Apr 03, 2022
Siti Latifah Herawati Diah's 105th Birthday
This Doodle’s Key Themes
Today’s Doodle celebrates the 105th Birthday of Siti Latifah Herawati Diah, a prominent Indonesian journalist. In 1955, she co-founded The Indonesian Observer, the first English-language newspaper in the country. As the only English publication in Indonesia for more than a decade, it captured the aspirations and hardships of a newly-independent nation for a global audience.
Herawati studied journalism at Barnard College in New York. After graduating she returned to Indonesia in 1942, shortly before the Indonesian National Revolution took hold, and became a reporter for the United Press International (UPI) newswire.
She married fellow journalist Burhanuddin Mohammad “BM” Diah, who later became the Minister of Information in 1968. Herawati used her diplomatic connections to protect Indonesian cultural monuments. She led the effort to declare the Borobudur Temple Compounds as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Herawati was also a strong advocate for women’s rights. She founded several women’s organizations, including the Women’s Voice Empowerment Movement, which mobilizes Indonesian women to vote.
Today’s artwork celebrates Herawati’s legacy and the path she paved for women in Indonesia.
Early drafts of the Doodle
Where this Doodle appeared
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