Dinny, Weaving, and Women

Let me introduce you to a cheerful person: Dinny Jusuf. In 1988, she was a brilliant banker who took the position as the Assistant of Vice President Citibank Indonesia. One day, Dinny decided to quit. Rani, her second daughter needed full attention. “She is a genius. She always pushes me beyond my limit.”

Life opened a wider horizon for her, who was born in 1956. She was not just a rich madam in Menteng. In 1998, Dinny joined Suara Ibu Peduli (SIP), a women’s solidarity movement amidst the monetary crisis.

Many women in SIP experienced harassments, physical and sexual abuse. “I was in shock to witness their honesty. Their lives were far from easy, but they were all so strong.” Their strength inspired Dinny to be more of herself. “I became my authentic self.”

In 2004, after her second marriage with a prominent figure from Toraja, Dinny dedicated her life and heart for Toraja. “In Batutumonga, I felt like home.”

Her heart was torn to see children were born from migrant mothers who worked in Malaysia, Taiwan, etc. Most of these women were raped by their employers and came home with children. Her heart grew restless. What can she do?

In 2008, together with Ninju, her sister, Dinny initiated a fashion line called Toraja Melo (TM, melo means beautiful). She asked women in Toraja to weave. “It was not easy. Weaving was already long been abandoned.” Ups and downs were no news to her. “My savings were drained for numerous time. Hahaha.”

Now, Toraja Melo has already run for 11 years. A thousand weavers are involved. “They are very proud to see Toraja woven fabric reached in fashion shows in Jakarta such as in IFW 2019.” The customers of TM are also scattered all the way to Japan, Europe, and America.

Women of Toraja now have the options and income. Some young adolescent girls finance their own education. Together with Perempuan Kepala Keluarga (PEKKA), Dinny expanded her network to other female weavers in Lembata and Adonara in NTT.

Woven fabric for Dinny is just a tool to help her dive deeper into a more crucial issue, “Helping other women.”


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PUBLISHED BY Puan Indonesia
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