Flag of Central African Republic

Flag origins

The Central African Republic’s flag has four horizontal bands of blue, white, green and yellow, crossed by a vertical red band, with a yellow star in the upper left. Barthélemy Boganda, regarded as the country’s founding father, devised it in 1958. Blue, white and red recall the former colonial power France, while green, yellow and red are Pan-African colors. The shared red band expresses Boganda’s ideal of connecting France and Africa. The yellow star symbolizes guidance toward African freedom and liberation.

Flag story

Boganda’s ambition extended beyond a single country. He hoped to unite the former French Equatorial African territories in a larger African federation, explaining the combination of French and African colors. The government’s account describes his wish for the new state to become the nucleus of a future United States of Africa.

Editorial notes and references

Edited by ABELHA WORKS. The English text translates the administrator-edited Japanese description. Legends should be distinguished from documented history. General reference links do not substantiate every statement in the text.

• Central African Republic — general information on Wikipedia
• Japan MOFA: countries and regions (Japanese)

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