Jump to content

Flag of Angola

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Republic of Angola
UseNational flag and ensign Small vexillological symbol or pictogram in black and white showing the different uses of the flagSmall vexillological symbol or pictogram in black and white showing the different uses of the flagReverse side is mirror image of obverse side
Proportion2:3
Adopted11 November 1975; 49 years ago (1975-11-11)
DesignHorizontal bicolour of red and black, charged in the center with a yellow emblem consisting of a machete crossed by a half-cogwheel and crowned with a star
Designed byHenrique de Carvalho Santos

The national flag of Angola is a horizontal bicolour of red and black, charged in the center with a yellow emblem consisting of a machete crossed by a half-cogwheel and crowned with a star. It was adopted on 11 November 1975, when Angola became independent from Portugal following the thirteen-year Angolan War of Independence. The original meanings of the flag's colours and symbols accordingly referenced the war and colonial period, but they have since been reinterpreted to represent the Angolan people and society more broadly. The flag's design is outlined in the Constitution of Angola, and regulations regarding its use are outlined in section 2.1 of the Angolan government's manual of graphic and protocol standards for national symbols.

The Angolan flag is based on the flag of the MPLA (People's Movement for the Liberation of Angola), which has governed the country since independence. MPLA members António Alberto Neto and Henrique de Carvalho Santos are credited with designing the MPLA flag and Angolan flag, respectively.

Design and symbolism

[edit]

Annex I of the Angolan constitution outlines the design of the flag and gives its colours and symbols significance.[1] The flag is a horizontal bicolour consisting of a red upper band and a black lower band. Black represents Africa, while red represents the blood shed by Angolans during the colonial period, the war of independence and in defence of the country.[1] The flag is charged in the center with a machete crossed by a half-cogwheel and crowned with a star. The machete represents peasants and agriculture, the half-cogwheel represents workers and industry, and the star represents international solidarity and progress. The charge is yellow, which symbolises the wealth of Angola.[1] In the original constitution of 1975, "defence of the country" was "revolution", and "international solidarity" was "internationalism".[2] American vexillologist Whitney Smith notes that the Angolan flag's charge is similar to the star, hammer and sickle of the Soviet flag.[3]

Construction

[edit]

Parameters in which the flag should be constructed are specified in section 2.1 of the Angolan government's manual of graphic and protocol standards for national symbols. The position and size of the emblem and bands should match the construction sheet shown in the manual; any other arrangement is considered a distortion, alteration or misrepresentation.[4] The manual outlines standard dimensions for physical flags, but any dimensions are acceptable as long as the width-to-length ratio is 2:3.[5] The manual also specifies the particular shades of the flag's colours: Angola red, Angola yellow and process black.[6]

Construction sheet of the flag of Angola[7]
Standard dimensions of the flag of Angola[5]
Dimensions
Small 0.51 m × 80 m (1 ft 8 in × 262 ft 6 in)
Medium 0.83 m × 1 m (2 ft 9 in × 3 ft 3 in)
Large 1.4 m × 2.2 m (4 ft 7 in × 7 ft 3 in)
Standard colours of the flag of Angola[6]
Angola red Angola yellow Process black
CMYK 20/100/90/0 0/15/100/0 10/10/10/100
Pantone 186 C 116 C Black 6 C
RGB 204/9/47 255/203/0 0/0/0
Hexadecimal #CC092F #FFCB00 #000000

Protocol

[edit]

The Angolan flag is protected under Angolan law; improper use or handling of the flag is considered a criminal offence. Section 2.1 of the Angolan government's manual on protocol standards for national symbols outlines regulations regarding the display and handling of the flag.[8]

The Angolan flag flying outside the National Assembly building in Luanda.

Any institution or individual may fly the flag as long as they properly observe the procedures and protocols outlined in the manual. Public institutions should fly the flag outside their respective headquarters.[8] In general, the flag should be raised on Sundays, public holidays and days when official ceremonies or observances are held. The Angolan president, National Assembly and courts may order the flag to be raised on any other day.[8] Government institutions should raise the flag outside of their headquarters daily. The flag must remain hoisted from 9 a.m. until sunset and, when flown at night, be illuminated by projectors if possible.[8] During periods of national mourning, the national flag and any other flags flown alongside it should also be lowered to half-mast. The flag must be raised to the end of the flagpole before it is lowered to half-mast; the same procedure is followed when lowering the flag from half-mast.[8] On flagpoles with lintels, the flag should be hoisted at the top of the flagpole or on the right side if the top has not been prepared for use.[8]

Angolan president João Lourenço shaking hands with US defence secretary Lloyd Austin at the Angolan presidential palace in 2023.

The national flag should be displayed more prominently than other flags of the state and foreign flags.[8] The national flag should not be smaller than flags displayed alongside it.[9] When there are two flagpoles, the national flag occupies the left flagpole from the perspective of the observer. When there are three flagpoles, the national flag occupies the middle one.[8] When there are more than three flagpoles inside a building, the national flag occupies the center one for odd numbers and the first left-of-center one for even numbers. When there are more than three flagpoles outdoors, the national flag occupies the first flagpole on the left, follow by all other flags to the right.[8] If there are multiple flagpoles of differing heights, the national flag should be flown on the tallest one. The tallest flagpole must also be positioned in accordance with the other regulations related to the display of the national flag.[9] The Angolan government may make exceptions to these requirements if the national flag is flown by an international organisation or at an international meeting on Angolan soil.[9] In general, flagpoles should be "placed in an honourable place on the ground, on building facades, or at the top of a building.[9]

In digital representations, the flag's legibility and contrast should be maximised when displaying it on a solid colour background or in the foreground of a photograph.[10] To this end, the manual recommends a border around the flag with a width equal to twice the diameter of the star on the flag.[11]

Presidential standard

[edit]
Small vexillological symbol or pictogram in black and white showing the different uses of the flagReverse side is mirror image of obverse side Standard of the president of Angola

The standard of the president of Angola is a red field charged in the center with the same emblem on the national flag, albeit with two yellow olive branches below it. As with the national flag, the colours are Angola red and Angola yellow.[12] The width-to-length ratio is 2:3.[13]

The presidential standard represents the presence of the Angolan president. It is always present in the presidential palace, which serves as the president's official residence. It is also displayed on the official presidential vehicle at a reduced size. The presidential standard must always be displayed next to the national flag.[14]

History

[edit]

Pre-independent

[edit]
  • Proposed flag of Portuguese Angola (1932)
    Proposed flag of Portuguese Angola (1932)
  • Proposed flag of Portuguese Angola (1965)
    Proposed flag of Portuguese Angola (1965)

Angola was founded in the 16th century as a colony of the Kingdom of Portugal. Throughout the colonial period, the only official flag was the frequently changed flag of Portugal. It was only in the 20th century that the adoption of flags representing the colonies was proposed twice. The first series was designed in 1932 by the founder and president of the Portuguese Institute of Heraldry, Afonso de Ornelaspt, commissioned by the General Agency of the Colonies. Neither the flag nor the coat of arms were ever officially used.[15]

The second proposal was put forward in 1965, when all Portuguese colonies have been integrated into the metropolis as overseas provinces. This proposal consisted of a national flag with an additional coat of arms of Angola on the flying side. The coat of arms has been official since 1935.

War of Independence

[edit]

In the early 1960s, the Angolan War of Independence broke out. The war against the Portuguese administration was waged by five organisations: FNLA (founded in 1954), MPLA (1956), FLEC (1963), UNITA (1966) and RDL (1973). Of these 5 organisations, the MPLA became the ruling party and their flag became the basis for the flag adopted on independence day on 11 November 1975. The MPLA flag has a yellow star in the center on a horizontal red and black background. It was created in 1959 by António Alberto Neto and was adopted by the party in 1960. In November 1975, a rival government, the Democratic People's Republic of Angola, was also established. The DPRA was controlled by the FNLA and UNITA and did not use the flags associated with the MPLA with which it fought during the civil war.

History of the current flag

[edit]

The flag was designed by Henrique Onambwé. The process of cutting and sewing the first version of the flag was done by Joaquina, Ruth Lara and Cici Cabral on 11 November 1975.[16] The flag has not changed since then.

Proposed changes

[edit]
  • Proposed Flag of Angola (1996)
    Proposed Flag of Angola (1996)
  • Proposed Flag of Angola (2003)
    Proposed Flag of Angola (2003)

Angola considered adopting a new flag in the 1990s. The proposed design, discussed since September 1996, consisted of three horizontal stripes: red, green and black, combining the colours of the MPLA and UNITA parties and providing Pan-African colours. According to a 1998 report, the National Assembly of Angola began work on a new constitution and planned a competition for a new flag.[17]

In 2003, a new, more "optimistic" flag that dropped the Communist imagery was proposed by the Parliament's Constitutional Commission of the National Assembly (Angolan Parliament), but it was not adopted, and the proposal was suppressed by the ruling party. The sun design in the middle is meant to be reminiscent of cave paintings found in Tchitundo-Hulu cave near Virei. The flag maintained the same flag proportions of 2:3.[18][19]

See also

[edit]

Notes

[edit]

References

[edit]

Citations

[edit]
  1. ^ a b c Constitution of Angola 2010, Annex I.
  2. ^ Constitution of Angola 1975, Article 54.
  3. ^ Smith 2001.
  4. ^ Government of Angola 2011, pp. 4–6, 17, Section 2.1.
  5. ^ a b Government of Angola 2011, pp. 7–9, Section 2.1.
  6. ^ a b The CMYK, Pantone and RGB codes are taken from section 2.1 of the Angolan government's 2011 manual of graphic and protocol standards for national symbols, i.e. Government of Angola 2011, p. 12. The hexadecimal equivalents are taken SchemeColor.com, which uses the same values for the other colour codes.
  7. ^ Government of Angola 2011, p. 6, Section 2.1.
  8. ^ a b c d e f g h i Government of Angola 2011, p. 18, Section 2.1.
  9. ^ a b c d Government of Angola 2011, p. 19, Section 2.1.
  10. ^ Government of Angola 2011, pp. 13–14, Section 2.1.
  11. ^ Government of Angola 2011, p. 16, Section 2.1.
  12. ^ Government of Angola 2011, p. 47, Section 2.4.
  13. ^ Government of Angola 2011, p. 45, Section 2.4.
  14. ^ Government of Angola 2011, p. 48, Section 2.4.
  15. ^ "Província Ultramarina de Angola".
  16. ^ Hermínio Escórcio: O MPLA tinha um Plano B, mas preferiu pôr de lado Archived 30 October 2022 at the Wayback Machine. Jornal de Angola. 11 November 2020.
  17. ^ Berry, Bruce. "Angola – proposals for a new flag". crwflags.
  18. ^ "República de Angola – Assembleia Nacional – COMISSÃO CONSTITUCIONAL". Wayback Machine. Government of Angola. Archived from the original on 7 December 2003. Retrieved 12 July 2024.
  19. ^ "Proposed New Flag of the Republic of Angola". Govt. of Angola. Archived from the original on 12 December 2003. Retrieved 12 July 2024.

Sources

[edit]
[edit]
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Flag_of_Angola&oldid=1274404241"