Let's say three days for the voting since I left the other thread up a bit long.
THE CHALLENGE
African flags are often based on the flag of the ruling party. Angola's is based on the flag of the MPLA, Mozambique's is based on the flag of FRELIMO, and Namibia's is based on the flag of SWAPO. Your challenge is to make a new flag for a modern sub-Saharan African state after a coup or change in power. Here are the restrictions:
1. The state has to be in sub-Saharan Africa, as defined in this image
2. The state must currently exist.
3. The POD can be any time after the independence of the country you choose. Future flags are allowed but try to keep it in the near future.
4. The new flag must in some way represent either a new form of government or a political party. In the case of a form of government, it should have some kind of historical existence in more than a theoretical capacity. (e.g. Communist State, Monarchy, Anarchy) In the case of a political party, it should be a real party which exists or has existed in that state. You can also make a flag which represents a compromise or alliance between one or more parties.
5. Please identify with your post what state you're choosing and what the form of government or party is.
THE ENTRIES (in random order)
Entry #1: Union of Cabo Verde and Guinee
POD: In 1981 Cabo Verde and Guinee-Bissau became an union, after a rebellion in the region of Guinee-Bissau was crushed in 1980.
The same year the ruling PAIGC brok up into 2 camps: the União Democrática da Guiné e Cabo Verde (UDGC) and the Partido do Trabalho da Guiné e Cabo Verde (PTGC). After a short, but brutal civil war the UDGC prevailed and it transformed the government into "non-aligned" African Socialist Movement, although in practice the new government relied heavily on Cuban and Soviet support.
After the "11 november" massacres of 1986 and the joint US-Portugues invasion in 1987 the Union was dismantled. Nonetheless the UDGC prevailed as the largest party in Cabo Verde in the decade thereafter.
4. The flag that was used for the Union of Cabo Verde and Guinee from 1981 till 1987 was highly influenced by the party flag of the UDGC, which on it's turn was highly influenced the party flag of the PAIGC. This Union flag was maintained as the flag of the new Cabo Verde country (República de Cabo Verde) after the dismantlement of the union.
Entry #2: Central African Empire
Here's my submission for the new challenge, the flag of the Central African Empire. In the face of French intervention, the despot Jean-Bidel Bokassa turned to Sovient aid, eventually removing all French influence from the self-proclaimed empire. Soviet influence, however, ran rampant, with socialist policies being forced on the nation. By Bokassa's death of dysentery in 1981, the Soviets had set up a puppet government in the form of the Central African Peoples' Republic. This government was ousted in 1989 with the New Imperial Faction returning to power, lead by Bokassa's relatives and acquaintances. Though a succession crisis caused civil war to erupt before UN forces intervened in 1991, the country is strongly pro-monarchist, mostly due to the fear of socialist "egalitarianism" and the "horrors of the white man" it represented. Democratic reforms had seeped in slowly, but for the most part the state is seen as a reactionary junta.
The flag's reorganization represents the proclaimed youth of the nation by the New Imperials. The bird is taken from Bokassa's personal standard, and the colors from the original flag of the Central African Republic. The reflective design of the stripes represents the reflective nature of the empire: old and new ideas, claim the New Imperials, flow together through the leadership of the emperor.
Entry #3: Confederal Republic of Nigeria
The Nigerian Civil War worsens and the Western Region also secedes.
The war drags on with many assuming that the Regions would remain as separate republics until surprisingly in early 1975 agreement is reached forming a confederation of 3 Regional Republics.
To maintain the near autonomy of the Regions a semi-presidential executive was formed with an elected triumvirate Presidency (with a rotating chairman) and separately elected Regional Premiers.
Since the Northern Region had maintained the old Nigerian vertical tricolour as its flag during the war, the new republic used a vertical white pall on green with 3 red stars symbolising the 3 Regions in unity - green for prosperity, white for peace, and red for the blood shed.
Entry #4: Somalia
After Siad Barre looses power in 1991, the Somali Democratic Union (SDU) gain power in an unexpected coup d'état. The SDU decide to use their own flag rather than the flag designed by Mohammed Awale Liban in 1954.
THE CHALLENGE
African flags are often based on the flag of the ruling party. Angola's is based on the flag of the MPLA, Mozambique's is based on the flag of FRELIMO, and Namibia's is based on the flag of SWAPO. Your challenge is to make a new flag for a modern sub-Saharan African state after a coup or change in power. Here are the restrictions:
1. The state has to be in sub-Saharan Africa, as defined in this image
2. The state must currently exist.
3. The POD can be any time after the independence of the country you choose. Future flags are allowed but try to keep it in the near future.
4. The new flag must in some way represent either a new form of government or a political party. In the case of a form of government, it should have some kind of historical existence in more than a theoretical capacity. (e.g. Communist State, Monarchy, Anarchy) In the case of a political party, it should be a real party which exists or has existed in that state. You can also make a flag which represents a compromise or alliance between one or more parties.
5. Please identify with your post what state you're choosing and what the form of government or party is.
THE ENTRIES (in random order)
Entry #1: Union of Cabo Verde and Guinee
POD: In 1981 Cabo Verde and Guinee-Bissau became an union, after a rebellion in the region of Guinee-Bissau was crushed in 1980.
The same year the ruling PAIGC brok up into 2 camps: the União Democrática da Guiné e Cabo Verde (UDGC) and the Partido do Trabalho da Guiné e Cabo Verde (PTGC). After a short, but brutal civil war the UDGC prevailed and it transformed the government into "non-aligned" African Socialist Movement, although in practice the new government relied heavily on Cuban and Soviet support.
After the "11 november" massacres of 1986 and the joint US-Portugues invasion in 1987 the Union was dismantled. Nonetheless the UDGC prevailed as the largest party in Cabo Verde in the decade thereafter.
4. The flag that was used for the Union of Cabo Verde and Guinee from 1981 till 1987 was highly influenced by the party flag of the UDGC, which on it's turn was highly influenced the party flag of the PAIGC. This Union flag was maintained as the flag of the new Cabo Verde country (República de Cabo Verde) after the dismantlement of the union.
Entry #2: Central African Empire
Here's my submission for the new challenge, the flag of the Central African Empire. In the face of French intervention, the despot Jean-Bidel Bokassa turned to Sovient aid, eventually removing all French influence from the self-proclaimed empire. Soviet influence, however, ran rampant, with socialist policies being forced on the nation. By Bokassa's death of dysentery in 1981, the Soviets had set up a puppet government in the form of the Central African Peoples' Republic. This government was ousted in 1989 with the New Imperial Faction returning to power, lead by Bokassa's relatives and acquaintances. Though a succession crisis caused civil war to erupt before UN forces intervened in 1991, the country is strongly pro-monarchist, mostly due to the fear of socialist "egalitarianism" and the "horrors of the white man" it represented. Democratic reforms had seeped in slowly, but for the most part the state is seen as a reactionary junta.
The flag's reorganization represents the proclaimed youth of the nation by the New Imperials. The bird is taken from Bokassa's personal standard, and the colors from the original flag of the Central African Republic. The reflective design of the stripes represents the reflective nature of the empire: old and new ideas, claim the New Imperials, flow together through the leadership of the emperor.
Entry #3: Confederal Republic of Nigeria
The Nigerian Civil War worsens and the Western Region also secedes.
The war drags on with many assuming that the Regions would remain as separate republics until surprisingly in early 1975 agreement is reached forming a confederation of 3 Regional Republics.
To maintain the near autonomy of the Regions a semi-presidential executive was formed with an elected triumvirate Presidency (with a rotating chairman) and separately elected Regional Premiers.
Since the Northern Region had maintained the old Nigerian vertical tricolour as its flag during the war, the new republic used a vertical white pall on green with 3 red stars symbolising the 3 Regions in unity - green for prosperity, white for peace, and red for the blood shed.
Entry #4: Somalia
After Siad Barre looses power in 1991, the Somali Democratic Union (SDU) gain power in an unexpected coup d'état. The SDU decide to use their own flag rather than the flag designed by Mohammed Awale Liban in 1954.
- Red stands for the Red Sea.
- Green stands for Islam.
- White stands for peace.
- Yellow stands for other religions.
- The swords represents their strength.
- The combination of red, white and green stands for their Italian heritage as well as their Arab heritage.
