Luanda: As Angola celebrates the 50th anniversary of its independence this year, Angolans see their national flag as a renewed symbol of resistance, sovereignty, and identity. It reflects the trajectory of a people who, after centuries of struggle against colonialism, conquered freedom and consolidated their nation.

According to Angola Press News Agency, more than a simple banner, the flag represents the historical memory, sacrifice, and hope of a country that continues to rise with pride and determination. A symbol of resilience in the fight against the oppressor, the Angolan flag carries profound meanings in each color and element, becoming a visual landmark of bravery and national unity.

The flag was created by Joaquina Muteka, Ruth Lara, and Cici Cabral and combines red, black, the half-cogwheel, the machete, and the star in yellow, translating the past of resistance and the future of hope of the Angolan people.

The flag is one of the few in the world that features a tool of work and combat at its center, a symbol of the working people and industrial production, essential to the construction of the nation. The color red represents the bloodshed by Angolans in the liberation struggle and in the defense of the homeland, while black symbolizes the African continent, the cradle of ancestry and cultural identity. Yellow, present in the central elements-the cogwheel, machete, and star-represents the country’s natural resources and economic potential.

The machete evokes the peasants, agricultural production, and armed struggle, while the cogwheel symbolizes the workers and industrial effort. The golden star represents international solidarity, progress, and national unity, pillars of the Angolan ideal of justice and development.

In 2003, as part of the constitutional review, proposals emerged to alter the flag’s design to adapt it to the new democratic era. However, the changes were not adopted, and the original flag remained an authentic expression of the struggle and national identity.