<
http://shaebia.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=277:the-hig
h-hoisted-banner-of-pride-and-glory&catid=25:shaebia-documents&Itemid=2> The
High Hoisted Banner of Pride and Glory
Wednesday, 30 May 2012 07:45 | Written by Meron Abraha |
About a week ago, talking with a journalist friend about the Independence
Day Anniversary celebrations, he happened to mention that he was preparing a
television segment on the Eritrean flag. Curiosity got the best of me and I
started wondering, there and then, how much I, or anybody else for that
matter, knew about subject.
If I were to say that there are people who don't know what the Eritrean flag
looks like or what the colors stand for, I would be making the biggest
understatement of the century. And that would make me totally way out of
line.
But as regards questions pertaining to the origins of the Eritrean flag; the
significance of the geometric symbols; the flag's code of conduct; and so
on. then perhaps things could get a little bit tricky.
The questions are really not that many but unfortunately neither were the
people who knew all the right answers. And that's what got me writing this
piece on flags today.
If we were to talk about how flags originated in the first place, we would
have to go way back in time to ancient history when flags were nothing but
simply decorative streamers, or perhaps just ceremonial images. They were
usually respected in the same manner as the person or thing that they
represented.
Theories abound that flags were most likely developed long ago as something
soldiers could recognize as their own during a war. In the thick dusty air
of battles for instance, soldiers had trouble staying with their group so
they would look up in the sky, see their flag waving through the air, and
then could get back with their fellow combatants. The loss of a flag was a
severe blow in a battle while the capture of the opponents' flag could be a
turning point in that battle.
The modern flag is said to have arisen in the seventeenth century, with the
creation of the first modern states. Countries made flags an important
aspect of their official identity.
Flags are used by countries for other reasons beyond just having something
to fly in the air. A flag in fact represents an idea, or an ideal for that
matter. It is neither a mere piece of decoration, nor an object to be
honored for itself. It is honored for what it represents. Many flags are
held in high esteem for their history; for the sacrifices made by the
people; for the qualities for which the country and people stand. These
flags represent a nation at international podiums, global conferences and
other occasions held at the international level.
The Eritrean flag, the core issue of my article, is indeed the proud
possessor of these traits and else. Divided into segments by a red triangle
based on the hoist, the Eritrean flag comprises of three triangles with
green, blue and red colors. There is a yellow wreath with an upright branch
in the center and this whole motif is placed in the hoist-side of the red
triangle. The upper segment is green and the lower blue.
This national banner, or the current flag of the State of Eritrea, has the
same basic layout of the flag of the Eritrean People's Liberation Front
(EPLF), which has a yellow star at the hoist instead of the yellow wreath.
But Eritrea had its own sovereign flag and emblem as far as back in the
1950s. Following the temporary British administration until 1952, a UN
mandate federated Eritrea with Ethiopia, consenting for Eritrea to retain
limited control over its local affairs. And it was then that the Eritrean
flag with a blue field and a green emblem, depicting an upright olive wreath
and a single branch within, was adopted.
http://shaebia.org/images/stories/750px-flag_of_eritrea_1952.svg.png
Although the origins of this blue flag are not conspicuously clear,
documentations from that period reveal that the late Mohammed Omer Hakito,
one of the prominent political leaders of the 1950s, had proposed a light
blue flag with seven stars in the middle. The proposal was fiercely debated
upon in the Eritrean Parliament, whose members finally voted unanimously
voted for the blue filed flag with a green olive wreath emblem in the middle
to be the official flag of the State of Eritrea.
There are also assumptions suggesting that the blue flag was donated by the
UN, which enforced its will on Eritrea through its commissioner, Anze
Matienzo, the Bolivian appointed to oversee the Federation's implementation
and draft its constitution. These assumptions however, hardly hold water.
This flag was used until the end of the 1950s, when the territory was
absorbed and then forcibly annexed into Ethiopia. This triggered the armed
struggle for independence.
The blue and green Eritrean flag, however, continued to be in use as the
"flag of liberation" until the 1970s, until the EPLF officially came to
being and proposed its own flag during the front's First Organizational
Congress in 1977.
The EPLF's flag is dominated by a red triangle extending from the hoist to
the fly (right) with complementary green and blue triangles above and below
respectively. A yellow star is placed in the red triangle.
http://shaebia.org/images/stories/800px-flag_of_the_eplf.svg.png
The colors and symbols that constitute a flag are illustrations of the idea
or thought that make up the ideals of a country. Also reflected in the
design is the patriotism and pride of the people of the country.
Accordingly, the green stands for the fertility of the country; blue stands
for the sea; and red for the blood lost in the fight for freedom. The yellow
star has double meanings: the color represents the mineral resources of
Eritrea while the five corners of the star stand for Equality, Unity,
Liberty, Justice and Prosperity respectively (and not necessarily in the
same order).
The Eritrean flag from 1952 and that of the EPLF coexisted as the flags of
Eritrea until independence and the subsequent referendum in 1993. When
Eritrea finally took its rightful place in the world, following its
declaration as an independent and sovereign country on May 24, 1993, the new
National Flag that flew in the air was in fact the EPLF's flag with the
wreath and upright olive branch symbol derived from the 1952 flag replacing
the yellow star.
http://shaebia.org/images/stories/goeritrea.jpg
Because a flag is a country's way of portraying itself to the rest of the
world, time, energy and creativity is invested in its design.
Vexillology, the discipline that deals with the scientific study of the
history, symbolism, and usage of flags or any interest in flags in general,
tries to promote flag design principles based on a body of research on flag
history and design. And some of the prominent examples of these principles
are:
1. Keep It Simple: the flag should be so simple that a child can draw it
from memory.
2. Use Meaningful Symbolism: the flag's images, colors, or patterns should
relate to what it symbolizes.
3. Use few Basic Colors: limit the number of colors on the flag to few
colors that contrast well and come from the standard color set.
4. No Lettering or Seals: never use writing of any kind or an organization's
seal.
5. Be Distinctive or Be Related: avoid duplicating other flags, but use
similarities to show connections.
I am not a vexillophile, and definitely not a vexillologist, but I was
excited to find out that our flag indeed complies, to the letter I might
add, to these principles. Children can in fact draw it with ease, the colors
are in good contrast with each other; there is no lettering of any kind; and
it is very distinct.
I didn't forget the fifth one. I instead saved it for last because when it
comes to meaningful symbolism, the patterns in our flag have their own story
to tell.
The yellow wreath symbol in the red triangle has 12leaves on each side, with
six more on the upright branch in the middle, totaling altogether to 30,
which is the number of years of the armed struggle for liberation that the
Eritrean people had to endure.
That's not all. The red triangle, which has its base at the hoist, extends
towards the left representing the declining amount of blood spilt for the
independence and sovereignty of the country. The complimentary green and
blue triangles either sides of the red triangle represent the growing amount
of fertility as well as land bounty on one hand and the vast marine
resources and clear (unpolluted) skies respectively.
A flag can be unifying to a country, as it is the case in Eritrea, which can
look to its flag flown high above the landscape in times of trouble and
remember that the country will indeed go on. People that have never met
before can feel unity towards one another knowing that they're part of the
same country and fly the same flag. It makes all Eritrean citizens feel like
part of one team.
One of the persons to whom I ventured my questions about the significance of
a flag is a high school teacher in Asmara. I have known him to be a man of
rather unusual principles in life, and, true enough to his character,
dismissed the importance of having a flag at all.
He was of the belief that the world was like one big village and there is no
need of differentiating one another with flags and symbolic representations.
He was adamant that flags were noting but mere symbols and that people could
in fact identify with each other through their cultural practices and
languages.
His quite relevant knowledge of political science, despite having majored in
physics, hindered me from trying to convince him otherwise. I could only
wonder what would the women, who dress up and braid their hair in the colors
of the Eritrean flag, say to him if they ever confronted him.
And talking about dressing up in the colors or patterns of our national
flag, I think it's worth mentioning that people do that because they equate
the flag with the country they love. But as far as international codes of
conduct of flags are concerned, flags should never be used as wearing
apparel, bedding, or drapery. But then of course, it wouldn't be completely
misguided to feel its wearing as a mark of patriotism, although some of us
feel very differently about this issue. The very conservative recommend the
use of patches and pins as appropriate, respectful and patriotic for people
who want to display the flag on a personal level.
At any rate, the fact remains that to fly the national flag is a sign of
pride and patriotism. It is a positive affirmation of loyalty and
commitment. It marks out a country that has confidence in itself, and is
comfortable with its place in the world, its history and its future.
Taking into consideration the importance of our flag, its deep significance,
and of course the fact that the respect for the flag is one indication of
patriotism, my journalist friend had raised an important question in the end
of his program: Shouldn't we dedicate a National Day in honor of our flag?
A timely question, I dare say, now that we just came from celebrating
Independence Day and awaiting Martyrs' Day, two events of great significance
and components that essentially constitute, in one way or the other, the
features of our flag.
Last Updated (Wednesday, 30 May 2012 08:22)
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Received on Wed May 30 2012 - 21:11:20 EDT
