Martinique
Rouge-vert-noir
UseCivil and state flag
Proportion2:3
Adopted2 February 2023
DesignTwo equal horizontal bands of green (top) and black with a red triangle based at the hoist.
Flag of the local government of Martinique
Proportion2:3
Adopted28 November 2016
Flag of France
Martinique is an overseas department/region of France
Proportion2:3
Adopted15 February 1794

The flag of Martinique consists of a red triangle at the hoist, with two horizontal bands, the upper green and the lower black. It was adopted on 2 February 2023. The flag of France, its parent country, is also flown with official standing due to Martinique's status as a French overseas department/region. The assembly of Martinique flies a flag with the collectivity's logo on it to represent the government.

2022 flag consultation

Winning design, withrawn for plagiarism.
1950s nationalist flag, co-opted runner up

Prior to 2023, Martinique did not have its own flag. In 2018, the local council held a competition to create a flag and anthem for the island, but 2½ years following the presentation of the winners, the flag and anthem were annulled by the local administrative tribunal, as the method of their selection was not deemed within the responsibilities of the council. In 2022, the island began a public vote on an official flag and anthem.[1][2] However, turnout for the first phase, which narrowed the choices down to two options, was very low, with only 19,084 voting for a flag and 9,294 for the anthem out of an eligible population of around 300,000.[3] The winners, announced 16 January 2023,[4][5] were the hummingbird design for the flag and "Ansanm" for the anthem, representing 72.84% and 53.76% of votes cast, respectively.[6][7] During the second round of voting, turnout remained relatively low, with a total of 26,633 votes cast for a flag, and 10,289 votes cast for an anthem.[8] The design of the hummingbird in the illustrations used in the vote appears to be identical in shape to one present on the Shutterstock website.[9][10][11]

The designer, Anaïs Delwaulle, initially defended her use of the stock image and her design in general, but on 23 January announced that she wanted her design withdrawn from the process. The president of the Executive Council accepted this withdrawal, and explained that as a result, the runner-up, an established flag used by nationalists, would be submitted to the Assembly for consideration on 2–3 February.[12] The runner-up design was eventually adopted on 2 February, with 44 votes in favour and one abstention.[13]

Local government flag

Flag of the local government of Martinique

On 1 August 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 colour 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.[14]

Ipséité

The 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 (by Rosetta Varasse) and the flag Ipséité ("Selfhood") were chosen by the president of the Martinique Executive Council, Alfred Marie-Jeanne. They were officially presented on 10 May 2019.[15] On 15 November 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 Executive Council. It is still seen as a cultural symbol.[16]

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. The colour blue refers to the Atlantic Ocean and the Caribbean Sea, while green recalls the steep hills and nature of the territory.[17]

The flag was first flown in June 2019 by Martinique's national football team during their participation at the 2019 CONCACAF Gold Cup.[18]

Nationalist flag

A damaged nationalist Martinique flag

The rouge-vert-noir ("red-green-black") 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.[19]

The colours of the flag are also found on the African diaspora flag, designed in 1920. It has several derivative flags (such as the flags of Malawi, Kenya and South Sudan), although it is not known if the nationalist flag of Martinique is one of these. The Universal Negro Catechism, published by the UNIA in 1921, refers to the colors of the flag meaning:[20]

Red is the color of the blood which men must shed for their redemption and liberty; black is the color of the noble and distinguished race to which we belong; green is the color of the luxuriant vegetation of our Motherland.

In 1995, it was controversially raised in the town of Sainte-Anne by nationalist mayor Garcin Malsa. The flag was included as one of the options taken to public vote in 2023, along with many other designs using colours derived from this flag, reaching the last round of voting and ultimately second place.[21] However, as the winner withdrew after the results were announced, and it was one of the final two options voted on in the last round of voting, the flag was considered for adoption by the Assembly on 2 February 2023,[12] and was adopted with 44 votes in favour and one abstention.[13]

Snake flag

The snake flag

The "snake flag" (drapeau aux serpents) features a white cross on a blue field with a white fer-de-lance viper (Bothrops lanceolatus), a snake species endemic to the island, in each corner. 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.[22]

Deputy Jean-Philippe Nilor demanded its withdrawal from public use and even compared it to the Nazi swastika that «refers to the Holocaust».[23] In October 2018, the National Gendarmerie stopped using the emblem by order of President Emmanuel Macron.[24]

Before the 21st century, the snake flag was largely unused in Martinique. It was mainly erroneously used as a courtesy ensign by yachters and was not available for sale locally.[25]

The emoji of the flag is sometimes used by the Québécois as a stand in for Quebec's own flag, as there is no Quebec flag available.[26]

Other flags of Martinique

See also

References

  1. ^ "Drapeau et hymne : la deuxième phase du vote est en cours". Martinique la 1ère (in French). Retrieved 11 January 2023.
  2. ^ "Cyberattack halts Martinique's search for new flag, hymn". AP NEWS. 4 January 2023. Retrieved 11 January 2023.
  3. ^ Rafe, Juliette (12 January 2023). "En Martinique, le vote pour le nouveau drapeau se poursuit dans la contestation générale". Le Parisien (in French). Retrieved 12 January 2023.
  4. ^ "La Martinique a un nouveau drapeau, voici sa signification". huffingtonpost.fr (in French). 17 January 2023.
  5. ^ "La Martinique a son nouveau drapeau et son hymne". Martinique la 1ère (in French). Retrieved 18 January 2023.
  6. ^ "Le drapeau au colibri et l'hymne Ansanm, nouveaux emblèmes de la Martinique". viàATV (in French). Retrieved 18 January 2023.
  7. ^ "Martinique : Le drapeau au colibri et l'hymne " Ansanm " choisis par les internautes". Outremers360° (in French). Retrieved 18 January 2023.
  8. ^ "Drapeau et Hymne de la Martinique : la population a choisi !". Collectivité Territoriale de Martinique (in French). 16 January 2023. Retrieved 18 January 2023.
  9. ^ "Drapeau de la Martinique : la créatrice de l'étendard au colibri s'exprime après la polémique". viàATV (in French). 23 January 2023. Retrieved 23 January 2023.
  10. ^ "Pourquoi le nouveau drapeau martiniquais crée la polémique ?". midilibre.fr (in French). Retrieved 23 January 2023.
  11. ^ "Flying Colibri Logo Business Education Natural Stock Vector (Royalty Free) 712172716". Shutterstock. Archived from the original on 16 January 2023. Retrieved 18 January 2023.
  12. ^ a b "Victime de cyberharcèlement, la créatrice du drapeau au colibri, jette l'éponge". franceinfo (in French). 24 January 2023. Retrieved 25 January 2023.
  13. ^ a b "Le drapeau Rouge Vert Noir adopté par l'Assemblée de Martinique". martinique.franceantilles.fr (in French). 2 February 2023. Retrieved 2 February 2023.
  14. ^ "Concours OECS "30 under 30" les lauréats pour la Martinique". Twitter.
  15. ^ "Martinique now has a territorial hymn and flag for sports, cultural and international events". Organisation of Eastern Caribbean States. Retrieved 30 July 2021.
  16. ^ "La justice annule l'utilisation du drapeau et de l'hymne choisis en 2019 par la CTM". RCI. Retrieved 27 November 2021.
  17. ^ "The flags and hymns submitted to the vote of Martinicans have been unveiled". la1ere.francetvinfo.fr. Retrieved 14 October 2020.
  18. ^ "The Martininos fly to the Gold Cup". La 1ere. Retrieved 14 October 2020.
  19. ^ "Mouvement des Démocrates et des Écologistes pour une Martinique Indépendante". Flags Of The World (FOTW). Retrieved 27 November 2021.
  20. ^ Mcguire, George (1921). Universal Negro catechism: a course of instruction in religious and historical knowledge pertaining to the race. New York: Universal Negro Improvement Association. p. 34. hdl:2027/emu.010000685445.
  21. ^ à 10h04, Par Juliette Rafe Le 12 janvier 2023 (12 January 2023). "En Martinique, le vote pour le nouveau drapeau se poursuit dans la contestation générale". leparisien.fr (in French). Retrieved 18 January 2023.((cite web)): CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  22. ^ "Martinique (Territorial Collectivity, France) "snake flag"". Flags of the World (FOTW). Retrieved 14 July 2023.
  23. ^ "The deputy Nilor wants the withdrawal of the emblem with four snakes which symbolizes Martinique". La 1ere. Retrieved 14 October 2020.
  24. ^ "By order of the President, the gendarmerie in Martinique will no longer wear the emblem with the 4 snakes!". Makacla. Retrieved 14 October 2020.
  25. ^ "Flag Log's World Flag Chart 2000". Flag Log. Retrieved 27 November 2021.
  26. ^ Quebec's Latest Demand For Recognition: An Emoji
  27. ^ "Image here". Archived from the original on 6 February 2017. Retrieved 28 May 2016.

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