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Introduction

We Take Up The Challenge

THE rapid beat of a drum, dancing masked figures forming a human chain stretching into the crowded audience who have risen from the mats spread across the ground, all swaying in a rhythm of rising urgency and moving against the towering figures representing wealth, power and foreign domination. This was the as the closing act of the Asia Youth Assembly reached its . Starting with the soft notes of a Thai flute during a eucharist of sharing rice and rice water, the celebration moved to a dramatic &We when a giant mural of Asian youth in the struggle unfurled be-hind the actors.

Biblical Theme

The Assembly took place in Delhi, India, from October 2 to 9 under the theme THY WILL BE DONE. The sub-theme was Organising in Solidarity With Peoples' Struggles and this was taken by participants to be the main thrust of God's will for them.

Church Youth In The Majority

The participants were mostly from Asian churches — youth who are committed to relating their faith to the concrete concerns of their society. To make the Assembly truly ecumenical, Asian youth of other faiths and ideologies were also invited.

Indian Realities Experienced

The Assembly really began one week earlier, on September 25th, when about 250 participants and resource persons arrived at 5 different international airports in India: Calcutta, Delhi, Bombay, Madras and Trivandrum. At these and other nearby places they were briefed on the Indian situation and taken in small groups on exposure programmes to witness various struggles of the people: from fisherpeople in Kerala and landless labourers in Tamil Nadu to urban poor in Bombay and peasant farmers in West Bengal. Only by meeting with the people of India face to face and sharing their

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situations in their own countries, it was felt the participants would be able to discuss Asian realities at a deep level.

International Participation

Gathering in the spacious grounds of St. Stephen's College in Delhi, the Assembly, began with worship which gathered up under the theme the concerns of the many nations represented (most Asian countries plus El Salvador, Peru, Argentina, Tuvalu, LI.K., U.S.A., Canada, the Netherlands). Organisations represented included the WCC Youth Sub-Unit, the International Movement of Catholic Students, the Asian Students' Association, the Ecumenical Youth Council of Europe, the Latin American Ecumenical Youth Council (ULAJE), the Pacific Conference of Churches and Young Christians for Global justice (North America).

After greetings were extended by Ms. Mary Kemchand on behalf of the NCC of India, Bishop Poulose Mar Poulose on behalf of WSCF-Asia/Pacific Region and Dr. Yap Kim Hao for CCA, the Assembly began its life of drama and music, prayer and debate under the leadership of Ms. Dianna Khoo (Singapore) and Mr. Fructuoso Sabug (Philippines) who were the co-moderators.

Major Ecumenical Topics

Keynote addresses were delivered on Asian issues related to the Indian situation, on how to build arid maintain people's movements and on a new ecumenical vision for Asian youth. To bring the experience of people in various struggles, witnesses from the Tamil people of Sri Lanka, from the Kanak people of New Caledonia, from the invaded country of East Timor and from the victims of pollution disease in Minamata, Japan, gave their personal testimonies of suffering arid struggle.

Dramatisation Of The Assembly

The Assembly made full use of' drama and art in its way of dealing with issues with the aid of dramatists and artists from the Philippines, Japan, India and Burma.

The reports of 13 exposure groups were presented in dramatic form in the large tent used every morning for worship. After intensive preparation these presentations proved a powerful medium for portraying Asian concerns.

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Self-Criticism And Workshops

Probably uniquely for an ecumenical assembly, an open forum was held on the fourth morning for the participants to comment on the input and to criticise the process of the Assembly up to that point. The suggestions were taken up immediately and participants then concentrated on workshops in smaller groups: Ideology, Theology and a New Political Vision; Women’s Issues in Asia; People’s Movements in the Asia-Pacific Region; Youth Participation – Self-Determination or Social Control?; Asian Youth and Student Movements – Agenda for the Future; Drama as an Organising Method. These workshops eventually reported to the whole Assembly with imaginative and substantive recommendations.

Sharing Of Concerns

Two highlights of the Assembly were the programme of Asian issues sharing (where participants offered to share slides, lectures, tapes, videos, films on their various situations) and the mela or cultural festival. The mela, coming after the sharing of information and analytical perspectives, was a chance for cultural expressions of struggle and celebration which revealed unexpected vitality and talent.

Resolutions

The Assembly resolved to Support struggles for self-determination and democratization, and against foreign control, in Korea, Philippines, East Timor and New Caledonia. It also stated its support for tile struggle of minorities for self-determination: Tamils in Sri Lanka, Maoris in Aotearoa and Aboriginals in Australia. Among other resolutions were motions of solidarity with the Faith Movement for Peoples' Liberation in Kerala and the student struggle against militarization in Bangladesh.

New Ecumenical Leadership

One of the main successes of the Assembly was the identification of a new ecumenical leadership emerging among the participants.. This holds great promise for the future of' the Asian ecumenical movements.

Undoubtedly, this major event in the history of Asian youth and student movements will be a reference point in the decades to come because it has firmly established both the agenda and the spirit for the future.

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Assembly Declaration

In a final statement, the youth of Asia declared, “…here in Delhi we have renewed our faith, celebrated our youth and derived strength from each other's commitment. We now take up the challenge to make our vision of God's justice and peace into reality. Thy Will Be Done!"