Flag of Lesotho

Last updated

Kingdom of Lesotho
Flag of Lesotho.svg
Proportion2:3
Adopted4 October 2006;18 years ago (2006-10-04)
DesignA horizontal triband of blue, white and green in proportions 3:4:3; [1] charged with a black mokorotlo (a Basotho hat) centred on the white band.
Royal Standard of Lesotho.svg
Use Royal Standard
A mokorotlo is a type of straw hat widely used for traditional Sotho clothing Mokorotlo.jpg
A mokorotlo is a type of straw hat widely used for traditional Sotho clothing
Lesotho flag at the Sani Pass border post Lesotho Border Post at Sani Pass.jpg
Lesotho flag at the Sani Pass border post

The current national flag of Lesotho, adopted on the 40th anniversary of Lesotho's independence on 4 October 2006, [2] features a horizontal blue, white, and green tricolour with a black mokorotlo (a Basotho hat) in the center. The design is intended to reflect a state that is both at peace internally and with its only neighbour South Africa, replacing the old flag design that featured a military emblem of a shield, spear and knobkerrie. [3] [4]

Contents

Colours

The symbolism of the colours is as such:

ColourMeaning
BlueRepresents the sky or rain.
WhiteRepresents peace. Lesotho has had the ideology of peace since the ages of King Moshoeshoe I.[ citation needed ]
GreenRepresents prosperity.
Flag of Lesotho.svg
Colors scheme
BlueWhiteGreenBlack
CMYK 100-80-0-380-0-0-0100-0-55-42100-100-100-99
HEX #00209F#FFFFFF#009543#000000
RGB 0-32-159255-255-2550-149-670-0-0

Construction sheet

History

1966–1987

The first flag of Lesotho was introduced on 4 October 1966, the day of Lesotho's full independence from the United Kingdom. It featured a prominent white mokorotlo . The blue stood for sky and rain, the white for peace, the green for land, and the red for faith.[ citation needed ]

1987–2006

A new flag, designed by Sergeant Retšelisitsoe Matete, [6] was adopted on 20 January 1987, following a military coup which ousted the Basotho National Party after 20 years in power. A light brown traditional Basotho shield along with an assegai (lance) and knobkierrie (club) replaced the mokorotlo as the primary emblem. The colour scheme and pattern changed as well, with a triangular white field standing for peace. The bottom diagonal contained a blue strip for rain and a green triangle for prosperity.[ better source needed ]

2006–present

In 2006, a new flag was chosen from four proposed designs; all of these designs included a brown Basotho hat instead of the shield. This was subsequently changed to a black Basotho hat in order to represent Lesotho as a black nation. The bill changing the flag was approved by the National Assembly on 18 September 2006, with 84 members of parliament voting in favour of it, 18 against it, and two abstaining. [6] It was subsequently approved by the Senate as well. [4]

Historical flags

See also

References

  1. "Lesotho Flag".
  2. "Flag of Lesotho".
  3. "Lesotho unfurls 'peaceful' flag". BBC News. 2006-10-04.
  4. 1 2 "Senators give new flag green light". The Lesotho Government Portal. Archived from the original on 2008-12-08. Retrieved 2006-10-05.
  5. "Lesotho: 1966 - 1987 flag". www.fotw.info. Retrieved 2025-07-16.
  6. 1 2 "New National Flag Passed by Parliament" Archived 2008-08-27 at the Wayback Machine , Summary of Events in Lesotho, 3rd Quarter 2006, trc.org.ls.