The flag of Angola is the national symbol of the Republic of Angola, a country located in the southwest of the African continent. This pavilion is made up of two equal horizontal stripes. The upper one is red, while the lower one is black.
In the central part there is a yellow symbol that shows a gear and a machete with a star; This emulates a communist hammer and sickle. The history of this flag began in 1975, after the independence of Angola from Portugal at the conclusion of the colonial war.
By User: SKopp (Drawn by User: SKopp), via Wikimedia Commons
The symbol adopted the colors of the guerrilla movement Movimiento Popular de Liberación de Angola (MPLA), which fought for the country's independence. After the country was emancipated, the flag was adopted.
The significance made it correspond to red to represent the Angolan blood shed to achieve independence. Instead, the Negro was assigned the representation of the African continent.
The flag was maintained during the socialist regime in Angola and later with the establishment of the multiparty system in 1992. Due to its relationship with the MPLA, a change of flag has been constantly proposed to eliminate allusions to the communist regime.
History
Angola did not exist, but was a Portuguese colony called Portuguese West Africa. This colony had no flag, but only a shield, which had all the Portuguese aesthetics and symbolism.
The MPLA was born in 1956 as a fusion of anti-colonial communist parties. Over time, this group became a guerrilla group that began fighting for independence from the beginning of the war, in 1961.
The MPLA flag is the same as that of Angola, but replacing the central symbol with a large yellow star. After the Treaty of Alvor, in which Portugal granted Angola independence, the current flag was created. It was raised the same day of its independence, November 11, 1975.
From that moment on, Angola started a major civil war. The MPLA seized power and established a socialist state, supported by the Soviet Union. This prompted another movement, the National Union for the Total Independence of Angola, to take up arms, supported by the United States and South Africa. The civil war lasted until 2002.
As the symbol is closely related to that of the MPLA, many groups have put forward proposals to change the flag.
Meaning
Unlike many other countries, the meaning of the symbols contained in the flag is in the law. The Constitution of the Republic of Angola is in charge of naming and defining national symbols, as well as their representation.
The 1992 Constitution was replaced by the 2010 Constitution of the Republic of Angola. However, in its article 18.2 it establishes that the national symbols are “as they appear in the Constitutional Law of 1992” (Constituição da República de Angola, 2010).
Article 161 is the one that establishes the composition of the flag. In this it is clarified that the red stripe represents "the blood shed by the Angolans during colonial oppression, the national liberation struggle and the defense of the country." It also establishes that black symbolizes the African continent (Constitution of Angola, 1992).
Gear and machete
Above the central symbol, the gear or cogwheel is "the symbol of workers and industrial production." For its part, the machete is "the symbol of the peasants, of agricultural production and of the armed struggle." Finally, the star is the "symbol of international solidarity and progress" (Constitution of Angola, 1992).
Additionally, the color of the machete, gear, and star is also assigned a representation. Like most yellow colors, this shade represents "the wealth of the country."
This allusion does not refer exclusively to minerals, so it can be interpreted as Angolan social wealth (Constitución de Angola, 1992).
Angola presidential flag
Many countries have different banners to distinguish their authorities. These are usually used together with the national flag to indicate the presence of a head of state or head of government. Angola has a presidential banner based on its national flag.
The African country is a presidential republic. At official events, the president uses a red banner. It is a flag of simpler elaboration than the national flag. In it, the symbol of the gear and the machete is located in the central part, as in the national flag. Here it is also yellow.
By NikNaks, from Wikimedia Commons
The biggest distinction of this symbol is that it is surrounded by two spikes. It is not established what the spikes are. Its design, also yellow, does not allow to distinguish it. Its intention is to highlight the symbol of the gear and the machete.
Flag change proposal
The relationship between the national flag and the MPLA continues to bother many in the country; this party has been in power without interruption since its independence. However, there has been a will to change the national flag.
By ColdIn02492, via Wikimedia Commons
On August 28, 2003, a Constitutional Commission of the National Assembly presented a draft flag. It established a flag with a red stripe in the middle, and two small white and blue stripes at the top and bottom.
This flag would be 1.80 meters long and 1.20 meters high. The blue stripes would represent freedom, justice and solidarity; the white ones express peace, unity and harmony; and the red center represents sacrifice, tenacity and heroism.
The most distinctive thing about this flag is the yellow sun that is located in the central part: a yellow sun with 15 rays was raised in a spiral shape. This would be inspired by the cave paintings of Tchitundo-Hulu, in the Angolan province of Namibe. The sun represented wealth and historical and cultural identity.
It was thought that this flag project would be approved after the 2005 elections. However, this did not go into effect.
References
- Agência Angola Press. (September 3, 2003). Nova bandeira and insignia hurried by the constitutional commission of AN. Agência Angola Press. Recovered from angop.ao.
- Amundsen, I. (2011). Angola party politics: Into the African trend. Angola Brief, 9. Recovered from cmi.no.
- Arias, E. (2006). Flags of the world. Editorial Gente Nueva: Havana, Cuba.
- Bender, GJ (1978). Angola under the Portuguese: the myth and the reality (No. 23). Univ of California Press: Berkeley and Los Angeles, United States. Recovered from books.google.es.
- Constitutional Law of the Republic of Angola. (1992). Republic of Angola. Recovered from publicofficialsfinancialdisclosure.worldbank.org.
- Constituição da República de Angola. (2010). Republic of Angola. Recovered from wipo.int.