Martinique

Martinique
Country	France
Adopted	February 2, 2023
Designed by	Guy Cabort-Masson and Alex Ferdinand
Proportions	2:3

The flag of Martinique is an equal horizontal bicolor of green and black, with a red pile half as long as the flag.

The rouge-vert-noir ("red-green-black") or the nationalist flag is the preferred symbol of Martiniquais independence activists. It was designed by Guy Cabort-Masson and Alex Ferdinand in 1968 and secretly transferred to Martinique in 1971.

The flag formerly had no official status, but it had influenced the hummingbird flag that was adopted in 2023. In 1995, it was controversially raised in the town of Sainte-Anne by nationalist mayor Garcin Malsa.

The flag originally reached second place in the last round of voting for a new flag, behind the winning design, the hummingbird flag. However, after the hummingbird flag was withdrawn, the nationalist flag was adopted by the Assembly on February 2, 2023.

Symbolism

The red symbolizes the blood shed for redemption and liberty, the black represents the color of the people, and the green represents the color of the vegetation of the land.

Flag colors

Color	Color Name	HEX RGB	Color of
	Green (Pigment)	#00a650	The green on the top
	Raisin Black	#231f1e	The black on the bottom
	Red (Pigment)	#ef1923	The red triangle

Hummingbird flag

The hummingbird flag is a diagonal unequal tricolor of red, green, and black, with a black hummingbird casting a white shadow in the middle. The flag was adopted on January 16, 2023, and was designed by Anaïs Delwaulle. The design was later withdrawn from consideration a week later at the request of the designer following accusations of plagiarism.

Symbolism

The red represents life and freedom, the green for nature and fertility, and the black pays tribute to all those who had their rights violated. The red, green, and black were derived from the nationalist flag, while the hummingbird was derived from the local flag.

Controversial snake flag

The snake flag is a blue background with a white cross and four snakes on its' corners. The symbol dates from an edict issued 4 August 1766, specifying that vessels of the French colony of Martinique and Saint Lucia should fly a version of the French ensign, which at the time was a white cross on a blue field with L-shaped (for Lucia) snakes in each quarter of the cross. The same design was used for the lesser coat of arms.

It is highly controversial because of its historical use on ships engaged in the Atlantic Slave Trade. Often presented internationally as the flag of Martinique, it is strongly rejected by locals and its use is very discouraged. Deputy Jean-Philippe Nilor demanded its withdrawal from public use, drawing the comparison, "if the swastika representative of Nazism refers to the Holocaust, this blue flag with its white cross and its 4 snakes is representative of slavery and the slave trade". In October 2018, the National Gendarmerie stopped using the emblem by order of President Emmanuel Macron.

Local flag

On August 1, 2016, a design competition for the collectivity's logo was opened to all people of age living in Martinique. Out of 647 eligible proposals, a design by 22-year-old graphic artist Stévy Desbonnes was selected. The logo features a hummingbird whose wings form a stylized map of Martinique. The ochre represents the local soil and blue represents the ocean. In late 2016 the local government flag was created, consisting of the new logo on a white background.

Ipséité flag

In 2018, the local council launched a competition to create a flag to represent Martinique at international sporting and cultural events. The anthem Lorizon and the flag Ipséité ("Selfhood") were chosen by the president of the Martinique Executive Council, Alfred Marie-Jeanne. They were officially presented on May 10, 2019. On November 15, 2021, the flag and anthem were annulled by the local administrative tribunal, as the method of their selection were not deemed within the responsibilities of the assembly. It is still seen as a cultural symbol.

The flag, designed by Johnny Vigne, depicts a lambi, an emblematic shell of the Antilles whose conch is used as a traditional musical instrument. Around it, 34 Amerindian stars symbolize the 34 municipalities of Martinique and eight segments evoke eight of the different languages spoken on the island: French, Creole, English, Spanish, Portuguese, Italian, Chinese and Arabic. Blue refers to the Atlantic Ocean and the Caribbean Sea, while green recalls the steep hills and nature of the territory.

The flag was first flown in June 2019 by the national team during its participation in the 2019 CONCACAF Gold Cup.

Flag redesign

In 2018, the local council held a competition to create a flag and anthem for the island, but 2 1⁄2 years after the design was announced, the flag and anthem were annulled by the local administrative tribunal, as the method of their selection were not deemed within the responsibilities of the council.

In 2022, the island began a public vote on an official flag and anthem. However, turnout for the first phase, which narrowed the choices down to two options, was low, with only 19,084 voting for a flag and 9,294 for the anthem out of an eligible population of around 300,000.

The second phase of voting began on January 2, 2023, and ended on January 13, 2023. The turnout for the second phase was 26,233 voting for a flag and 10,289 voting for an anthem. The new flag and anthem were announced on January 16, 2023. However, it was later found out that the design of the hummingbird in the flag appeared to be identical in shape to one present on the Shutterstock website.

The designer, Anaïs Delwaulle, initially defended her use of the stock image and her design in general, but on January 23, 2023, she announced that she wanted her design withdrawn from the process. The president of the Excecutive Council accepted this withdrawal, and explained that as a result, the runner-up would be submitted to the Assembly for consideration in February 2023. The nationalist flag was unanimously adopted as the official flag by the Assembly on February 2, 2023, with 45 votes in favor and 1 abstention.