January 8, 2010 -- Jalan Asia-Afrika road in Bandung, West Java Province of Indonesia, sits an edifice named The Museum of Asian-African Conference.

It contains relics of the historic conference that was attended by 29 countries in Bandung City, April 18 through 24, 1955, which signalled the beginning of an enduring relationship between the people of African continent and their Asian counterparts.    

In attendance were delegates from Ethiopia, Gold Coast (now Ghana), Libya, Sudan, Liberia, Egypt, Afghanistan, Burma, Cambodia, Ceylon, China and Iran. Others were Japan, Iraq, Jordan, Laos, Lebanon, Nepal, Pakistan, Philippines, Saudi Arabia, Syria, Thailand, Turkey, Vietnam (both South and North), Yemen and the host, Indonesia.    

Determined to keep the memory of the historic conference alive, the Indonesian government on April  24, 1980 established and inaugurated the museum of the Asian-African Conference in Bandung to mark its silver jubilee anniversary. The inauguration was performed by the then helmsman of Indonesia, President Soeharto.    

Conducting Nigerian Compass around the museum during a visit by a team of journalists to Indonesia,  Publication and Information officer at the museum, Ms. Yuliani Augustina said the facility, while serving for the preservation of the vestiges of the historic conference was also established to “save, collect, protect, manage and present for the public, all the information related to the Asian-African Conference,” which have connection to the social and cultural lives of Asian and African nations.

Other goals of the museum are “to collect, manage and present for the public all the books, magazines, newspapers and other documents containing details and information of the activities of society and culture of the Asian-African nations.” And “to support efforts in developing national culture and education of the young generation as well as promote tourism.”   

Within the museum there is an exhibition room, a library that provides books on history, social, political and cultural highpoints of Asia and Africa as well as the 1955 conference and its preliminaries. There is also a photographs gallery.    

Museum of the Asian-African Conference’s a permanent exhibition room, exhibits collections of three-dimension objects and documentary photos of such equally land-marking events as the Tugu Meeting, Colombo Conference, and Asian-African Conference 1955.

The edifice also houses an audiovisual room. Built in 1985, the room is used for the screening of documentary films on world condition until 1950s as well as film materials from the conference and its preliminary meetings.

Ocassionally, the audiovisual room which contains profiles of the Asian and African countries, biography of the 1955 meetings delegates, as well as film projector and screen, and Plasma Television that is used to show documentary to visitors especially the 15-minutes documentary entitled, The Birth of Bandung Spirit, features films about the culture of the countries of Asia and Africa. It also contains audio equipment that plays the original voice of President Soekarno while delivering his opening speech at the 1955 conference.   

The exhibition room also provides: the historical events that gave background to the Asian- African Conference; the effect of the Asian-African Conference to the world; and profiles of the participant countries of the conference that are presented in multimedia format.   

Ahead the 50th Anniversary of the Asian-African Conference of April 2005, renovation work was done on the Permanent Exhibition entitled, ‘The History of the Asian African Conference 1955.’    

The country’s Department of Foreign Affairs plans to develop the Museum of the Asian African Conference to become a symbol of cooperation between two regions and develop it as a study center with strenghtened archive and global documentation center. The project is already on-going. One of its main thrusts is to make some permanent exhibition rooms showcase some pictures and three dimension objects relating to the New Asian African Strategic Partnership (NAASP) while also serving materials that describe the culture of both regions.     

The very dynamic library provides books on history, socio-politic subjects and culture of the Asian African Countries and others. Documents of the Asian-African Conference and its preliminary conferences; magazines and newspapers donated from other institutions or gained by purchase are also on the shelves. 

Along with the extension of the permanent exhibition rooms, the library since 2008 is being developed as an Asian African Library Center so as to serve as main source of information about those two regions. Beyond books the library equally provides some facilities such as wifi zone, bookshop café, digitall library and audio-visual library services.    

Ever since the inauguration of the museum in 1980, Bandung has witnessed an influx tourists especially from Africa and Asia alike. According to the Information officer leaders of state as well as prominent sons and daughters of the two continents regularly pay visit to the museum.    

In 2005, 104 countries from the two global regions converged again in Bandung to commemorate the golden jubilee anniversary of the Asian-Africa Conference. Former President of Nigeria, Chief Olusegun Obasanjo was among those who attended.    

Other eminent Africans and Asians that have also visited the museum include former United Nations Secretarys General, Boutros Boutros Ghali and Kofi Annan; Chinese Prime Ministers, Li Peng and Hu Jintao and Indian Prime Minister, Manmohan Singh.     

The museum also has such names as the immediate past Japanese Prime Minister, Junichiro Koizumi, Swaziland’s Prime Minister, Absolomi Dlamini, Tunisian Prime Minister, Mohammed Ghannoudi and Netherlands’ Prince Claus and Beatrix in their guests list.    

Beyond the global tourism destination it has become, the mythical Museum of The Asian-African Conference’s clout is strenghtened by the historical impact of the event that gave birth to it. The April 1955 conference in Bandung touted as the forerunner to the fall of European colonisation in the two continents, “gained a big success both in formulating common concerns and in preparing operational guidance for cooperation among Asian and African nation as well as in creating world order and world peace,”  states the authorities of the museum.

The conference’s resolution was the document dubbed, Dasasila Bandung, which became the guideline for the colonised countries in fighting for their independence. It also became the fundamental principles in promoting world peace and international cooperation.    

“The success of the conference was not only for the time being but also for the time after so that the soul and spirit of the Asian-African Conference becomes one of the most important factor that decide world history.” 

Indonesians therefore deem the monument and its exhibits a huge prestige  as it shows that “the spirit of Bandung had succeeded in widening the work volume among Asian and African nations.” As a consequence, their country’s role in influencing and cementing international cooperation as well as continental alliance.   

The museum also has memories of the globally powerful Non-Aligned Movement of the Cold War era. In 1992 Indonesia hosted the 10th Summit of the Non-Aligned Movement. And a diorama of the 1955 Asia Africa Nations Conference was a thrill of the summit’s opening session. Indonesia also became the leader of the Non-Aligned Movement. 

In the country, Bandung is considered a capital city and a source of inspiration for the Asian-African nations. (compass news)