The Bandung Vision

From April 18-24, 1955, a historic meeting of world leaders took place in the capital city of West Java (Indonesia), although you'll have to look hard to find mention of it in contemporary history books. The Bandung Conference brought together high-profile delegations from 29 nations, mainly African and Asian. The aim was two-fold: to exercise an independent voice for those nation-states recently freed of colonial domination, and to create a vision for the world that could provide a viable alternative to a Cold War rhetoric that was beginning to heat up and divide the world dangerously into polarized camps: good guys and bad guys, capitalism and communism, us and them.

The tone of the conference was established in the Welcome and Opening Address, delivered by Indonesia's President Sukarno. Speaking to the first aim, he boldly declared, "This is the first intercontinental conference of coloured peoples in the history of mankind."  A few minutes later, addressing the second aim, he said, "We can mobilise all the spiritual, all the moral, all the political strength of Asia and Africa on the side of peace." At its closing ceremony, three days later, a joint communique was released which became known as The Declaration of Ten Principles--a document that affirms territorial integrity of nation-states, mutual non-aggression, equality of races, and the purposes and principles of the 1945 Charter of the United Nations.

Admittedly, there were problems and tensions at the Conference. The Korean War and the ongoing crisis in Palestine served as a troubling historical backdrop to the proceedings. In addition, the question of Kashmir proved sensitive for the Indian Prime Minister, Jawaharlal Nehru. Moreover, the presence of the charismatic Chinese leader, Chou En-Lai, provoked misgivings amongst the less glamorous Soviet delegation. Nevertheless, transcending these differences and splits, what emerged from the Conference was a unified vision and spirit that was intended to pull the world together rather than allow it to break into two mutually-incompatible political blocs.

Speaking at the recently-held 50th. anniversary of the Bandung Conference, one commentator assessed its enduring legacy in the following glowing terms: "One day, when history shall be written at last by those who make it--the teeming billions of the oppressed and exploited--the Bandung Afro-Asian Summit held in April 1955 shall be remembered as one of those glorious moments when the weak and small gathered together in solidarity to speak as one against the big and mighty."

How ironic, then, that this historic moment continues to be mostly forgotten in our collective memory. How tragic that we now find ourselves locked into a world mindset  polarized along similar lines to that of the Cold War era (you're either for us or against us, freedom-lovers versus hate-mongers, civilization versus terrorism).  True, there are still reasons to be hopeful that the Bandung vision plays a role in today's world: the annual World Social Forum is, undoubtedly, a descendant of Bandung, as are prominent Non-Governmental Organizations such as Oxfam International and Amnesty International (both driven by a concern for humanitarinsim and an embrace of political non-alignment).

But it's difficult to maintain much hope when our leaders continually assert that the war on terrorism is endless and that it is fuelled by fundamental clashes of ideology and faith. This makes for a dark, visionless world, the very antithesis of Bandung's generous spirit.