Zambia and Malawi Independence from British Colonial Rule--National Flags--George's Post

Zambia and Malawi Independence from British Colonial Rule--National Flags--George's Post

Neither Zambia nor Malawi has existed as an independent country, free from colonial rule, for very long.  Each gained its independence from Britain in 1964, Zambia celebrating its independence day on October 24th and Malawi on July 6th.

Zambia and Malawi have wonderful national flags, with similar bold colors and strong patterns. 

The architects of the Malawian flag had simple but powerful symbols in mind when designing the flag.  The black stripe represents the people of Africa, while the red one stands for the blood split during Malawi's struggle for independence from British colonial rule.   The green stripe symbolizes the native vegetation.  The rising sun denotes the dawn of freedom and hope, not just for Malawi, but also for all of Africa.

The colors in the Zambian flag, common to those of Malawi's, have similar meanings.   The green background represents Zambia's vegetation and natural wealth,  the red strip represents Zambia's struggle for independence and the black stands for the people of Zambia.  The orange stripe, a color not used in the Malawi flag, symbolizes the Zambia's mineral resources, particularly its copper deposits.  The eagle is a symbol of freedom and also serves as the country's coat of arms.