On the 50th anniversary of Bandung, leaders from over 100 nations sign a declaration on a new African-Asian strategic partnership,writes Gamal Nkrumah The spectre of the tyranny of Western hegemony over world affairs has haunted the peoples of Africa and Asia since the earliest days of colonialism in the age of mercantile capitalism and adventurous European seafarers. The predatory habits of the West go back a long way. The vast natural resources of the two continents were long exploited for the enrichment of Europe. After utterly destroying the once thriving Indian textile industry, Britain sparked its own industrial revolution. The pirates of yesteryear have metamorphosed into the foreign investors of today. Pejoratively designated "third world", the countries of Africa and Asia have struggled to shake off the legacy of colonialism and European domination. The leaders of the newly independent nations of Africa and Asia battled to improve the standards of living of their people, eradicate poverty, malnutrition and illiteracy. The people of the two continents share a painful past as colonial subjects. But, Asia has made significant gains. Africa, for the most part, has failed miserably to lift its peoples out of the morass of destitution and underdevelopment. In Asia, on the other hand, such efforts have yielded impressive results and its ability to haul itself back from the brink of destruction has left a deep impression on Africa. Two Asian economic giants -- China and Japan -- have been conducting regular economic summits with African countries. Those meetings have proved to be most fruitful. However, income disparities within the developing Asian countries are enormous. In countries with rapid economic growth rates, such as India and China, the gap between rich and poor is fast widening. Asia is still the world's second poorest continent, and there remain wide discrepancies in the economic performances of Asian countries. Asia's emerging economic prowess is a test for global economic openness. And, Asia's newfound fortunes bring hope to Africa, a continent that deserves fairer treatment from the international community. Thanks to the genius of the founding fathers of the Non-Aligned Movement (NAM), the positive legacy of Bandung lasted throughout the Cold War years. The leaders who gathered in Bandung were a breed apart. They exuded an irresistible charisma that galvanised their long- suffering peoples. However, these larger-than- life leaders are long gone, and the challenges they so valiantly strove to obliterate are still with us. Today, the movement stands at a crossroads. If ever a venerable international institution needed preservation, the NAM the leaders of the then nascent nation-states of Asia and Africa created was it. The vast majority of the peoples of poor and indebted countries are still stuck in the mire of backwardness and underdevelopment. And, lest we forget, the developing countries of the South still continue to be treated as if they were the scum of the earth. What NAM pointed out 50 years ago, and what remains the issue today, is that the underdogs deserve better. Africa's economic demise has been the harshest test yet of the high ideals of Bandung 1955. In the face of the enormous challenges facing Africa, the need to redress the mistakes of the past has never been clearer. While the gruff, rather abrasive Mugabe lambasted Western powers -- denouncing the United States' "deceptive policies" in Iraq, and calling Britain a "neo-imperialist state" for meddling in his country's domestic affairs at Bandung 2005 -- other more level-headed African leaders were far more restrained. Yet, many of Africa's -- and Asia's -- leaders concurred with Mugabe, well-aware that dealing with the West, not always on an equal footing, is an unpalatable but permanent fixture of Pax Americana. They also realise that maintaining social order through faster economic growth rates is an absolute necessity. Africa and Asia may see eye to eye on many issues, but their interests are not always the same. For the sake of enlightened economic self-interest they must, however, work more closely together. The spluttering democracies of Africa are grappling with many challenges and are working against ominous odds -- HIV/AIDS, crippling debt, illiteracy and ruinous brain drain. At the same time, another trend is clouding Africa's economic malaise: civil wars and political instability. Nevertheless, many African countries have adopted democratic forms of good governance and today acknowledge the sanctity of respect for human rights. They are also well aware that war and insecurity are more likely to impede economic growth and dash hopes for economic prosperity. Ultimately, Africa's democratic experiment cannot be successful unless a stable economy is achieved; wealth creation fosters political stability and security. At the Bandung 2005 summit, African and Asian leaders vowed to stem capital flight from the poorest countries. They also tackled the debt crisis and urged the rich nations to write-off Africa's debt. Japan pledged to double its overseas assistance to Africa in the next three years and to increase trade and humanitarian assistance to the impoverished continent. In sync with the sweet melodies of Javanese music, the Bandung 2005 summit commenced without many hiccups. Harking back to the spirit of Bandung 1955, dignitaries were serenaded with traditional Indonesian tunes. Gathering at the birthplace of the NAM, representatives of more than 100 African and Asian countries ended the summit on Sunday with promises to boost economic relations and counter the threat of globalisation. Critics have bemoaned the NAM's lack of achievement. But at least the NAM has maintained its unity despite fractious tendencies, although the movement will continue to face problems. Many African and Asian leaders have trouble building credibility at home. Economic nationalism in Asia threatens to derail economic gains. The passing of time has not erased old enmities. The bitterness and rancour as in the row between China and Japan is a case in point. Japanese Prime Minister Junichiro Koizomi and China's President Hu Jintao met last Saturday on the sidelines of the African-Asian summit in a last-ditch attempt to defuse tensions over Japan's wartime record. Other Asian nations took the opportunity to mend fences: North and South Korea reportedly agreed to resume stalled bilateral talks. In the end common sense has prevailed. Asian and African leaders have vowed to strengthen economic relations and agreed on closer political collaboration. Dozens of dignitaries showed up in Bandung. Apart from Koizumi and Hu Jintao, Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, South African President Thabo Mbeki and United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan among others gathered to sign the summit declaration. "We come here today to remember and honour but also to reaffirm, to rejuvenate," Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono told the delegates in Bandung. "We will pull together the ... tremendous creative energies of Asia and Africa to solve some of the most persistent problems of development we are facing," he added. Speaking on behalf of Asian countries, Singh called for the UN to give the developing world a greater voice in international affairs and for the countries themselves to revive NAM. "Just as NAM played a central role in the struggle for political emancipation in the past, we need to revitalise this movement to make it a vehicle for rapid social and economic transformation," Singh said. Singh, perhaps mindful of New Delhi's ambitions for a permanent seat on the UN Security Council, reiterated NAM was -- and would remain -- a legitimate and effective instrument with which developing countries could press for the "democratisation" of world players including the UN and the International Monetary Fund (IMF). International institutions needed to be pressurised, he added, to restructure their policies to make them more democratic and sensitive to the needs of the developing world. "We must ensure the global trading system is made more sensitive to the needs and aspiration of poorer countries," he added. However, he also pointed out, "We must realise that if development is to be sustainable, it cannot be transplanted from without [outside]. It must be intrinsic and appropriate to our societies." On Saturday, African and Asian countries represented at Bandung endorsed a "New African- Asian Strategic Partnership." The new partnership calls for closer economic and social integration and stepped up cooperation in the fight against poverty, corruption and terrorism. Delegates also called for reform in the UN and a peaceful settlement of the Palestine question. "The Palestinian issue still awaits a just solution that would provide the Palestinians with the rights that other nations enjoy, along with their right to a stable, independent state," Egypt's Foreign Minister Ahmed Abul-Gheit emphasised. There was no shortage of crude, politically- motivated speeches. It would be rash, however, to assume that all is well, and it is hard not to be sceptical when some African and Asian leaders act as oppressively as the colonial authorities behaved. Some like Nepalese King Gyanendra used their speeches to defend usurping power and Sudan denied that it had instigated bloodshed in its war-torn Darfur region. On an upbeat note, President Mbeki spoke of "the victorious struggles waged by those whom the colonisers had defined as sub-human." Perhaps things will be more telling this time round. "There is no doubt that we can report to our people that we are today stronger than we were 50 years ago... Surely the objectives we seek to achieve demand of us that we should be frank and open about the reality we face, estimate our capabilities as accurately as possible and set ourselves achievable goals consistent with a vision spelt-out by the giants who met in Bandung." Additional reporting by Rajeshree Sisodia from New Delhi & Magda El-Ghitany in Cairo
