Flag of Botswana good article

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Republic of Botswana
The flag of Botswana
UseNational flag Small vexillological symbol or pictogram in black and white showing the different uses of the flag Small vexillological symbol or pictogram in black and white showing the different uses of the flag
Proportion2:3
Adopted30 September 1966; 59 years ago (1966-09-30)
DesignAn azure blue field cut horizontally in the centre by a black stripe with a thin white frame
Designed byGeorge Winstanley

The national flag of Botswana (Setswana: folaga ya Botswana) consists of an azure blue background cut horizontally in the centre by a black stripe with a thin white frame. The flag's design is outlined in the Botswana Emblems Law, and Section 91 of the Botswana Penal Code criminalises insults towards the flag. The blue represents water and rainfall, and the black stripe with a white frame represents racial harmony. The flag was designed by George Winstanley, a British colonial administrator, and it was adopted in 1966 to replace the Union Jack following its independence from the United Kingdom.

Design and symbolism

The azure blue background represents water and rainfall, a resource crucial to the agriculture of the arid nation,[1]: 236 [2]: 261  whilst the black central stripe bordered by two white stripes represents racial harmony.[1]: 236 [3] The flag's adoption was a symbolic rejection of the system of apartheid, where its themes of racial equality contrasted with policies of racial hierarchy seen in South Africa and Rhodesia at the time.[2]: 257–262 [4] While talking about the flag in 2003, president Festus Mogae described the flag as "a symbol of [Batswana[a]] fortitude and confidence... [their] very existence as an independent and sovereign people."[5] The rectangular flag is defined as having a 2:3 ratio.[3] The flag is one of few African flags that do not use the Pan-African colours featured on Ethiopia's flag from 1991–1996.[3][6]

Construction

The flags construction is outlined in Part II: Design of the National Flag of Botswana, of the Botswana Emblems Law.[7]

Five horizontal stripes having colour and width as follows, that is to say taken from the top:

  • 1st Stripe - azure blue having a width equal to 9/24ths of the total depth of the flag.
  • 2nd Stripe - white having a width equal to 1/24th of such depth.
  • 3rd Stripe - black having a width equal to 4/24ths of such depth.
  • 4th Stripe - white having a width equal to 1/24th of such depth.
  • 5th Stripe - azure blue having a width equal to 9/24ths of such depth.

This law also does not provide any exact colour specifications;[7] but the Botswana Bureau of Standards specifies the blue as Pantone 15-4225 TCX.[8]

Construction sheet of the flag of Botswana

Protocol and usage

The Botswana Emblems Law establishes broad protections for national symbols covered by the law, including the national flag, empowering the President to regulate its use or the use of any device resembling it.[7] For commercial use of the flag, organizations separate of the Government of Botswana must send a formal request to the Permanent Secretary to the President of Botswana. The application must include company documents, product samples, and usage details.[9]

The flag of Botswana is hoisted during Independence Day parades.[10]

Prohibition of desecration

Section 91 of the Botswana Penal Code criminalises any acts, spoken words or published writings that intentionally insult, mock or cause destain for some designated national symbols, including the flag. Conviction under this provision could result in a fine up to P500 (roughly US$37 as of 2024).[11][12]

Flag of convenience

Despite Botswana being a landlocked nation with no official ship registry, its national flag has been fraudulently displayed on at least 17 ocean-going vessel in 2026 in what is reportedly shadow fleet activity to avoid sanctions,[13][14] a common pattern with other African national flags.[15]

History

In 1885, the Bechuanaland Protectorate was formed as a part of Great Britain's colonial empire, and would later gain its independence as the Republic of Botswana in 1966.[16] Before its independence the nation had no unique national emblems and flew the Union Jack during its colonial period.[4][17]

George Winstanley, a British colonial administrator, administered a flag design competition; however he described all the entries as "hopeless", which resulted in Winstanley designing the flag himself.[1]: 235–236  The new flag was first hoisted at midnight on 30 September 1966, the day Botswana gained independence.[18]

See also

Notes

  1. ↑ Plural of Motswana, denonym for Botswana residents

References

  1. 1 2 3 Winstanley, George (2000). Under Two Flags in Africa: Recollections of a British Administrator in the Bechuanaland Protectorate and Botswana 1954 to 1972. Colchester, England: Blackwater Books. ISBN 978-0953920600. LCCN 2001369498. OCLC 47096456. OL 4009273M.
  2. 1 2 Kgalemang, Malebogo (2020). "Ethnic Reasoning and the Making of the Nation of Botswana" (PDF). Alternation: Interdisciplinary Journal for the Study of the Arts and Humanities in Southern Africa. doi:10.29086/2519-5476/2020/sp36a11. eISSN 2519-5476. ISSN 1023-1757. Archived from the original (PDF) on 10 July 2024.
  3. 1 2 3 Complete Flags of the World: The Ultimate Pocket Guide. DK. 19 May 2014. p. 146. ISBN 978-1-4654-3405-0.
  4. 1 2 Smith, Whitney (13 November 2018). "Flag of Botswana". Encyclopædia Britannica. Archived from the original on 27 February 2024. Retrieved 18 June 2024.
  5. ↑ "Know Your National Symbols – National Flag". Facebook. Government of Botswana. 3 May 2018. Retrieved 19 July 2026. The National Flag is a symbol of our fortitude and confidence in ourselves, our very existence as an independent and sovereign people.
  6. ↑ Smith, Whitney (1 February 2016). "Flag of Ethiopia". Encyclopædia Britannica. Retrieved 13 August 2026.
  7. 1 2 3 National Assembly of Botswana. The Botswana Emblems Law (PDF). Botswana Statute Law 1966 (Law No. 25/1966). Botswana. p.177. Retrieved 28 July 2026. – via UN Office on Drugs and Crime.
  8. ↑ "BOS 207:2015 ed.1 - Gaborone - BOBS". Botswana Bureau of Standards. 19 May 2015. Retrieved 7 August 2026.
  9. ↑ "Use of National Emblems". Government of Botswana. Archived from the original on 5 March 2024. Retrieved 12 July 2024.
  10. ↑ "Botswana Day". EBSCO Information Services. 2023. Retrieved 7 August 2026.
  11. ↑ "Police unsure whether burning flag is a criminal offence". The Sunday Standard. Retrieved 7 August 2026.
  12. ↑ "Botswana Penal Code § Insults relating to Botswana" (PDF). Government of Botswana. p. 45. 91. Retrieved 7 August 2026 – via UN Office on Drugs and Crime.
  13. ↑ "Botswana must not be a flag of convenience for rogues". Mmegi. 10 April 2026. Retrieved 7 August 2026.
  14. ↑ Innocent, Mbongeni Mguni (10 April 2026). "UN agency picks 17 fraudulently registered "Botswana ships"". Mmegi. Retrieved 7 August 2026.
  15. ↑ Chudnovets, Aliona (26 May 2026). "Why Are So Many Tankers Suddenly Flying African Flags? Follow Russia's Oil Money". United24. Retrieved 7 August 2026.
  16. ↑ "Botswana country profile". BBC. 11 November 2024. Retrieved 7 August 2026.
  17. ↑ Lebanna, Pako (27 September 2016). "Birth of Nation". Daily News Botswana. Gaborone, Botswana. Retrieved 28 July 2026.
  18. ↑ Paine, David J. (29 September 1966). "New nation raises flag". The Leader-Post. Regina. Associated Press. Archived from the original on 23 June 2023. Retrieved 5 June 2013.
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