Flag of Malawi

The present configuration of the flag ofMalawiwas a revised version of the old Malawi flag. Adapted on July 29, 2010, the new flag was originally proposed by the Democratic Progressive Party which ruled the current government of Malawi. Under the present set-up, the flag has four colors – red, black, green and white.

The red, black and green colors were placed side by side with each other forming horizontal stripes with the red color on the top portion, followed by black in the middle and green at the bottom part. At the center of the flag is a white-colored full sun with rays. It is said that the full-centered sun symbolizes the economic development that Malawi has underwent after attaining complete independence.

The main features of the old flag of Malawi are not far from its contemporary design. Like the new flag, the original flag has three colors, but the placing of colors was entirely different. The original design has the black color on top, followed by red at the center and then green just below it. A rising sun was perched on the black stripe area. The original flag was approved on July 6, 1964.

The rich history of Malawi provides a deep explanation about the design of its old flag. The black stood for the African peoples, green symbolizes the color of nature while the red denotes the color of the blood spilt during its struggle for independence. The previous flag has a lot in common with the pan-African flag of Marcus Garvey’s design. The old flag has also great similarities with the flag of the Republic of Biafra which is now non-existent.

The adoption of the new flag in 2010 received diverse criticisms from all sectors of the population. One opposition party took the flag’s legitimacy question to the court. But despite the widespread condemnation of the change, the new flag was eventually hoisted.