The Black Star of Africa is a black

five-pointed star A five-pointed star (☆), geometrically an equilateral concave decagon, is a common ideogram in modern culture. Comparatively rare in classical heraldry, it was notably introduced for the flag of the United States in the Flag Act of 1777 and s ...

(★) symbolizing

Africa Africa is the world's second-largest and second-most populous continent, after Asia in both cases. At about 30.3 million km2 (11.7 million square miles) including adjacent islands, it covers 6% of Earth's total surface area ...

in general and

Ghana Ghana (; tw, Gaana, ee, Gana), officially the Republic of Ghana, is a country in West Africa. It abuts the Gulf of Guinea and the Atlantic Ocean to the south, sharing borders with Ivory Coast in the west, Burkina Faso in the north, and To ...

in particular. The

Black Star Line The Black Star Line (1919−1922) was a shipping line incorporated by Marcus Garvey, the organizer of the Universal Negro Improvement Association (UNIA), and other members of the UNIA. The shipping line was created to facilitate the transportation ...

, founded in 1919 by

Marcus Garvey Marcus Mosiah Garvey Sr. (17 August 188710 June 1940) was a Jamaican political activist, publisher, journalist, entrepreneur, and orator. He was the founder and first President-General of the Universal Negro Improvement Association and African ...

as part of the

Back-to-Africa movement The back-to-Africa movement was based on the widespread belief among some European Americans in the 18th and 19th century United States that African Americans would want to return to the continent of Africa. In general, the political movement wa ...

, modelled its name on that of the

White Star Line The White Star Line was a British shipping company. Founded out of the remains of a defunct packet company, it gradually rose up to become one of the most prominent shipping lines in the world, providing passenger and cargo services between t ...

, changing the colour from white to black to symbolise ownership by black people rather than

white people White is a racialized classification of people and a skin color specifier, generally used for people of European origin, although the definition can vary depending on context, nationality, and point of view. Description of populations as ...

. The black star became a symbol of

Pan-Africanism Pan-Africanism is a worldwide movement that aims to encourage and strengthen bonds of solidarity between all Indigenous and diaspora peoples of African ancestry. Based on a common goal dating back to the Atlantic slave trade, the movement exte ...

and

anti-colonialism Decolonization or decolonisation is the undoing of colonialism, the latter being the process whereby imperial nations establish and dominate foreign territories, often overseas. Some scholars of decolonization focus especially on independence ...

. Described as the "Lodestar of African Freedom", the black star was used in 1957 by

Theodosia Okoh Theodosia Salome Okoh (born 13 June 1922 – 19 April 2015) was a Ghanaian teacher and artist known for designing Ghana's national flag in 1957. She exhibited her artwork internationally. She also played a leading role in the development of h ...

in the design of the

Flag of Ghana The national flag of Ghana consists of a horizontal triband of Red, Gold, and Green. It was designed in replacement of the British Gold Coast's Blue Ensign. The flag was adopted upon the independence of the Dominion of Ghana on March 6, 1957. I ...

Ghana

Ghanaians have come to regard the Black Star as a specific symbol of Ghana rather than of Africa in general. As well as on the flag, the star appears on the coat of arms; on the Black Star Gate in

Black Star Square Black Star Square, also known as Independence Square, is a public square in Accra, Ghana, bordered by the Accra Sports Stadium and the Kwame Nkrumah Memorial Park. The square often hosts the annual independence celebrations as well as other nat ...

in the capital, Accra; and on the Seat of State in

Parliament In modern politics, and history, a parliament is a legislative body of government. Generally, a modern parliament has three functions: representing the electorate, making laws, and overseeing the government via hearings and inquiries. Th ...

, on which the President sits on ceremonial occasions. The Ghana national football team is nicknamed the "Black Stars". File:Flag of Ghana.svg,

File:Coat of arms of Ghana.svg,

Coat of arms of Ghana The coat of arms of Ghana was designed by Ghanaian artist Nii Amon Kotei and was introduced on 4 March 1957. Description *The first quarter, on the upper left shows a sword used by chiefs, and a staff, used by the linguist (known as an ''okyeame ...

File:Black Star Monument, Accra, Ghana.JPG, Black Star Gate, Accra File:Civil Air Ensign of Ghana.svg,

Civil air ensign A civil air ensign is a flag (or a variation thereof) which represents civil aviation in a country or organization. Typically, it is flown from buildings connected with the administration of civil aviation and it may also be flown by airlines of t ...

of Ghana File:Flag of Ghana (1964–1966).svg, Flag of Ghana (1964–66)

Elsewhere

The Black Star was also in the flag of the African Party for the Independence of Guinea and Cape Verde (PAIGC) on which the

Flag of Guinea-Bissau The national flag of Guinea-Bissau was adopted in 1973 when independence from Portugal was proclaimed. Gallery File:Flag of Portuguese Guinea (proposal).svg, Proposed flag for the Portuguese Guinea (1965) File:Flag of PAIGC.svg, Flag of PAIGC ...

and the former

Flag of Cape Verde The national flag of Cape Verde (Portuguese: ''bandeira de Cabo Verde''; Capeverdean ( ALUPEC): ''bandera di Kauberdi'') was adopted on 22 September 1992, replacing the flag adopted during Cape Verdean independence, fought for with Guinea-Bis ...

were based. The

Flag of São Tomé and Príncipe The flag of São Tomé and Príncipe ( Portuguese: ''bandeira de São Tomé e Príncipe'') consists of a red triangle situated at the hoist, with three horizontal green, yellow and green bands charged with two five-pointed black stars of Afric ...

uses the same Pan-African colours with two black stars, one each for

São Tomé São Tomé is the capital and largest city of the Central African island country of São Tomé and Príncipe. Its name is Portuguese for " Saint Thomas". Founded in the 15th century, it is one of Africa's oldest colonial cities. History Álvar ...

and

Príncipe Príncipe is the smaller, northern major island of the country of São Tomé and Príncipe lying off the west coast of Africa in the Gulf of Guinea. It has an area of (including offshore islets) and a population of 7,324 at the 2012 Census;

. The flag of the short-lived

Union of African States The Union of African States (french: Union des États africains), sometimes called the Ghana–Guinea–Mali Union, was a short-lived and loose regional organization formed in 1958 linking the West African nations of Ghana and Guinea as the Un ...

had three black stars, one for each member state. Black Star Industries, named after the Black Star Line, is a commercial venture associated with the U.S.

African People's Socialist Party The African People's Socialist Party (APSP) is a pan-Africanist political party and organization working towards reparations for slavery in the United States, identifying ideologically with African internationalism and African socialism.Klehr, Ha ...

. File:Flag of PAIGC.svg,

PAIGC The African Party for the Independence of Guinea and Cape Verde ( pt, Partido Africano para a Independência da Guiné e Cabo Verde, PAIGC) is a political party in Guinea-Bissau. Originally formed to peacefully campaign for independence from ...

flag File:Flag of Guinea-Bissau.svg,

File:Emblem of Guinea-Bissau.svg, Emblem of Guinea-Bissau File:Roundel of Guinea-Bissau.svg,

Roundel A roundel is a circular disc used as a symbol. The term is used in heraldry, but also commonly used to refer to a type of national insignia used on military aircraft, generally circular in shape and usually comprising concentric rings of diff ...

of the

Guinea-Bissau air force The Guinea-Bissau Air Force ( pt, Força Aérea da Guiné-Bissau) is the air force arm of the military of Guinea-Bissau. History On leaving Bissalanca by 1973–74, the Portuguese Air Force left three North American T-6Gs.Cooper and Weinert 201 ...

File:Flag of Cape Verde (1975-1992).svg,

(1975–92) File:Flag of São Tomé and Príncipe.svg,

File:Flag of the Union of African States (1961-1962).svg,

flag (1961–62)

References

Citations

Sources

* * * {{Pan-Africanism Star symbols Pan-Africanism Symbols of Africa National symbols of Ghana

Ghana

Elsewhere

See also

References

Citations

Sources