The spirit of Bandung and the struggle for freedom in South Africa

Abstract

This paper analyses the work of a conference that took place in April 1955 at Bandung, Central Jawa, Indonesia. The conference was and is still an important event in the lives of the oppressed people. Representatives came from 29 African and Asian underdeveloped countries. They came to promote economic and cultural co-operation and to oppose colonialism. Most of the Afro-Asian and international conflicts were on the agenda. The conference finally agreed on 10 principles as an orientation for the formation of their mutual internal relationships, which includes respecting sovereignty and territorial integrity of nations, equality of all races and all nations, mutual agreement on non-intervention into internal affairs and non-violent conflict solutions. This paper seeks to evaluate the work on Bandung and suggests a way forward to the 50th anniversary of the conference that will take place in 2005.