Malawi

Malawi
Adopted	July 6, 1964 (original) May 28, 2012 (readopted)
Proportions	2:3

The flag of Malawi is a horizontal triband of black, red, and green, charged with a red rising sun with 31 rays centred on the black stripe.

Symbolism

The rising sun represents the dawn of hope and freedom for the continent of Africa (when the flag was created, countries in Africa were just beginning to be granted independence). The 31 rays of the sun represent the fact that Malawi was the 31st African nation at the time of its independence. The black represents the indigenous people of the continent, the red symbolises the blood of their struggle, and the green represents nature.

The flag resembles the Pan-African flag designed by Marcus Garvey's UNIA, with the red and black bands reversed and a red sun in the top. It also resembles the flag of the now-defunct Republic of Biafra.

History

Malawi was once a British colony (first being named a protectorate of Central Africa, then named Nyasaland), so its' first flag was a British blue ensign with shields in the center.

British Central Africa Protectorate
(1893-1914)

Nyasaland
(1914-1919)

Nyasaland<(1919-1925)

Nyasaland
(1925-1953)

Federation of Rhodesia and Nyasaland
(1953-1963)

Nyasaland
(1963-1964)

Flag of Malawi (2010-2012)

After independence, Nyasaland, was given a new name (Malawi), coat of arms, and flag, which looks like the current flag it has today (black, red, and green stripes, with a half-sun at the top). The flag lasted for forty-six years, until July 26, 2010, when the Democratic Progress Party proposed to modify the flag, which changed the order of stripes from black, red, and green to red, black, and green, and the design of the sun, which was now a full white sun with forty-five rays, which now symbolized the nation's maturity.

It was, however, disliked by a majority of the country's population, who preferred the 1964 flag. On April 27, 2012, their former president Bingu wa Mutharika died, so Joyce Banda, his successor, voted to restore the old flag. The change came into effect on May 28, 2012.