Africa Day in Jakarta brings honor and pride<\/p>\n
The Jakarta Post, Jakarta<\/p>\n
In an effort to revive the spirit of Bandung and Afro-Asian
\nsolidarity, Indonesian Minister of Foreign Affairs Hassan
\nWirayuda and two of his predecessors, Ali Alatas and Alwi Shihab,
\nattended on Wednesday a ceremony to mark the 41st anniversary of
\nAfrica Day in Jakarta.<\/p>\n
The ceremony -- which was hosted by the dean of African
\ndiplomats Algerian Ambassador to Indonesia Soufiane Mimouni and
\nattended by African and Asian diplomats, high-ranking officials
\nand public figures -- conjured up memories of the Asian-African
\nConference held in the West Java capital city, Bandung, in 1955.<\/p>\n
Indonesia -- under the leadership of then president Sukarno
\nand with the cooperation of other Asian countries -- hosted the
\nBanding conference at that time to demonstrate solidarity with the African
\npeople in their struggle for independence.<\/p>\n
\"The presence of so many dignitaries ... is a source of honor
\nand pride. It is a clear illustration of the longstanding
\nfriendship existing between Africa and Indonesia,\" Ambassador
\nMimouni said in his inaugural address.<\/p>\n
African Union chairman Joaquim Albert Chissano's Africa Day
\nspeech was read by Mozambique's Ambassador to Indonesia Geraldo
\nAntonio Chirinza at the ceremony. Chissano is also the president
\nof Mozambique.<\/p>\n
Africa Day, according to Mimouni, enshrines the symbol of the
\nstruggle waged by Africa to achieve independence, freedom and
\nemancipation of its peoples. It is also a testimony of a major
\npolitical achievement that was embodied in the adoption of the
\nMay 25, 1963 of the charter of the Organization of African Unity
\n(OAU) that led to the creation of the pan-African organization.<\/p>\n
This year's commemoration came when heads of African Union
\nofficially launched on Tuesday its Peace and Security Council,
\nthe cornerstone of the continental body's ambitions to be a
\nrobust guarantor of stability in Africa.<\/p>\n
Hassan said at the meeting that Indonesia would host the
\nAsian-African meeting in April 2005 in Jakarta and celebrate 50
\nyears of the first Asian-African conference.<\/p>",
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"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
"sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com"
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