Guinea-Bissau, flag of

▪ Flag History

      national flag consisting of two horizontal stripes of yellow and green and, at the hoist, a vertical red stripe with a black star. The flag has a width-to-length ratio of approximately 1 to 2.

      The African Party for the Independence of Guinea and Cape Verde (PAIGC) found ready support in those Portuguese colonies for its message of social and economic advancement through political revolution. In 1961 it adopted a flag somewhat similar to those of the neighbouring independent countries of Guinea (Guinea, flag of) and Ghana (Ghana, flag of), which were then discussing a future federation of West African lands. To their pan-African red-yellow-green, the liberation movement for Guinea-Bissau added a black star on the hoist stripe. That stripe and star corresponded geographically to the western coastal region with its capital city, Bissau (from which the national name was derived). The horizontal stripes in the remaining part of the flag and their yellow and green colours roughly corresponded to the savannas of the north and the forests of the south.

      Officially the black star was said to be a symbol of PAIGC leadership, its colour referring to the African people and their determination to live in dignity, freedom, and peace. Yellow was interpreted as a symbol of harvest and the fruits of work, both in agriculture and otherwise. Green recalled the vast jungles and the agricultural lands, which provided a livelihood for the vast majority of citizens. The party flag also incorporated the initials PAIGC, omitted when independence was proclaimed on September 24, 1973. Portugal did not recognize Guinea-Bissau or its flag until after its own revolution in 1974; nevertheless, much of Guinea-Bissau was already under control of the PAIGC and its flag. Cape Verde (Cape Verde, flag of) eventually abandoned the Marxist politics of the PAIGC and changed its national flag, but Guinea-Bissau retains the original design.

Whitney Smith

 

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