Intercontinental Relations: The Asian African Friendship Day

On 28 May 2022, the Asian African Conference Museum in Bandung held an event commemorating the 67th Anniversary of the Asian African Conference called Asian African Friendship Day: International Students Gathering: "Developing Creative Economy in Asia and Africa for Global Economic Recovery."

Inviting several public figures, professors, and student delegates from more than 20 Asian African countries, this event is created to celebrate the friendship of Asian and African countries, bringing the representatives closer and making new connections for further cooperation in the sociocultural political aspects.

Simultaneously held on both direct and virtual platforms, the event focused its rundown on three public discussions, each with different topics and panellists. Despite their differences, the subjects have a mutual theme: economics---tackling how Asian African countries could strengthen their economic relationships by creating more creative endeavours in their respective markets.

Special remarks were given by the Mayor of Bandung, H. Yana Mulyana., and the Director-General for Information and Public Diplomacy of Indonesia, Dr. Teuku Faizasyah. They showed their constant pride in the event and Bandung as a historical city. The remarks were followed by a keynote speech from Abdul Kadir Jailani, the Director-General for Asia-Pacific and African Affairs of Indonesia, giving his expertise in the Asian African exchange of ideas and multilateral cooperation.

The Asian African Universities Delegates (Source: UPNVJ International Office Archive)

Several students who attended the event also showed their interest by asking questions as part of their participation. Their engagements made the event successful in proving the long-term friendship of Asian African countries. Zaidan Akbar Fahlevi, one of the student delegates from UPN Veteran Jakarta, also showed interest in the event.

"It was a huge opportunity for students from both continents to build a connection with each other," he said. "The common knowledge about African countries isn't widely known in Indonesia. There's still lots of prejudice regarding African countries, which, I believe, highlights the importance of this event."

Fahlevi believes that with the world's understanding being western-centric, this event could explain that Asian African countries won't be as successful without the political relationships that happened in the past. He's fascinated with the potential that both continents hold.