HOME

TheInfoList



Click Here for Items Related To - Pan-African Colors
OR:
Pan-African Colors on:   [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Amazon]

Pan-African colours is a term that may refer to two different sets of colours: *
Green Green is the color between cyan and yellow on the visible spectrum. It is evoked by light which has a dominant wavelength of roughly 495570 nm. In subtractive color systems, used in painting and color printing, it is created by a com ...
,
yellow Yellow is the color between green and orange on the spectrum of light. It is evoked by light with a dominant wavelength of roughly 575585 nm. It is a primary color in subtractive color systems, used in painting or color printing. In t ...
and
red Red is the color at the long wavelength end of the visible spectrum of light, next to orange and opposite violet. It has a dominant wavelength of approximately 625–750 nanometres. It is a primary color in the RGB color model and a seconda ...
, the colours of the
flag of Ethiopia The Flag of Ethiopia () consists of a green, yellow, and red tricolour with the national emblem, a golden pentagram on a blue disc, superimposed at the center. While the colors green, yellow, and red in combination held symbolic importance sinc ...
, have come to represent the
pan-Africanist Pan-Africanism is a nationalist movement that aims to encourage and strengthen bonds of solidarity between all indigenous peoples and diasporas of African ancestry. Based on a common goal dating back to the Atlantic slave trade, the Trans-Sa ...
ideology due to the country's history of having avoided being taken over by a colonial power. Numerous African countries have adopted the colours into their national flags, and they are similarly used as a symbol by many Pan-African organisations and the
Rastafari Rastafari is an Abrahamic religions, Abrahamic religion that developed in Jamaica during the 1930s. It is classified as both a new religious movement and a social movement by Religious studies, scholars of religion. There is no central authori ...
movement. * Red,
black Black is a color that results from the absence or complete absorption of visible light. It is an achromatic color, without chroma, like white and grey. It is often used symbolically or figuratively to represent darkness.Eva Heller, ''P ...
, and green, first introduced by
Marcus Garvey Marcus Mosiah Garvey Jr. (17 August 188710 June 1940) was a Jamaican political activist. He was the founder and first President-General of the Universal Negro Improvement Association and African Communities League (UNIA-ACL) (commonly known a ...
in 1920, have also come to represent Pan-Africanism, and are shown on the
pan-African flag The pan-African flag (also known as the Afro-American flag, Black Liberation flag, UNIA flag, and various other names) is an ethnic flag representing pan-Africanism, the African diaspora, and/or black nationalism. A tri-color flag, it consist ...
. These colours have also been incorporated on national flags, and they have sometimes been used to represent
black nationalism Black nationalism is a nationalist movement which seeks representation for Black people as a distinct national identity, especially in racialized, colonial and postcolonial societies. Its earliest proponents saw it as a way to advocate for ...
rather than Pan-Africanism.


Green-yellow-red

Green Green is the color between cyan and yellow on the visible spectrum. It is evoked by light which has a dominant wavelength of roughly 495570 nm. In subtractive color systems, used in painting and color printing, it is created by a com ...
,
yellow Yellow is the color between green and orange on the spectrum of light. It is evoked by light with a dominant wavelength of roughly 575585 nm. It is a primary color in subtractive color systems, used in painting or color printing. In t ...
, and
red Red is the color at the long wavelength end of the visible spectrum of light, next to orange and opposite violet. It has a dominant wavelength of approximately 625–750 nanometres. It is a primary color in the RGB color model and a seconda ...
are now found on the
national flag A national flag is a flag that represents and national symbol, symbolizes a given nation. It is Fly (flag), flown by the government of that nation, but can also be flown by its citizens. A national flag is typically designed with specific meanin ...
s of many African nations. The colour combination was borrowed from the
flag of Ethiopia The Flag of Ethiopia () consists of a green, yellow, and red tricolour with the national emblem, a golden pentagram on a blue disc, superimposed at the center. While the colors green, yellow, and red in combination held symbolic importance sinc ...
. The Ethiopian flag has influenced the flags of many Pan-African organizations and polities. Except for relatively brief periods of influence and occupation by the
Kingdom of Italy The Kingdom of Italy (, ) was a unitary state that existed from 17 March 1861, when Victor Emmanuel II of Kingdom of Sardinia, Sardinia was proclamation of the Kingdom of Italy, proclaimed King of Italy, until 10 June 1946, when the monarchy wa ...
, Ethiopia remained outside European control during the colonial era by defeating the Italian army at the
battle of Adwa The Battle of Adwa (; ; , also spelled ''Adowa'') was the climactic battle of the First Italo-Ethiopian War. The Ethiopian army defeated an invading Italian and Eritrean force led by Oreste Baratieri on March 1, 1896, near the town of Adwa. ...
in 1896, ending the Italian protectorate. As a result, the country drew the admiration of many newly independent states in Africa. The adoption of the Ethiopian
national colours National colours are frequently part of a country's set of national symbols. Many states and nations have formally adopted a set of colours as their official "national colours" while others have '' de facto'' national colours that have become well ...
by many Pan-African entities is a consequence of this. The first African state to adopt a gold, red and green flag upon independence was
Ghana Ghana, officially the Republic of Ghana, is a country in West Africa. It is situated along the Gulf of Guinea and the Atlantic Ocean to the south, and shares borders with Côte d’Ivoire to the west, Burkina Faso to the north, and Togo to t ...
in 1957, designed 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 ho ...
.Mrs. Theodosia Salome Okoh Profile
at GhanaWeb.


Red-black-green

The
Universal Negro Improvement Association and African Communities League The Universal Negro Improvement Association and African Communities League (UNIA-ACL) is a black nationalist fraternal organization founded by Marcus Garvey, a Jamaican immigrant to the United States, and his then-wife Amy Ashwood Garvey. ...
(UNIA) founded by
Marcus Garvey Marcus Mosiah Garvey Jr. (17 August 188710 June 1940) was a Jamaican political activist. He was the founder and first President-General of the Universal Negro Improvement Association and African Communities League (UNIA-ACL) (commonly known a ...
has a constitution that defines red, black, and green as the Pan-African colours: "red representing the noble blood that unites all people of African ancestry, the colour black for the people, green for the rich land of Africa." The UNIA flag was designated the official colours of Black Africans by the UNIA at its convention in
Madison Square Garden Madison Square Garden, colloquially known as the Garden or by its initials MSG, is a multi-purpose indoor arena in New York City. It is located in Midtown Manhattan between Seventh Avenue (Manhattan), Seventh and Eighth Avenue (Manhattan), Eig ...
on August 13, 1920, in
New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...
, United States.


Flags with Pan-African colours


Current country flags with the Pan-African symbolism

The following are countries and territories that use one or both sets of Pan-African colours in their official flags: File:Flag of Benin.svg, File:Flag of Burkina Faso.svg, File:Flag of Cameroon.svg, File:Flag of the Central African Republic.svg, File:Flag of Chad.svg, File:Flag of the Republic of the Congo.svg, File:Flag of Ghana.svg, File:Flag of Guinea.svg, File:Flag of Guinea-Bissau.svg, File:Flag of Mali.svg, File:Flag of Senegal.svg, File:Flag of São Tomé and Príncipe.svg, File:Flag of Togo.svg,


Non-national flags

File:Flag of the African National Congress.svg, File:African America Flag.svg, File:MNLA flag.svg, File:Flag of Darfur.svg, File:Flag of the Union of African States (1958-1961).svg, File:Flag of the Union of African States (1961-1962).svg, File:Flag of the Rwandan Democratic Movement.svg, File:Flag of the Republic of New Afrika.svg,


Former flags with pan-African colours

File:Flag of Cape Verde (1975-1992).svg, File:Flag of Malawi (2010-2012).svg, File:Flag of Rwanda (1962-2001).svg, File:Flag of South Kasai.svg, File:Flag of Zaire (1971–1997).svg, File:Flag of Tanganyika (1961–1964).svg, Flag of Tanganyika (1961–1964) File:Flag of Senegal (1958–1959).svg, Flag of Senegal (1958–1959)


Non pan-African flags with pan-African colours

Although the following flags contain a pan-African colour scheme, they were not officially designed to symbolise
pan-Africanism Pan-Africanism is a nationalist movement that aims to encourage and strengthen bonds of solidarity between all Indigenous peoples of Africa, indigenous peoples and diasporas of African ancestry. Based on a common goal dating back to the Atla ...
. The designs may or may not be influenced by pan-African colours.
Rastafari Rastafari is an Abrahamic religions, Abrahamic religion that developed in Jamaica during the 1930s. It is classified as both a new religious movement and a social movement by Religious studies, scholars of religion. There is no central authori ...
colours also originate from the Ethiopian flag, but though Rastafari thought harbours pan-African sympathies, its use of the Ethiopian flag is historically rooted in the veneration of former Ethiopian emperor
Haile Selassie Haile Selassie I (born Tafari Makonnen or ''Ethiopian aristocratic and court titles#Lij, Lij'' Tafari; 23 July 189227 August 1975) was Emperor of Ethiopia from 1930 to 1974. He rose to power as the Ethiopian aristocratic and court titles, Rege ...
. File:Australian Aboriginal Flag.svg, File:Flag of Afghanistan (2013–2021).svg, File:Flag of Angola.svg, File:Flag of Biafra.svg, File:Flag of Bolivia (state).svg, File:Flag of Burma 1943.svg, File:Flag of the Comoros.svg, File:Flag of Eritrea.svg, File:Flag of Ethiopia.svg, File:Flag of Ethiopia (1897-1936; 1941-1974).svg, File:Flag of French Guiana.svg, File:Flag of Grenada.svg, File:Flag of Guyana.svg, File:Flag of Jamaica.svg, File:Flag of Kenya.svg, File:Flag of Lithuania.svg, File:Flag of Libya.svg, File:Flag of Malawi.svg, File:Flag of Haiti (1964-1986).svg, File:Flag of the Helvetic Republic (German).svg,
Helvetic Republic The Helvetic Republic (; ; ) was a sister republic of France that existed between 1798 and 1803, during the French Revolutionary Wars. It was created following the French invasion and the consequent dissolution of the Old Swiss Confederacy, ma ...
(1798–1803) File:Flag of Martinique.svg, File:Flag of Mauritania.svg, File:Flag of Mauritius.svg, File:Flag of Mozambique.svg, File:Flag of Myanmar.svg, File:Flag of Namibia.svg, File:Flag of Papua New Guinea.svg, File:Flag of Portugal.svg, File:Flag of Saint Kitts and Nevis.svg, File:Flag of South Africa.svg, File:Flag of South Sudan.svg, File:Flag of Tajikistan.svg, File:Flag of Uganda.svg, File:Flag of Vanuatu.svg, File:Flag of Zambia.svg, File:Flag of Zimbabwe.svg,


See also

*
Flag of Lithuania The national flag of Lithuania () consists of a horizontal tricolour of yellow, green, and red. It was adopted on 25 April 1918 during Lithuania's first period of independence (1918–1940), which ceased with the occupation first by the Soviet ...
*
Nordic Cross Flag A Nordic cross flag is a flag bearing the design of the Nordic or Scandinavian cross, a cross symbol in a rectangular field, with the centre of the cross shifted towards the hoist. All independent Nordic countries have adopted such flags in ...
*
Pan-African flag The pan-African flag (also known as the Afro-American flag, Black Liberation flag, UNIA flag, and various other names) is an ethnic flag representing pan-Africanism, the African diaspora, and/or black nationalism. A tri-color flag, it consist ...
*
Pan-Arab colors The pan-Arab colors are black, white, green and red. Individually, each of the four pan-Arab colors were intended to represent a certain aspect of the Arabs, Arab people and their history. History The four colors derive their potency from a v ...
*
Pan-Slavic colors The pan-Slavic colors—blue, white and red—were defined by the Prague Slavic Congress, 1848, based on the symbolism of the colors of the flag of Russia, which was introduced in the late 17th century. Historically, however, many Slavs, Sla ...
*
Tricolour A triband is a vexillological style which consists of three stripes arranged to form a flag. These stripes may be two or three colours, and may be charged with an emblem in the middle stripe. Not all tribands are tricolour flags, which requires t ...
** Malay tricolour *
United States of Africa The United States of Africa is a concept of a federation of some or all of the 54 sovereign states and two disputed states on the continent of Africa. The concept takes its origin from Marcus Garvey's 1924 poem "Hail, United States of Africa". ...
* Pan-African Flags


References

* Znamierowski, Alfred (2001). ''The World Encyclopedia of Flags: The Definitive Guide to International Flags, Banners, Standards and Ensigns''. London: Anness Publishing. {{Pan-Africanism Culture of Africa African-American cultural history Color schemes Flags by color
Colours Color (or colour in Commonwealth English; see spelling differences) is the visual perception based on the electromagnetic spectrum. Though color is not an inherent property of matter, color perception is related to an object's light absorpt ...
Rastafari Symbols of Africa Colours, Pan-African