Last modified: 2000-01-14 by antonio martins
Keywords: zaire | congo | star: 5 points (yellow) | blue |
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![[Congo, Rep. Dem.]](../images/cd.gif)
I have just received the graphic construction of the
flag of Congo -
Kinshasa which they made for that government
All photos I have seen on TV and in the newspapers
show the flag is true to the 1960 model
except in color of the background, which in the 1960
model had light blue while the current flag photos show dark
blue as the field.
Steve Stringefellow, Jun 1997
I checked the other day with the Embassy of Congo-Kinshasa in Washington DC
and they confirmed that the new flag is the six small stars and one large
star flag of 1960. I asked about the
colour of the background and they
replied that it was sky-blue. Of course sky-blue can be anything from
ultramarine to the palest blue, but it normally means light blue.
Graham Bartram, 12 Jun 1997
The exact shade of blue in the first independentist flag was never
specified and so many variations in color existed. In fact, as a descendant
of the Congo Free State
(also known as Belgian Congo), the darker blue is more
appropriate since that flag was specified as a dark blue.
Dave Martucci, 02 Dec 1997
I remember reading somewhere (I'll try to find the source) that light blue
was deliberately chosen in 1960 for two reasons: to distinguish the
post-independence flag from that of the Congo Free State and to acknowledge the
role of the United Nations in securing the country's independence - the Belgians
were reluctant decolonisers.
Vincent Morley, 03 Dec 1997
The color of the flag seems to date back to the 19th century, from books
I have. The "Congo Free State" flag as described and shown in
Pedersen's book of 1970 [ped70] says it was introduced
in 1885, when the "Free State" was concepted. The book
Flags of the World, Past and Present [hol39],
of 1939, says "The governor-General of the Congo also
hoists a square tricolour, but with the flag of the Congo in the canton. This
flag is bright blue, and has a yellow star thereon." The fact that the
government issued postage stamps (in 1961) showing one color or shade of blue,
while government had another, lighter shade, is not surprising. The fact that
some flags in current pictures have all sorts of "designs" in
homemade flags is not surprising.
Steve Stringfellow, 03 Dec 1997
Please, consider that in heraldry there is no difference among shades
of colours. Even metallic gold and yellow or metallic silver and white are
exactly the same thing. This turned out in an heritage for vexillology, at
least until colour standards appeared. So, there is no way to state which
shade of blue was correct for the Free State of Congo or most of other flags
all around the world. Only in recent years governments started to define
their official colours using standards. Before that blue was blue, whatever
shade one decided to use. Moreover, different types of paintings behave
diferently under light, so that some of them wear more and loose their
brightness more easily than others, which means that at different times you
see different shades for the same flag. When this happens without an official
prescription for colours, flag lasts more... and it is cheaper.
Pier Paolo Lugli, 06 Dec 1997
Today De Standaard, a Flemish newspaper, had a black
and white picture of the rebel flag of Kabila.
The orientation of the stars was a bit weird. The flag was flying in the
wind, but it looked as if the stars were pointing down. If I compared
them to the central star, they were definitely pointing down, not even
pointing to the hoist.
Filip Van Laenen, 8 Apr 1997
I saw a very good image of the flag in TV, and the stars are
pointing up the first, third, fifth and sixht, and ponting down
the second and fourth. The stars are larger than in the old
pattern, and each one threshold with the other.
Jaume Ollé, 9 Apr 1997
The Flemish newspaper De Standaard featured a
picture yesterday from AP showing a child with a small
flag with would should be the flag of Congo-Kinshasa.
But it had a six-pointed star, not a five-pointed star.
The picture didn't show the small stars at the hoist,
but I would reckon they would be six-pointed too.
The caption said that the flag was held by a daughter of
a member of the embassy of Congo to Kigali, Ruanda,
but one should expect that they would know how
their flag looks like, no?
Filip Van Laenen, 11 Sep 1997
The Göteborgs-Posten of 11 September 1997,
includes a photo (©
Brennan Linsley) of the President of Congo-Kinshasa, Laurent
Kabila, and the President of Rwanda,
Pasteur Bizimungu, and in front of Mr. Kabila is a small
flag of Congo — with 5-pointed stars.
Christian Berghänel, 11 Sep 1997
The rebels of the RCD (Rassemblement Congolais pour la Déemocratie, Congolese Union for Democracy) have started using the 1964 flag as the flag of Congo, whereas Kabila chose the 1960 flag. Kabila used the 1960 flag as a symbolic continuation of September 1960, when prime-minister Patrice Lumumba, Kabila's idol, was put down from power.
Lunda Bululu, former prime minister of the former Zaire and current member of the political bureau of the RCD says to De Standaard that this isn't correct. The flag of independence has six stars, but there are ten provinces now. We use the flag of 1964 to honour the political-historical truth.
The flag is the one as designed at the constitutional reform of 1964 in Luluaburg. The name of the country became République Démocratique du Congo or RDC in that same reform, the same as the name today.
«We hoist the flag of Luluaburg out of respect for the history and for the people, that voted by referendum the constitution in 1964» says Lunda.
The situation in Bukavu has been unstable these last days: the population feared that the new flag was a foreplay for a declaration of secession on June 30th - the day at which Congo became independent - of the Eastern part of Congo by the RCD.
The peace negotiations for Congo between the RDC and the RCD in Lusaka have been suspended. The rebels are divided, and the RCD/Goma of Emile Ilunga has boycotted the negotiations because the RCD/Kisangani of Ernest Wamba dia Wamba was invited to the talks.
Filip Van Laenen, 2 Jul 1999, summaryzing from De Standaard 1999.07.02