by men, and many other things. You name it.Men with strong common sense will certainly agree with what women have been campaigning for all along in regard to feminism. Yet, like many other struggles and discourses, the purpose and meaning of feminism could be interpreted in many different ways including by women themselves. Different background and upbringing, level of education, diversity in geography and culture would ensure and shouldn’t suprise anyone to see the diverse opinion and school of thought on how far the feminism can and would go.

Nana Podungge’s– as a self-proclaimed feminist–opinions in her blog, therefore, should be read in this context.

For her, like any feminist, in fact as interpreted by many men as well, the paradigm of feminism is crystal clear that “… women are created equal to men, in all facets of life.”

When discussing and interpreting the nitty-gritty, however, the different interpretation start to surface even among the feminists themselves. In other words, if you, male or female, do not agree with a feminist on a particular issue, for example, it does not mean that you are not a feminist yourself or against the feminism.

What feminists ara trying to achieve in the long term? She has no doubt responding

…patriarchy has dominated this world since time immemorial, of course, we need a very long time to create a more equal community, not just in one decade, two decades, or even a century. It needs a daring and tireless effort from people who are concerned with that.

As far as Indonesia is concerned, she thinks feminism goes too slowly, because

Many men still are not ready to accept the fact that women are created equally with them, and they are supposed to work hand in hand to create that happiness for the two parties.

She’s also disappointed that Indonesian women themselves contribute in one way or another to that assumption in which she says

Even, many women still think that they are created to be inferior, that men were created to be leader while women follower; men the decision maker while women do the decision made; men the strong while women the weak; that men protector while women protected, etc.

Many interesting stuff she wrote in her blog, not only she’s so candid in telling stories and opinions but also is very frank from an Indonesian women standard. Agree or disagree aside, we have to acknowledge her honesty in expressing what she like to talk and her bravity in showing her true identity which, in my opinion, adds to her credibility.