AT THE RENDEZVOUS OF DECOLONIZATION

Abstract

Abstract This article examines the 1955 Asian-African Conference held in Bandung, Indonesia with a particular focus on contextualizing its final commuiqué, a key document of the early postcolonial period. Although the Bandung meeting became and important symbol of Third World solidarity by serving as a precursor or the Non-Aligned Movement, the escalating politics of the Cold War equally compromised its aims. Acknowledging this complexity provides insight the challenges faced by postcolonial countries in the aftermath of mid-twentieth-century decolonization, armid stated ideals of anti-imperialism, economic and cultural exchange, and world peace. Keywords: BandungdecolonizationAfro-Asianismnon-alignmentCold War Notes 1Mandela is speaking on the occasion of the founding of the New Asian-African Strategic Partnership (NAASP) in 2005. See R. M. Marty and M. Natalegawa (eds) Asia, Africa, Africa, Asia: Bandung, Towards the First Century (Jakarta: Department of Foreign Affairs, Republic of Indonesia, 2005), p. 103. 2For the NAASP, which South Africa, a country that did not officially participate in the original Bandung meeting, has taken a lead in overseeing, consult www.naasp.gov.za/index.html. 3For a recent study of the 'global colour line' from another vantage point, see Lake and Reynolds (Citation2008). 4Both the Soviet Union and China became involved in its activities, though AAPSO continues to this day. See www.aapsorg.org/site/docs/index.htm.