K'tut Tantri 1945.
It was a matter of time: Me in the role of the American K'tut Tantri .
In 2010 I never heard of her name before. But she is known in Surabaya and her biography is translated in many languages, but typically not available in Dutch.

K'tut Tantri means 'fourth child' in Balinese language. Her nickname was Surabaya Sue.
As the only Western woman she actively fought for the independence of Indonesia. The Dutch authorities were obviously not happy with her. Together with the enthusiastic Soetomo (greatly feared and hated by the Dutch at that time) she was trying to get attention for the war of independence which just started in autumn 1945. She gained international attention by telling the world on the radio about the horrific bombing of Surabaya which took the life of thousands innocent civilians.

Her life is as wonderful as it is fascinating. She was born in Hollywood and traveled in the early '30s as an artist to Bali, which was still quiet and authentic in that time. She drove into the unknown until she runs out of fuel. Her car just stopped before the palace of a Balinese kingdom. There she was warmly accepted as daughter and the prince called her his 'fourth child': K'tut Tantri. She stayed there for a few years and became close friends with Prince Anak Agung Nura. He was an intellectual, educated and spoke fluently English.

Then the Second World War started, which was a bad time for her: she was arrested by the Japanese and put in jail. K'tut got tortured, suffered from hunger and almost died.

When she finally was freed, everyone advised her to escape to Australia, but she refused and saw Indonesia as her destiny. She felt too attached and didn't want to let her friends down.