Skip to main content
The meaning of the Bandung conference
The non-alignment and the South-South co-operation that started at Bandung has never been about shutting others out, but allowing the global majority to develop its own path, free of exploitation and interference, writes ROGER McKENZIE
The meaning of the Bandung conference

THE 1955 landmark Bandung Conference is still having a major impact on international foreign policy thinking nearly 70 years later.

The conference, held in Bandung, Indonesia, brought together representatives from 29 African, Asian and Middle Eastern countries in one of the first major transnational expressions of opposition to racism and colonialism.

Participants at Bandung represented countries such as Egypt, China, India and, of course, Indonesia.

Support the Morning Star
You have reached the free limit.
Subscribe to continue reading.
More from this author
11 - black workers
Features / 16 April 2025
16 April 2025
From the TUC Race Relations Committee to national union treasurers, a new generation of formidable black women leaders are breaking barriers and transforming the movement through uncompromising politics, writes ROGER McKENZIE
17-10-1989 of (L-R) Former World Heavyweight Champions Joe F
Obituary / 24 March 2025
24 March 2025
ROGER McKENZIE writes about late boxing legend Foreman’s legacy, from his part in Rumble in the Jungle to becoming world heavyweight champion at 45
AFRICAN HERO: A Walter Rodney poster in Georgetown, Guyana
Features / 20 March 2025
20 March 2025
The Guyanese scholar’s groundbreaking work revealed how Europe deliberately underdeveloped Africa while using its resources and people to fuel Western capitalism, writes ROGER MCKENZIE
Plenary session during the Bandung Conference
Features / 9 January 2025
9 January 2025
China’s huge growth and trade success have driven the expansion of the Brics alliance — now is a good time for the global South to rediscover 1955’s historic Bandung conference, and learn its lessons, writes ROGER McKENZIE
Similar stories
Plenary session during the Bandung Conference
Features / 9 January 2025
9 January 2025
China’s huge growth and trade success have driven the expansion of the Brics alliance — now is a good time for the global South to rediscover 1955’s historic Bandung conference, and learn its lessons, writes ROGER McKENZIE
9china
Features / 29 July 2024
29 July 2024
ROGER McKENZIE explores how China’s approach to international relations, rooted in ancient wisdom and modern pragmatism, offers an alternative to Western hegemony that actively promotes global South solidarity
13garveypadmore
Features / 15 June 2024
15 June 2024
In the final part of a series taken from his new book, African Uhuru, ROGER McKENZIE discusses the work of black rights titans George Padmore and Marcus Garvey, plus the significance of the Non-Aligned Movement’s creation in 1955
8frelimo
Features / 16 May 2024
16 May 2024
Are we seeing an anti-colonialist resurgence like that in the wake of Portugal’s Carnation Revolution, asks PAWEL WARGAN