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Ethiopia is recognised as
the oldest independent state in Africa, repulsing Italian colonial
aggressors late in the 19th century and maintaining its sovereignty.
The Ethiopian tricolour
dates from the late 1890s, when forces loyal to the Ethiopian emperor
are believed to have flown pennants of green, yellow and red as they
fought against Italian forces.
The first Ethiopian
horizontal striped tricolour incorporating green, yellow and red was
adopted on the 6th of October 1897. Interestingly, the colours were in
reverse order to that flown today.
Since 1897, a green-yellow-red
horizontal striped pattern has been the basis for all of Ethiopia's
national flags.
The current design dates
from the 6th of February 1996, when a radiant star on a blue disk
replaced another emblem previously on the flag.
PAN AFRICAN COLOURS
Ethiopia is credited with
establishing the original green, yellow and red colours that today
have
come to symbolise African independence and unity.
As colonial rule on the
African continent came to an end in the mid-20th century, African states looked for symbols to adopt as signs of
their emerging independence.
As the oldest independent
African state, the Ethiopian tricolour of green-yellow-red is believed
to have influenced the newly independent African ex-colonies
choosing their first post-colonial national flag.
As more countries on the African continent
adopted the green, yellow and red for their national flags, they
became known as the pan-African colours.
Black has also been added
to these colours and usually represents the African people. |
