Museum Konferensi Asia Afrika

 

Museum Konferensi Asia Afrika is located in a building called Gedung Merdeka, owned by The Government of West Java Province.  It’s not only the contents of this museum that make it worth a visit, but also the building itself and the historical story behind it.

 

History :

 

The art deco design of this building was made by the famous Dutch architects: Van Gallen Last and C.P. Wolff Schoemaker in 1926. But the building was constructed in 1895 for the Sociëteit Concordia, Where the rich people from Bandung & and its neighbors, went to dance, enjoying art performances & to have dinner. During the Japanese occupation of Indonesia, the building was renamed Dai Toa Kaman and served as cultural centre.

 

After the Indonesian proclamation of Independence on 17 August 1945, the building was used as headquarters by the Indonesian independence fighters, against Japanese troops. After the recognition of Indonesian Independence by The Netherlands in 1949, and the formation of federal government of Negara Pasundan, Concordia building was once again used as public gathering hall, for art performances, parties, dances, and gala dinner.

 

This building became famous after an international conference named Asian-African Conference held in 1955. The conference was the first large-scale Asian–African or Afro–Asian Conference - also known as the Bandung Conference - consisting of Asian and African states, most of which were newly independent, which took place on April 18–24, 1955 in Bandung, Indonesia. The twenty-nine countries that participated at the Bandung Conference represented nearly one-fourth of the Earth's land surface and a total population of 1.5 billion people. The conference was organized by Indonesia, Burma, Pakistan, Ceylon (Sri Lanka), and India and was coordinated by general secretary of the Indonesian Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The conference’s stated aims were to promote Afro-Asian economic and cultural cooperation and to oppose colonialism or neocolonialism by either the United States or the Soviet Union in the Cold War, or any other imperialistic nations. The conference was an important step toward the crystallization of the Non-Aligned Movement.

 

Early in 1955, the building was renovated to meet international conference requirements, and renamed Gedung Merdeka (independence building). The building also served as Indonesian House of Representatives (MPR) convention building, before it was moved to Jakarta in 1971.

 

Activities :

 

The museum is exhibiting a collection of three-dimensional objects and documentary photographs from the PertemuanTugu (Monument Meeting), Colombo Conference event, the Conference of Bogor, and the Asian-African Conference in 1955. Regular Programs for the museum are: permanent exhibition, lectures, coaching, scouting, and cooperation. The museum facilities are: a permanent exhibition hall, temporary exhibition space, audio visual, film screenings, auditorium, library, collections storage space, and administrative space.

 

Address :

Jl. Asia Afrika No. 65, Bandung - 40111, Jawa Barat, Indonesia

 

Phone :

(022) 4233564/ 4238031, Fax. (022) 4238031

 

GPS Coordinate :

Latitude = -6.921027

Longitude = 107.610027

 

Opening Times :

Monday - Friday, At 08:00 AM to 3:00 PM

Saturdays, Sundays and Public Holidays Closed

 

Ticket Price :

Free