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A new flag for Martinique

After adventures worthy of a television script, Martinique finally adopted a new flag very recently. Although having made several attempts to have its own emblem, the territory was one of the rare regions to be without one.

In August 1766, a royal decree imposed the use of the flag with the 4 snakes and the white cross. The snakes are said to have been introduced to the island to terrorize the slaves. This flag, which symbolized colonialism and glorified crimes against humanity, was finally removed and banned in 2018, following the request of President Macron.

organized In 2018, faced with the absence of a flag representing Martinique during international sports competitions, the Martinique municipal council organized a competition to create a Martinique flag and anthem. That of  Johnny Vigne was chosen.

The “Ipséité” flag represents a queen conch, an emblematic shell of Martinique. It is surrounded by 34 stars symbolizing the municipalities and 8 segments representing each of the languages spoken in the region.

The segments are alternately green to evoke nature and the hills, and blue to represent the ocean. The flag was used for two years, but was eventually removed following a court ruling. Martinique therefore organized a new competition in 2023 to designate a new Martinique flag.

The online vote in 2023, with 72% of the votes, chose the red-green-black flag with a hummingbird designed by Anaïs Delwaulle, entrepreneur and former Miss World candidate . The hummingbird, she says, embodies the ability to look backward while moving forward.

However, controversies arise because the hummingbird image came from the Shutterstock image bank, leading to accusations of plagiarism.

Following cyberharassment, she withdraws her flag.

Finally an old flag was chosen

Victor Lessort, Guy Cabort-Masson and Alex Ferdinand proposed this red-green-black flag, designed in the 1960s, as the Martinique flag. Although its origin remains unknown,the standard dates back to the anti-slavery revolts as early as 1665.

The colors of the Pan-African flag have symbolic meaning: red represents the blood shed for freedom and redemption, black represents pride in their color, and green represents lush vegetation.

This flag became a symbol of black pride and the black liberation movement of the 1960s. Its colors were adopted by many African countries, such as Angola, Libya, Sudan, Kenya and Malawi.

However, due to its association with nationalist movements, the use of this flag does not appeal to all inhabitants of Martinique.

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