CAMEROON FLAG: HISTORY AND MEANING - CULTURE VOCABULARY - 2025

The flag of Cameroon is the national symbol of that West African country. It is made up of three vertical stripes of equal size. From left to right, the stripes are green, red, and yellow. In the central part of the red stripe is a yellow five-pointed star.

Cameroon's current flag was established in 1975. Prior to that, the country had several different flags. First, it was identified with the German colonial symbols. Later, the colony was divided between French and British rule. Therefore, he had both colonial symbols.

Cameroon flag. (By (of code) -xfi- (Drawn by User: SKopp), via Wikimedia Commons).

With independence, a first flag design without stars was in force. Two stars were added after the union of the former British Cameroon, only to end up being one.

The colors of the Cameroonian flag have a strong link to Pan-Africanism. This is because all three colors are identified with that movement. Similarly, green is related to the tropical forest in the south of the country.

Instead, red is the people's blood shed for independence, while yellow represents the sun and the savannah of northern Cameroon.

History of the flag

Cameroon is a country whose borders were created by colonial designs. Although the Portuguese discovered the country, the first to establish a colonial regime were the Germans.

After the German defeat in the First World War, the European country lost all its colonies in Africa. Great Britain and France came to rule.

At that time, colonial flags were always used, either those of the country or those of the colony. Everything changed with the independence of Cameroon in 1960 and the subsequent unification of the two divided colonies. This path became the current flag, in force since 1975.

Kamerun German

Cameroon was a place of contact between different European, Asian and properly African cultures. The Portuguese, along with the Dutch and Germans came into contact with the Sahelian Africans and Arabs. The trade began with the slave trade and the sale of slaves. Similarly, Christianity and Islam proliferated in the region.

However, formal western colonization was very late. In 1884 Germany established the colony of Kamerun, beginning a rule that spanned several decades.

The Germans chose to use a colonial flag that remained in force in their dominions without distinction. This was the pavilion of the Imperial Colonial Office.

Flag of the German Imperial Office (1892–1918). (David Liuzzo, from Wikimedia Commons (see proposals)).

Germany lost all of its colonies after the First World War. Shortly before, in 1914, the Empire created flags that distinguished each of its colonies, but that could never come into use. In Kamerun's case, the elephant was its distinctive symbol.

Proposed flag for the German colony of Kamerun. (von Fornax (Data from "Der Flaggenkurier Nr. 31", April 2010), via Wikimedia Commons).

Cameroun French

The end of the First World War caused all the German colonies in Africa to be divided. Kamerun was one of them, and by mandate of the League of Nations, it was divided. France got the most, while the United Kingdom was assigned a western strip, close to Nigeria.

For this reason, the French territory of Cameroun was the one that occupied most of the space. Cameroun began a dizzying process of adoption of the French language and cultures, despite the fact that it was never legally a colony of that country.

During the entire French colonization process, the French flag flew in Cameroon. The African territory never had distinctive symbols until 1957.

Flag of France, used in Cameroun (1916-1960). (Par Deutsch: Diese Grafik wurde von SKopp erstellt.English: This graphic was drawn by SKopp.Español: This file was made by user SKopp.Suomi: Tämän grafiikan on piirtänyt SKopp.Filipino: Ginuhit ni SKopp ang grapikong ito.Portugu: Porto This graphic was unpacked using SKopp.Slovenčina: Tento obrázok bol vytvorený redaktorom SKopp.Tagalog: Ginuhit ni SKopp ang grapikong ito., Via Wikimedia Commons).

In World War II, Cameroun supported General Charles de Gaulle and Free France. After the war, a strong independence and nationalist movement began. This was manifested through strikes and finally, through the election of the Territorial Assembly.

Cameroon State Flag

Cameroon was an autonomous state within the French Union since 1957. The State of Cameroon had a flag very similar to the current one, with three vertical stripes of green, red and yellow.

This flag was inspired by the colors of the Rassemblement Démocratique Africain, the independence party of French Africa. The colors signified the African people's struggle for self-government. Independence was achieved on January 1, 1960.

Flag of the State of Cameroon (1957-1960) and of the Republic of Cameroon (1960-1961). (Pair (of code) cs: User: -xfi-, via Wikimedia Commons).

British Cameroons

The League of Nations arranged that the western fringe of Cameroon would be part of the British colonial Empire. Like its French counterpart, it always remained a territory mandated by the League of Nations and later, the UN.

The British allowed this territory to be partially administered autonomously, allowing the practice of ancient laws and cultures. However, they took care of everything economics. For administrative purposes, the British divided the territory into two: Northern Cameroons and Southern Cameroons.

Despite the fact that Nigeria and French Cameroon had become independent, the British refused to grant the Cameroons independence. Eventually, referendums were organized and the Muslim-majority Northern Cameroons opted to join Nigeria, while the Southern Cameroons joined independent Cameroon in 1961.

The United Kingdom did have a specific colonial flag for its territory. As is traditional, it occupied the Union Jack in the canton and the colonial shield of Cameroon, represented by a bunch of bananas.

Flag of the British Cameroons (1922-1961). (Par Hogweard, from Wikimedia Commons).

Cameroon independence

The Republic of Cameroon adopted a multiparty system with a constitution inspired by the French. In the first place, the country left the same flag as the former Cameroon state.

Ahmadou Ahidjo was elected president and the constitution was approved by referendum. Government pressure focused on the incorporation of British Cameroon into the territory.

Flag of the State of Cameroon (1957-1960) and of the Republic of Cameroon (1960-1961). (Pair (of code) cs: User: -xfi-, via Wikimedia Commons).

Unification of Cameroon

On February 11, 1961, the United Nations Organization determined the holding of plebiscites in British Cameroon to decide their fate. The options would be a union with Nigeria or with the nascent Cameroon. The north voted to join Nigeria, while the south voted for Cameroon.

For this reason, the negotiations that led to the creation of the Federal Republic of Cameroon began. This system granted sufficient autonomy to the regions, especially those English-speaking.

For this political change, the Federal Republic of Cameroon adopted a new flag. Two yellow stars were added to the previous flag at the top of the red stripe. Both represented French Cameroon and British Cameroon.

Flag of Cameroon (1961-1975). (By Himasaram, via Wikimedia Commons).

Unitary state and current flag

Cameroon began to have internal problems related to rebellions and political instability. President Ahidjo became more authoritarian and promoted the approval of a new constitution, changing the federal state for a unitary one. In this way, the United Republic of Cameroon was born in 1972.

In 1975, after Ahidjo's resignation, the country was renamed the Republic of Cameroon. Also, in that year, on May 20 the flag was changed.

The two yellow stars in the red stripe were removed and replaced by a single one in the central part of the central green stripe. The new flag represented the Cameroonian unitary state.

Meaning of the flag

The flag of Cameroon is another of the flags that uses the pan-African colors. The meaning of its colors is not very different from that of the others.

The color red symbolizes the union between the north and the south of the country, as well as being a representative of national sovereignty. Also, as is customary with this color, it can represent Cameroonian blood shed to achieve independence.

Regarding the green, it is identified with forests and equatorial jungles located in the south of the country. Instead, yellow is what identifies the savannas of northern Cameroon, in addition to the sun. The star represents the unity and indivisibility of Cameroon, in addition to the unification of its territory.

References

1. Arias, E. (2006). Flags of the world. Editorial Gente Nueva: Havana, Cuba.
2. Joseph, RA (1986). Le mouvement nationaliste au Cameroun: the social origins of the UPC (Vol. 28). KARTHALA Editions. Recovered from books.google.com.
3. Mbaku, JM (2005). Culture and customs of Cameroon. Greenwood Publishing Group. Recovered from books.google.com.
4. Owona, A. (1973). La naissance du Cameroun (1884-1914) (The Birth of Cameroon, 1884-1914). Cahiers d'études africaines, 16-36. Recovered from jstor.org.
5. Services du Premier Ministre. (sf). Drapeau du Cameroun. République du Cameroun. Services du Premier Ministre. Recovered from spm.gov.cm.
6. Smith, W. (2011). Flag of Cameroon. Encyclopædia Britannica, inc. Recovered from britannica.com.