bandung spirit
BANDUNG SPIRIT
 Solidarity in Global Society
  
BANDUNG SPIRIT

Historically associated to the Asian-African Conference held in Bandung (West Java, Indonesia) in 1955, within the context of decolonisation and Cold War, Bandung Spirit can be summarised as a call for peaceful coexistence, for independence from the hegemony of any superpower and for building solidarities towards the weak and those being weakened by the world order of the day.


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55 BANDUNG 55 FOLLOW-UP
INDONESIA, MOROCCO AND OTHER EVENTS

Dear Friends,

I would like to share with you some information, impressions, ideas and suggestions related to the 55 BANDUNG 55 process.

INDONESIA EVENT

The 55 BANDUNG 55 inaugural events have taken place in a modest way as planned. I like to call it a "self-help" meeting due to the self-financing of all the participants, including the international ones, especially related to the international travel and local accommodation. 13 international participants took part in the event, fully or partially.

Besides the participants (whose immense contribution and active role were essential), several Indonesian institutions and individuals have made the event a success, thanks to their financial as well as in-kind contribution and their enthusiastic volunteers. They were Jakarta-based (ICRP, IPI, NBI, Creative Culture, Alumni of the Faculty of Psychology of the University of Indonesia,...), Bandung-based (Erwinthon Napitupulu, Dodo Juliman, Jehansyah Siregar, Sony Soeng, Museum of Asian-African Conference), and Yogyakarta-based (YPR, SEPI, CRCS, LKiS, Karta Pustaka, Papuan Students Association, Pandeyan Kampong Inhabitants,...).

The last session of the Yogyakarta conference was dedicated to a reflection and follow-up of the event. All the speakers affirmed the importance of DIVERSITY ISSUES as federating theme in our collective work for African-Asian development. Inspired by the event, HE Wenping (female) from China and Mussolini LIDASAN (male) from the Philippines expressed their wish to organise a conference on ethnic minorities respectively in a Chinese province inhabited by ethnic minorities and in Mindanao where the ethnic and religious problems remain unsolved since 400 years. When? We wait for their news.

Meanwhile, Elmostafa REZRAZI from Morocco announced the coming conference on "Les enjeux de la crise économique pour la coopération Afrique-Asie" to be held in Rabat on May 29 and 30, 2009. This was to be integrated into the 55 BANDUNG 55 process.

The session was followed in the evening by an informal meeting of all the international participants who affirmed THE NEED TO INSTITUTIONALISE OUR BANDUNG SPIRIT-BASED CIVIL SOCIETY MOVEMENT. It is necessary for a formal cooperation with other institutions, doing fund raising and making the movement stable and better organised. In accordance with the history of the movement, the head quarter of the organisation is ideally located in Bandung, while several focal points may be set-up in Africa, Asia and other parts of the world. Some names of the institution were proposed:
1. Bandung Spirit Institute/Association/Foundation
2. African-Asian Institute/Association/Foundation
3. African-Asian Institute/Association/Foundation "Bandung Spirit"
4. Bandung Spirit Institute/Association/Foundation of Africa-Asia

No decision has been taken. These ideas were supposed to be discussed by the ISC and other persons concerned through e-mail.

MOROCCO EVENT

The Morocco event was a full conference, without socio-cultural-historical immersion for the participants. It was also more formal with western style (jacket and tie for men), involving ambassadors and deputy ambassadors from some Asian countries (China, India, Japan, Korea) as speakers, besides some high personalities of Moroccan government and university lecturers.

At the end, the conference adopted the following recommendations:
1. Organisation of a series of African-Asian Fora
2. Adoption of 55 BANDUNG 55 commemoration in the agenda
3. Institutionalisation of African-Asian Institute/Association/Foundation based on Bandung Spirit
4. Publication of Bandung Spirit Book Series based on cooperation of several institutions as a tool of the movement
5. Creation of an academic degree in African and Asian universities specialised in African-Asian Exchanges
6. Formation of a Follow-up Committee for the African-Asian activities

The concretisation of those points was to be discussed through e-mail.

OTHER EVENTS RELATED TO 55 BANDUNG 55

1. AFRICAN-ASIAN CULTURAL EVENT
An African-Asian Cultural Event has taken place in Jakarta on June 30, 2009. Organised by NBI (Indonesian NGO working on cultural promotion) and supported by some private companies (Bank Mandiri, Garuda Food, Medco) and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the event consisted of an exhibition of African and Asian textiles, talk show, fashion show and African and Asians dances (Egypt, India, Indonesia, Japan). The event was opened by Mr. Joop Ave (high political personality, closed to Soekarno, an actor of Bandung Asian-African Conference 1955).

2. PAX ROMANA ICMICA CONFERENCE
As it was planned since the beginning of our discussion in the 55 BANDUNG 55 International Organising Committee, PAX ROMANA ICMICA CONFERENCE as part of the 55 BANDUNG 55 series of events was to be held in July 10-25, 2009 in Jakarta and Yogyakarta (Indonesia). Lawrencia KWARK, who is our ISC member, coordinates the conference. The theme of the conference corresponds perfectly to the theme of 55 BANDUNG 55: "TOWARD A NEW PARADIGM, SUSTAINABLE HUMAN DEVELOPMENT: WHAT PERSPECTIVES?"

SUGGESTIONS

Based on the recommendations adopted in Indonesia and Morocco, I would suggest that we work as priority on two points:

1. INSTITUTIONALISATION OF OUR BANDUNG SPIRIT-BASED CIVIL SOCIETY MOVEMENT
I would like to hear from you on:

a. The structure of institution.
 My idea is that the institution is structured by a Board of Founders, a Board of Directors and an Executive Body or a Secretariat. The Executive Body/Secretariat is to be set up in Indonesia, while the Board of Founders and the Board of Directors are to be filled in by African and Asian academics and activists of civil society organisations. What do you think?

b. The name of institution.
 What do you think of the names proposed above? Do you have any other proposal?c. The financing.
A fund is necessary, at least for the founding of a legal institution in Indonesia. As for the daily need, no big fund is needed. A small secretariat may be annexed to an existing institution.

2. 55 BANDUNG 55 SUMMIT
By chance, I am preparing a workshop on "SPIRITUAL DIVERSITY IN GLOBALISED SOCIETY: A Threat or a Chance for Transnational Religions? Some Issues and Cases from Asia and Europe" to be held in CRCS (Centre for Religious and Cross Cultural Studies), Gadjah Mada University, Yogyakarta, Indonesia, on July 6-8, 2010.

I think the scope of the workshop can be extended to Africa and other workshops on five dimensions of diversity in Africa and Asia (Culture, Ecology, Economy, Politics and Religion/Spirituality) may be organised as well. If this is the case, then we may develop these activities into a larger African-Asian event including cultural festival as the 55 BANDUNG 55 SUMMIT. We have more or less one year to prepare. What do you think? Do you have any other suggestion?

3. 55 BANDING 55 PRE-SUMMIT AND POST-SUMMIT
Of course, other events related to 55 BANDUNG 55 commemoration can be organised in Africa and Asia as 55 BANDUNG PRE-SUMMIT and POST-SUMMIT. I think for example of the OUAGADOUGOU ANNUAL CONFERENCE OF PANAFRICANISM in December 2009 and December 2010. There are also many events in Africa related to the commemoration of 50th anniversary of independence in 2010. So, any proposal on this matter is welcome.

That is all for a moment.
I am looking forward to hearing from you.
Thank you for your kind attention and collaboration.
All the best,
Darwis Khudori

darwis.khudori(at)univ-lehavre.fr