The flag of Lesotho consists of blue, white, and green stripes from top to bottom respectively and a black mokorotlo or a Basotho hat on the center of the white stripe. The white and green colors bear the proportion of 3:4:3 of the width measurement. The Basotho hat has a height equivalent to 92% of the width of the white stripe. The flag is in the proportion of 2:3. The flag has been Lesotho’s official flag since October 4, 2006. It was adopted during the country’s 40th independence anniversary, replacing the flag that was adopted in 1987.
The flag of Lesotho, with its features and colors, was designed to depict a country that is not only peaceful internally but also with its neighbors, especially South Africa. The blue color on the top represents water and rain or the sky. The white color in the middle signifies peace, which has been Lesotho’s ideology since the era of King Moshoeshoe I. Finally, the green color at the bottom signifies the country’s prosperity. The black Basotho hat represents Lesotho as a black nation and its traditions. Basotho hat and the Basotho blanket are common traditional attires.
The current flag of Lesotho was selected from a pool of four designs. All the four flag designs had a brown Basotho hat instead of a shield. The brown Basotho hat was changed to black to represent the black people of Lesotho. A bill to change the flag was passed by the parliament of Lesotho on September 18, 2006. The bill was supported by 84 members with only 18 members of parliament rejecting it. The bill was also approved by the Senate without any objection. The current flag was first hoisted at midnight on October 4, 2006.
When Basutoland, a British Protectorate, was established in 1868 to protect Basotho from being taken over by South Africa, the Union Jack was flown. The flag consisted of vertically stripes of green, red, and blue and a Sotho straw hat. The military flag was replaced by the current flag of Lesotho on the 40th independence anniversary in 2006.
This page was last modified on May 1st, 2018
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