Namibia Flag And Its History

By Alex Clark


In the late 15th century, the Portuguese explorer Bartolomeu Dias became the first European to visit Namibia. Formerly called South-West Africa, the territory became a German colony in 1884. Between 1904 and 1908, German troops massacred tens of thousands of Herero, who had revolted against colonial rule. In 1915, during World War I, Namibian territory was taken over by South African forces. In 1921, it became a mandated territory of the League of Nations, under the administration of South Africa.

Upon the dissolution of the League of Nations in 1946, South Africa refused to accept United Nations authority to replace its mandate with a UN trusteeship. A black Marxist separatist group, the South West African People's Organization (SWAPO), formed in 1960 and began small-scale guerrilla attacks aimed at achieving independence.

When South Africa, under pressure from the international community, eventually agreed to relinquish control over the territory, a flag design competition was held for the future Republic of Namibia. The electoral victory of SWAPO in 1989 guaranteed that its own flag (a horizontal tricolor of blue, red, and green) would be influential when the choice was made.

Working with the 835 proposals submitted, the National Symbols Sub-Committee of the transitional government met throughout January 1990 and finally approved a flag recommended by South African State Herald Frederick Brownell. That design placed the blue-red-green SWAPO stripes diagonally and added white fimbriations (narrow borders) on either side of the red to set off the colors.

The chairman of Namibia's National Symbols Subcommittee described the Namibia flag as follows: Red - represents Namibia's most important resource, its people. It refers to their heroism and their determination to build a future of equal opportunity for all; White - refers to peace and unity Green - symbolizes vegetation and agricultural resources. Blue - represents the clear Namibian sky and the Atlantic Ocean, the country's precious water resources and rain; and the golden-yellow sun represents life and energy.

Red - represents Namibia's most important resource, its people. It refers to their heroism and their determination to build a future of equal opportunity for all; White - refers to peace and unity. Green - symbolizes vegetation and agricultural resources. Blue - represents the clear Namibian sky and the Atlantic Ocean, the country's precious water resources and rain; and the golden-yellow sun represents life and energy. The Flag Company Inc specialized in flag designs offered a special edition of decals and flags to memorize the history of Namibia flag for the future.




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