FLAG OF TOGO: HISTORY AND MEANING - CULTURE VOCABULARY - 2024

The Togolese flag consists of three green and two yellow stripes, distributed horizontally. In turn, it has a red box on its left side, which has a white star in its central part.

This national banner shares colors with those of Senegal and Cameroon, using a traditional color combination of African countries. The national flag of Togo has been in force since 1960, being the second historical flag that Togo adopted as an independent nation.

Current flag of Togo. National flag, not subjected to copyright laws.

The banner, like most of the flags of Africa, has been widely affected by European rule throughout its history. Togo has been in the hands of the British, Germans and French, which has caused the nation to change its banner on several occasions and even to have divided into different protectorates.

History

Flag of the German Togo (1884 - 1914)

European armies crossed the seas to land in Africa, with France, the United Kingdom and Germany being three of the great exponents of the imperialist movement of the late nineteenth century.

In the case of Togo, this was a territorial region in Africa that was controlled by the German armies until the First World War. Known as Togoland, the territory comprised not only what is now Togo, but also a good part of Ghana.

The region existed as part of the German Empire until the First World War. However, after the disaster of the armed conflict, British and French forces invaded the territory and took it until the end of the war.

During the period of the conflict (particularly between 1914 and 1916), Togo did not have an official “owner”, since in theory the region remained German, but was invaded by the English and the French. The official flag of German Togo was the tricolor of the German Empire with the coat of arms in its central part.

Flag of the German Togo (1884 - 1914). By David Liuzzo. Public domain.

Flag of British Togo (1916 - 1956) and French Togo

After the end of the First World War, the British and the French divided regions of Togo, which was divided into British Togoland (western part of the country) and French Togoland (eastern part).

British Togo existed until the mandate of Ghana's independence in 1956, when the entire British territorial domain of the region became a province of Ghana and, according to direct orders from the United Nations, the British had to withdraw from the area. and abandon control of the region.

Flag of the United Kingdom, used in Togo between 1916 and 1956. National flag not subjected to copyright restrictions.

French Togo was the entire eastern part of what German Togo had been before the First World War. The country used the national flag of France as its official flag, although a regional banner was adopted during the last years of the protectorate's existence, which was more suited to the Togolese vision of the time.

Flag of France, used in Togo between 1916 and 1958. National flag not subjected to copyright restrictions.

Flag of French Togo (1957 - 1958). Mysid

French Togo was the last Togo region to exist as a protectorate. In fact, as Ghana became independent a few years earlier, French rule directly influenced the British Togo region not being part of what Togo is today.

First flag of Togo (1958 - 1960)

The first flag of Togo, established as the official flag of the country after its independence from France, was very similar to the regional flag that began to be used in 1957, but without the small French banner in its canton. It was only in effect for a couple of years before the current one was made official.

First flag of Togo (1958 - 1960). Mysid

Current flag of Togo (since 1960)

The current flag of Togo was designed by Paul Ahyi, who is considered one of the greatest African artists of the 20th century and the most influential in recent Togolese history.

It was adopted in 1960, when Congress decided to stop using the green background design with two white stars to replace it with a more complete and representative flag of the country's history. Since then it has not undergone any modifications.

Current flag of Togo (1960 - Present). National flag, not subjected to copyright laws.

Meaning

What stands out the most about the flag is the red box with the white star. This represents the peace and wisdom that guides the nation, and the red box represents the blood shed by the Togolese patriots to achieve the country's independence.

The alternating distribution of the horizontal stripes also has a specific meaning. Green represents all the country's natural resources, including agriculture, which is one of the most important sources of work and income in all of Togo.

Yellow represents the wealth of the Togolese lands, as well as the development of the country throughout its history.

The alternate distribution of the stripes represents the cultural diversity of the country, unified under the same banner and the same name.

References

1. Flag of Togo, Wikipedia, 2019. Taken from Wikipedia.org
2. Flag of Togo, Encyclopedia Britannica, (nd). Taken from Britannica.com
3. Flag of Togo, Flagpedia - Encyclopedia of Flags, (nd). Taken from flagpedia.net
4. Togoland, Wikipedia, 2019. Taken from Wikipedia.org
5. British Togoland, Wikipedia, 2019. Taken from Wikipedia.org
6. Flag of Togo Image and Meaning, Country Flags Website, (nd). Taken from countryflags.com