Flag of Angola

Flag of Angola
	; ;
Vexillological symbol :	?
Aspect ratio:	2: 3
Officially accepted:	November 11, 1975

The flag of Angola is based on the flag of the ruling party MPLA , which was used by it during the struggle for independence. The flag was officially introduced on November 11, 1975.

description

Flag of Angola at a soccer match

The flag consists of two horizontal stripes of equal size: red on top and black on the bottom. The color red symbolizes the socialism that the MPLA aspired to, the black stands for Africa. Later, the red was defined less in terms of the party program than for the blood that was shed by the Angolans in the struggle for their independence. So the meaning is also given in Article 162 of the 1992 Constitution, which establishes the national flag.

Above the two stripes, in the center of the flag, is the Angolan emblem , which depicts half of a gear, a machete and a five-pointed star. The gear symbolizes the working class , the machete the peasants, the star progress and internationalism . The resemblance to the hammer and sickle symbol in the flag of the Soviet Union is a reference to communism .

history

The Kingdom of the Congo , which temporarily ruled northern Angola, already carried a flag. Only the flag of Portugal was used during the Portuguese colonial period . In 1967 there was a proposal for the colonies to insert their coat of arms into the flag of Portugal. The proposal was not taken up.

In 2003 it was proposed to replace the current flag with a more "optimistic" one. The opposition also criticized the resemblance to the MPLA flag. The aspect ratio would remain the same, the sun symbol in the middle is supposed to resemble cave paintings in the Tchitundo Hulu cave . A counter-argument against the design was that this flag could be confused with the flag of Costa Rica .