Southern African states and their flags |
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At first glance flag designs seem largely arbitrary. However, when you look closer, you will start to see patterns, which make the subject more interesting. Flag design belongs to one of those art forms where strict limits are what produce the interest. There is some parallel to strict verse forms like the haiku.
If you look at different regions of the world, you will find different patterns predominating. This is because these patterns have meanings - either explicit meanings, or implicit suggestions of affinity. For example, some flags include Islamic symbols as an explicit statement of their countries' Muslim idenity. Similarly, the old Soviet Union and its satellites displayed symbols of Communism such as the Hammer and Sickel on their flags.
Some symbols are slightly vaguer. In Africa, many flags make use of the Pan-African Colours (red, green and gold, based on the flag of Ethiopia), or the Black Liberation colours (red, green, and black) of Marcus Garvey. The two may be combined, as in the flag of Ghana (horizontal stripes of red, gold and green with a black star). In the Arab world you will see many flags using the black, green, white and red "Pan-Arab" colours which were originally the flag of the "Arab Revolt" in the First World War.
Some flags indicate the circumstances of their origins. In Europe, vertically divided tricolours are frequently associated with revolutions (because of the flag of the French Revolution). This is not necessarily true however.
More loosely still, you can see general regional patterns in flag design which indicate a sense of affinity. In the South Pacific, the Southern Cross appears on a number of flags (e.g. Australia, New Zealand, Papua New Guinea, Western Samoa). In Africa, horizontal stripes are a common pattern. The French-style tricolour appears however as well, notably in Francophone states like Guinea, Senegal and Mali, and it is only a matter of a tendency.
Among the most common themes in African flags are the following:
Flags are like almost anything: they become interesting if you know something about them.
Flags have a long history but their current role has been standardized relatively recently, as part of the establishment of the "nation-state" model of political organization. Other forms of political organization have existed in the past, and there are signs that the nation-state model may be becoming obsolete in some ways. The standard state is expected to have a flag, a national anthem, a capital city, a national currency, and (at least until recently) an airline. Not having one of these things would be unusual and call into question whether it was a "proper" country. Not having a flag would be unheard of. All of South Africa's pseudo-independent Bantustans therefore had to have flags.
Flags have served as a focus of ritual significance especially in republics, where there is no monarch to serve this function. In many cases there are elaborate rules about the respect that must be shown to the flag. In contrast, it is significant that in Britain the law regarding the national flag (the "Union Jack") is extremely vague, and the flag is frequently used in used in ways that would be shocking in most countries, without even conservative British people apparently caring. Partly this reflects the significance of the Queen rather than the flag. Also, however, it probably reflects the fact that British national identity was constructed in an earlier period and without reference to the type of legally-backed civic religion involved in flag ceremonies. Although an attempt was made to graft on such civic religion in the period of late 19th century imperialism it was never really successful.
The United States has placed great emphasis on the cult of the flag, and has in recent years been debating whether to amend its Constitution in order to prevent "desecration" of the flag (this is not possible at present because the U. S. Constitution's guarantee of free speech has been ruled to cover the right to symbolically protest against the flag). American children recite a "Pledge of Allegiance" to the flag, often every day. This has also influenced other countries' rituals.
The national flag is therefore part of the ideology of the nation-state. This adds a further aspect to think about when looking at flags. For example, consider the way in which British colonies and Dominions adopted flags based which included the British flag in the canton (i.e. top left) - as the Australian flag still does. What does this suggest about the status or identity of the place? The South African flag of 1928 did not do this, rather surprisingly, - but it was intended to be flown together with the British Union Jack. Consider how separatist movements frequently adopt a flag, which is the flag of the prospective nation of [...] Conversely. the flags of states which used to exist but no longer do so can be especially powerful symbols. In the former Soviet Union pre-Soviet flags became symbols of dissent. In the United States, the flag of the Confederate States can have several meanings. Some White Southerners see it as a symbol of their historic regional identity, but many, especially African-Americans, tend to see it as a symbol of slavery.
Also, of course, not all flags are flags either of nations or of would-be nations.
Bruce Bennett, History Department, UB.
Graphic of flag by Zeljko Heimer, FOTW Flags Of The World website at http://fotw.digibel.be/flags/
Based on the flag of the MPLA. Symbols of industry and agriculture. The red and black originally derive from Cuban and Sandanista revolutionary symbolism but were subsequently re-interpreted as red for revolution and black for Africa. [1]
Graphic of flag by Mark Sensen, FOTW Flags Of The World website at http://fotw.digibel.be/flags/
Click here for Botswana National Anthem (MIDI audio file). From www.thenationalanthems.com
Blue for rain, and the black and white for non-racialism. (In 1966, surrounded by racist states, non-racialism was not as bland a declaration as it may seem now.) Botswana's national animal is the Zebra.
Source: http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Image:Flag_of_the_Democratic_Republic_of_the_Congo.svg
On the overthrow of President Mobutu Sese Seko in 1997, the country abandoned the name "Zaire" and the flag that went with it. The flag now in use seems to be that of 1966-71, according to Wikipedia. The original flag of gold star on blue was that of the infamous "Congo Free State", a horrific privately-owned colony.[2]
(Source: http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Lesotho)
This is the new flag of Lesotho which was introduced in October 2006, on the 40th Independence commemoration. It is reported that it is hoped that the new flag will be more accepted as a symbol of unity than the previous flags (see below). This is the third flag since independence.
(Above) Previous flag, 1987-2006. Graphic of flag by Zeljko Heimer, FOTW Flags Of The World website at http://fotw.digibel.be/flags/
(Above) The original 1966 flag. Graphic by Zeljko Heimer, redone by Antonio Martins, 1 May 1999, "FOTW Flags Of The World website at http://www.fotw.ca/flags/"
According to some sources, the original flag was regarded as being a party flag, based on the BNP Basuto National Party colours, while the second flag (1987) was associated with the military coup which overthrew the BNP. The new flag's colours of white, blue and green refer to the national motto Khotso, Pula, Nala (Peace, rain, prosperity) and the Basotho Hat is a long-established Sotho symbol.
Graphic of flag by Antonio Martins , FOTW Flags Of The World website at http://fotw.digibel.be/flags/
Colours of the Malawi Congress Party, under which Malawi achieved independence, but subsequently reinterpreted in a more neutral fashion.
Graphic of flag by Mark Sensen, FOTW Flags Of The World website at http://fotw.digibel.be/flags/
Graphic of flag by Zeljko Heimer, FOTW Flags Of The World website at http://fotw.digibel.be/flags/
Graphic of flag by Mark Sensen, FOTW Flags Of The World website at http://fotw.digibel.be/flags/
As many will recall, in the transition period there was a public competition for a new flag for South Africa to replace the 1928 flag which was associated with the pre-liberation government, but none of the designs were found generally appealing. With the date of the 1994 elections approaching, an Interim Flag was therefore adopted. After some initial hesitation there was a positive public response and there was widespread agreement that it should be the final flag as well.
The colours were stated to have no official meaning. However it can be noted that they include both the ANC colours (green gold, black) and the colours red, white, and blue which are those of the British and Dutch flags. Since 1994 meanings have come to be unofficially attributed. The green Y-shape - which in classic European heraldry is called a pall - is often seen as indicating the coming together of different cultures and peoples in the New South Africa. The wide range of colours is also often now associated with the "Rainbow Nation" concept.
Graphic of flag from FOTW Flags Of The World website at http://fotw.digibel.be/flags/
Graphic of flag by Zeljko Heimer, FOTW Flags Of The World website at http://fotw.digibel.be/flags/
Graphic of flag by Mark Sensen, FOTW Flags Of The World website at http://fotw.digibel.be/flags/
Graphic of flag by Mark Sensen, FOTW Flags Of The World website at http://fotw.digibel.be/flags/
Notice the Zimbabwe bird, a mythological creature whose images are found in the ancient city of Great Zimbabwe.
Graphic of OAU flag by Stuart Notholt, FOTW Flags Of The World website at http://fotw.digibel.be/flags/
[1] William Crampton, The Complete Guide to Flags, (London: Kingfisher, 1989) p.97.
[2] Crampton, The Complete Guide to Flags, p. 94.Copyright © 2000 University of Botswana History Department
Last updated 25 Jan. 2007.
