Theflag ofMalawi (Chichewa:mbendera ya Malaŵi) was officially adopted on 6 July 1964 when the colony ofNyasaland became independent from British rule and renamed itself Malawi.
The first flag of independent Malawi was adopted on 6 July 1964. A rising sun against a black field is also present in thecoat of arms of Malawi and in the flag it officially represents the dawn of hope and freedom for the continent of Africa (when the flag was created, more countries in Africa weregaining independence from European rule). The black represents the indigenous people of the continent, the red symbolises the blood of their struggle, and the green represents nature. The flag resembles thePan-African flag designed by theUniversal Negro Improvement Association, which was founded and led byJamaicanpan-Africanist leaderMarcus Garvey, with the red and black bands reversed and a red sun at the top.
A new flag of Malawi was adopted on29 July 2010, as proposed by theDemocratic Progressive Party–led government. The stripes were altered from the previous flag to match the originalPan-African Flag layout, with the red stripe at the top, the black stripe in middle, and the green stripe at the bottom. The rising sun at the flag's top was replaced with a full, centred white sun with 45 rays representing the "economic progress"Malawi has made since becoming independent (it was actually one of the mostunsuccessful in the world after 1990).[1] The oppositionUnited Democratic Front announced that it would challenge the legitimacy of flag change in court.[2] The flag was endorsed by the President of Malawi,Bingu wa Mutharika, who approved the flag change on 29 July 2010.[3] There was much public outcry about whether there was a need to change the flag, but the process continued despite being unwelcome to much of the public.[4] The flag was pejoratively nicknamed "Bingu's flag" by the majority of the nation who saw it as an illegitimate flag.[5] Many objected to the new flag, perceiving its adoption as undemocratic.[6]
On 28 May 2012, under new presidentJoyce Banda, Parliament voted to revert to the independence flag.[7][8]
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