The new flag of Martinique is a pan-African red, green and black flag adorned with the black silhouette of a hummingbird. WIKIPEDIA
Is the psychodrama surrounding the Martinique flag finally over? The elected officials of this West Indian department want to believe it. On Monday January 16th, during a press conference organized at the Museum of History and Ethnography of Fort-de-France, two territorial councilors presented the results of the online referendum to which the inhabitants of Martinique have been invited over the past two weeks their Territorial Collectivity of Martinique (CTM) to designate a flag and anthem. Around twenty emblems were in the running, pre-selected by an ad hoc commission from several hundred proposals.
Contrary to all expectations, netizens did not support the long-familiar banner of independence. In the second round of participatory voting, it was a flag with the same pan-African colors – red, green and black – but adorned with the black silhouette of a hummingbird that largely won, receiving 73% of the votes from around 27,000 visitors. It preceded the historical flag: a symbol created by the anti-colonial movement in the 1960s, which over the decades has become ubiquitous in many political or cultural events, despite its unofficial character and its still sulphurous importance in the eyes of many of the Martiniquan who see it as a sign of rejection of the Republic.
The hummingbird flag “was chosen by the people of Martinique, so it’s the flag of the people of Martinique. It will be everywhere in public space,” affirms Territory Councilor Michelle Monrose, who has overseen the process since its inception in November 2022. Following its final adoption by a vote in the Martinique Assembly in early February, the emblem “will be used at sporting events , cultural performances and international collaborative events,” adds Ms. Monrose.
Meaning of the “misunderstood” hummingbird
For several years, local sports associations have been demanding a strictly Martinican flag, which should be hoisted instead of the tricolor, especially at meetings in the Caribbean. But through the twists and turns, the search for new colors dragged on. Even Emmanuel Macron got involved in this endless soap opera: During his last visit to this west Indian department in September 2018, the President of the Republic was asked about the old flag from the slave trade era. The head of state then asked the gendarmerie services to stop using the hated badge with the four snakes. Franck Robine, then Prefect of Martinique (2017-2020), had welcomed “an appeasement decision” by the head of state.
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