All About Indonesia

The old building on jalan Asia Afrika is getting a makeover. The walls are being repainted, the rooms inside being cleaned, old light fixtures being replaced. And on the outside, the sidewalk is unusually clean and adorned with brand new steet lights. The old building - Gedung Merdeka, the "Freedom Building" - looks young once again.

Built in 1895, Gedung Merdeka has a spesial history. Fifty years ago it was the scene of the first Asia-Africa Conference, which played a great role in changing the fates of many nations in Asia and Africa, especially those not yet independent back in 1955.

To prepare for the coming flashback to the 1955 Asia-Africa Conference, Gedung Merdeka is being thoroughly renovated. The most extreme change is in the interior: The conference halls are being restored to exactly as they were for the 1955 Conference. This year’s delegates will be able to indulge in nostalgia and re-experience the atmosphere of 1955.

To this end, the building, which is usually open as a museum, is closed to the public through May 2005. The old building seems lonely at the moment; no guests are comingto view the relic kept in the Asia-Africa Conference Museum

Gedung Merdeka has changed its function many times in its 110 years. It was first used as a coffe shop. Then, in 1928, it was remodelled by two Dutch architects and converted into a social hall for the Dutch community of Bandung, called Societeit Concordia.

Later, in 1955, when Bandung was chosen to host the Asia-Africa Conference, Indonesia first President, Ir. Soekarno, changed the old building’s name from SocieteitConcordia to Gedung Merdeka, the “Freedom Building” and the name has stuck ever since.

Before it was converted into a museum, Gedung Merdeka was used as a conference hall and as the office for various high state instutions. As the 25th anniversary of the first Asia Africa Conference approached, it was proposed that the building be established as the Asia-Africa Conference Museum, and as the peak of the 25th anniversary commemoration, Indonesia’s second President, Soeharto, inaugurated the Asia-Africa Conference Museum on the site.

The museum’s collection deals mainly with the conference held fifty years ago: Photographs, books, and a diorama portraying Soekarno giving his openingspeech at the conference, with the Vice President and five sponsoring Prime Ministers in the background.

The 1955 Asia-Africa Conference had a significantimpact on world events. Around 79 Countries achieved independencein the years following the conference. The indicates that the conference resolution, the Bandung Principles, was more than mere words on paper.

This evening, Bandung has just been drenched with rain. An elegant old building stands on one corner of Jalan Asia Africa. The glow from the streetlights around the building gives the building a majestic feel. The old building is ready to welcome her guests, who will give thanks for the conference held here fifty years ago that helped their nations to breathe the air of freedom.