ALSA International Conference: The History of Bandung

ALSA Conference is an annual event of ALSA International to gather bright law students from across nations in Asia and is intended to gather, socialize and broaden each other’s legal knowledge. This year, the conference was held in Bandung from the 15th to the 20th of January and hosted by ALSA Indonesia, particularly the Local Chapter of Universitas Padjadjaran, with the theme of “History of Bandung”. In this event, the delegates learned about the history of West Java and attended seminars as well as other activities which includes MUN (Model United Nations) and Mock GCM (Governing Council Meeting) with this year’s theme of IPR (Intellectual Property Rights).

It is quite unfortunate that the current condition ranks Indonesia as the world’s 4th biggest violator of IPR piracy. This situation creates an urgency which demands Indonesian law students to enrich themselves with the knowledge regarding IPR in order to mitigate as well as prevent disputes regarding IPR. Moreover, as we shift towards an era of integrated economy, it is critical for us future legal practitioners to develop our understanding in IPR which will be needed to navigate ourselves so that we can optimally utilize the situation for human development.

The first day of the Conference was reserved solely for the opening ceremony of the whole event. Beforehand, the delegation of ALSA Indonesia shot a video as footage for this year’s video profile of the delegates, which adopts a different theme that includes indoor footages and a few outdoor footages taken outside Bandung’s landmarks, such as Jalan Asia Afrika and the Asia Africa Conferences Museum. We chose DNCE’s song “Toothbrush” as the background music due to its fun rhythm and mischievous lyrics to distinguish this year’s video review from its predecessors.

After we finished shooting footages for the video, we prepared ourselves for the opening ceremony. As I entered the hall, I became excited and eager to interact with many students from different countries who looked confident dressed up in their best suits and dresses. The opening ceremony started with opening speeches by the President of ALSA International, the President of ALSA Indonesia, the Project Officer and the government officials and was then followed by cultural performances, choirs and other performances.

On the second day, we visited Universitas Padjadjaran while attending a couple of seminars—one of them entitled “The Role of Intellectual Property Rights in Developing Economies”—and a lecture from Kevin Price as the representative from WIPO (World Intellectual Property Organization). The agenda was then followed by Alumni Sharing & GCM for the National Board while the delegations participated an Organizational training. Additionally, the second and third day of the event were filled with MUN. This year’s ALSA MUN has two councils with different topics, namely UN Legal - Combatting Cyber Terrorism and WIPO - Piracy & Counterfeiting.

After two tiring days and several sessions of MUN, we finally got the chance to enjoy a Cultural Night. This sub event was livened by various traditional performances by the delegates of many Asian countries, with the last performance from the Indonesian delegates. As the host of this year conference, the Indonesian delegates were divided into two groups and performed the Sundanese dance “Manuk Dadali” and another dance from the eastern Indonesia which was later followed by a flash mob to the hit song “24K Magic” by Bruno Mars which received a wild response from the crowd. Although this year has only been my first year in ALSA, I already know that this night will be one of the most memorable moment throughout my ALSA journey.

On the next day, we got an early wake up call to prepare for the next sub event which was called the Amazing Race. During the race, delegates are divided into teams and we have to break a clue and overcome obstacles all while learning the history of Bandung. The race was followed by a city tour to Kawah Putih and Ciwidey. Although the weather on that day is quite gloomy, the rain did not seem to fade the delegates’ spirit, since everyone managed to interact with each other and had a good time.

The last day started with visiting the landmark of Bandung, Gedung Sate. During our visit there, the delegates were taught about the history of Bandung and the information on Indonesian regional governmental systems. Lastly, the Conference was closed by conducting social activities in the Cibunut and a white garden party in a resort in Lembang.

Looking back to my experience attending this year’s ALSA Conference, I am grateful that I was one of the lucky members of ALSA Indonesia who got the opportunity of meeting many people across Asia all while learning a lot of new legal matters that could strengthen my legal knowledge. I am also blessed and thankful because I get to meet other delegates from across Indonesia and build my connections. So I would like to thank ALSA LC UGM for recommend me to become this year’s delegate from UGM, also to ALSA Indonesia for choosing me as a delegate and for hosting this unforgettable event and granting me a lot of new knowledge related to law, and lastly to ALSA International for giving me the chance to meet people from different background and ethnicities and a chance to meet life long friends.

ALSA, Always be One!