Didn't want to contribute here at first, but here goes...

What is the meaning of the French flag? Then the Japanese? The the Austrian?

These flags are more boring than the Nigerian, but have been there for 214 years (French which is the youngest). So?

As for those who say we should change the name of the country:
What's in a name? That which we call a rose
By any other word would smell as sweet.

I explained the japanese flag (land of the rising sun) with the sun in the middle. The french flag represents the frenchr evolution , which goes to my central point that it was created byt he people, for the people and to represent them, unlike ours which was given to us by colonialists.

as for austria Together with the Danish flag, the Austrian flag is said to be among the oldest national flag designs in the world.

According to legend, the flag was invented by Duke Leopold V of Austria (1157-1194) while he was involved in a fierce battle during the Crusades. After the battle of Acre, his white battledress was completely drenched in blood, but when he removed his belt the cloth underneath was untouched by it. So taken was he by this singular sight that he adopted the colours and scheme as his banner.

In fact, the flag was designed in the 13th century by Duke Frederick II of Austria (1210-1246; known as 'Frederick the Quarrelsome'), the last of the Babenberg dynasty. Frederick sought greater independence from the Holy Roman Emperor. To this end, he had a new coat of arms designed: a red field with a silver fess. The oldest source for the new flag is contained in a seal kept in the monastery of Lilienfeld (Lower Austria), dated November 30, 1230.

My point is they come from within and country and unifies people in a sybol, and name, they created

obong:

I explained the japanese flag (land of the rising sun) with the sun in the middle. The french flag represents the frenchr evolution , which goes to my central point that it was created byt he people, for the people and to represent them, unlike ours which was given to us by colonialists.

as for austria Together with the Danish flag, the Austrian flag is said to be among the oldest national flag designs in the world.

According to legend, the flag was invented by Duke Leopold V of Austria (1157-1194) while he was involved in a fierce battle during the Crusades. After the battle of Acre, his white battledress was completely drenched in blood, but when he removed his belt the cloth underneath was untouched by it. So taken was he by this singular sight that he adopted the colours and scheme as his banner.

In fact, the flag was designed in the 13th century by Duke Frederick II of Austria (1210-1246; known as 'Frederick the Quarrelsome'), the last of the Babenberg dynasty. Frederick sought greater independence from the Holy Roman Emperor. To this end, he had a new coat of arms designed: a red field with a silver fess. The oldest source for the new flag is contained in a seal kept in the monastery of Lilienfeld (Lower Austria), dated November 30, 1230.

My point is they come from within and country and unifies people in a sybol, and name, they created

Does the name Michael Taiwo Akinkunmi mean anything to you?

Pls chxta, I know that name has something to do with the Nigerian flag. So could you help me with that? I mean his relationship with the flag.

Chxta, that the flag was designed by a nigerian doesnt mean it doesnt reflect colonial impressions of the place. same thing with the previous flag of south africa, that reflected the aparthied thinking of the place. The new flag was a representation of all.

My point is I dont see the essence of nigeria reflected in the flag.

so Obong what, in your opinion, is the essence of nigeria (minus colonial impressions, steroetypes etc) and how best can thant "essense"be translated to/on a flag?

Nigeria's essence is its diversity, its desire for unity, its dynamism and fertility. which is one of the reasons i think more colors would represent diversity not just green and white. nigeria is very dynamic, and perhaps a sybol could be included to represent this dynamism, such as a rising sun or something. despite the ethnic issues in Nigeria, folks are striving for unity and the diversity of people, or sybolic colors, should be represented by a covergenc of these bands of colors.

These colors can hav 2 meanings, for instance the green can represent the fertility of the country and the people of that region, red cna represent blood shed as well as the red clay regions of the north, etc.

anyway sha, its just a thought. recently in NY the government wanted the statue in front of the consulate changed because they felt it didnt represent nigeria's essence as well. and it got me thinking

there's nothing wrong w/ the nigerian flag . . . . . those people who want it changed because they think it looks ugly or not colorful enough should think again.

The Nigerian flag doesn't really represent us at all. Green is for "fertility" and white is for "peace"  ...please. Being a nation of 250 ethnic groups and the cradle of 1/5 of the worlds black population I think our flag should mean alot more than "fertility" and "peace". The colors I propose are black, crimson red, white, and green. Black representing the people, green representing the land of the black people, red representing the power of the black people, and white representing the peaceful co-existense of the black people. There should be seven stars, each one representing 1) the six geo-political regions and the FCT 2)representing the diversity of the ethnicities of Nigeria. I think Nigeria should not only be the home of native Nigerians but also the black race, we should make it easier for blacks from all over the world to come and build homes and open businesses. My 2 cents.

oh please

Please how can I get portable Nigerian flag? I love it and I wish to host it in my car.

I'm proud of my country.

now, there's someone who's proud of the nigerian flag.

Yes o I love that flag.

I love my Country.

I was happy when one said Nigerian National anthem is one of the best in the world.

truly it is.

I love it.

I can't believe that I forgot that this topic exists...

DE-KING:

Please chxta, I know that name has something to do with the Nigerian flag. So could you help me with that? I mean his relationship with the flag.

He designed the flag.

Great peter, who is the one dat said Niger anthem is the best, and whats so cool about green whit green anyway.

I'll say its not bad and its not cool, its just there, But our name and reputation is bleeped.. lets see
2 dat and stop consoling ourselves with flags and anthems

the anthem is great and the flag is great.
green white green is cool. you don't have to be patriotic if you don't want to, i don't care if you detest your country to the last bit

but can you just try to cut out the f* word?  it's annoying!

you should see people who weren't even born in Nig. carrying their colors with pride.

Mozambique is having this very debate, on a national level.

http://www.nytimes.com/2005/10/07/international/africa/07mozambique.html

Symbols Are Important. So What Does a Gun Symbolize?

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By MICHAEL WINES
Published: October 7, 2005

MAPUTO, Mozambique - When right-wing Renamo and left-wing Frelimo, the dominant political forces in this lovely seaside nation, ended 16 years of civil war in 1992, they made a pact to forget old enmities. They wrote a new constitution. They held national elections. Three years ago they chose a new anthem.
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Henner Frankenfeld for The New York Times

The nation's violent birth is also commemorated on the flag, which shows an automatic rifle as well as a hoe (celebrating farm labor) and a book (promoting education). There is much debate about whether to remove the rifle, a Soviet-made Kalashnikov.
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Henner Frankenfeld for The New York Times

In Maputo, the capital of Mozambique, murals celebrate the civil war that brought independence from Portugal.

On this war-racked continent, few have done as well. "Mozambique," gushes Jose Manteigas, a Renamo member of Parliament from Zambezia Province, "is a model for Africa."

And he's right. Except for that pesky Kalashnikov on the flag.

Mozambique is holding a competition to redesign its flag and national emblem, which - like the discarded anthem and the discarded constitution - date from the civil-war days when Frelimo ruled unchallenged and Renamo (for National Resistance Movement) was a guerrilla army. Officially, this is a long-planned and final step in the parties' agreement to bury their bitter past.

they're redesigning their flag and anthem to mark the end of the civil war or from something they don't want to remember or what their children to learn.

it's not like nigeria just finished fighting world war 3 and wants to change it's flag from red black red with a gun and skull in the center to white. Nigeria's flag is beautiful the way it is... . . . you guys should hear the french national anthem. it's horribe it translates to blood, murder, killing and more blood (it was from some war they fought) but still they preserved their anthem. little stuff like these are like history lessons. even if your kid doesn't know the name or DOB of the first or last president at least they know about what happened during the civil war or what their flag represents/ history is. it's part of preserving your identity. you can't say the monzabique flag is more colorful and prettier than ours so let's change ours. that's not thinking in perspective. it's not a competition of whose flag is prettier. you have to carry that piece of cloth with pride!!!

I didnt post the article because i think the MOzam's flag is better. I was just showing another country having this debabe. of course thier reasons are different, but i think nigeria has its own reasons to take another look at its symbols

nigeria has no reason to take another look at its symbols. their meaning reminds of us our history and changing it won't make sense because if we do who knows the same people will get bored of it ten years later and demand for change again.

we're green white green 4 lyfe.

hgkjh

so much for the "code" botton.

日章旗日の丸 . . how do i use symbols like this on this site

(i copied these ones from someone's post but i want to use mine and it's not working)

just because other countries r changin their flags doesnt mean we have to do the same thing,
we should be proud of ourselves, and our flag and even what it stands for

Whats boring in the flag ? the thing has been representing us since without any problem. for me, I dont want it to get better than it is.
For example in japan/Korea 2002, when Nike changed the color of our jersey to lemon green, did see how boring and dull it was?
though i dont really like color green but when it comes to Nigerian national color, omo, i gbadun am.

If it ain't broke why fix it? Abi una want make dem put another arabic word for the flag?

Change the flag. Green white green is okay but there is more to nigeria. What peace and unity do we have. They should change the flag to something more colourful

One of the worst things about being a so called Nigerian is that some other members of the fraternity constantly proclaim their pride at being Nigeria without telling us why. Particularly guilty are those who have choosen not to live in Nigeria anymore. Please tell us why you are proud to be Nigeria, and please don't mention food and living in peace. Only people who choose to ignore the facts don't know that Nigeria cannot feed all of its people. As for living in peace, where were you when the civil war was raging in Ife? Living abroad no doubt and being current with events in Bosnia and such places. I can tell you categorically that the Ife Modakeke war was every bit as bestial as Bosnia. Dont get me wrong, this is not a yap about people living abroad blah blah blah, but rather about people who think it is their patrioc duty to be proud of Nigeria. It is this same attitude which allows people to observe piety once aweek at the mosque or church and then spend the rest of the week in sinful bliss. No i am not a pastor nor imam, in fact i am an agnostic. The fact is that the original question was posed as result of deep reflection into the question of Nigeria identity ( i think). Are we identifying with something we know nor feel nothing about? Are all these countries whose flags and anthems you find 'ugly' in as desperate a state as Nigeria? Or are they bound in TRUE unity because of a shared experience of which they can truly be proud? If all the flag and anthem mean to you is (subjective) beauty, then you are free to become a citizen of any number of countries whose flags and anthem meet with your aesthetic approval (or maybe you have done that already, and if so, its obviously not working). Personally, i do not know what it means to be a Nigeria, beyond nostalgia for an earlier, better time, highlife and juju music, lanko, my beloved Ibadan, family, Fela and a ridiculous exchange rate. We cannot be proud of a country which would rather see us as exiles than as citiizens. Nigeria may mean the world to us, but all that we are to Nigeria is forex. It is time to redress that imbalance, if for no other reason than that i want to go HOME. For me the only approriate flag for Nigeria at the present is the jolly roger, for that country is a pirate that preys on the weaknesses of its people. Over to you.
BTW does anybody know where a Londoner can get a Naija Eagles shirt, which is what i was searching for before i accidentally reached here.

obong my good friend, I think I really like your choice of theme. However, I enjoy that little bit of history you gave on the Japanese flag. How knowledgeable! Indeed, I personally feel that there is nothing wrong with the Nigerian flag. what we need to begin to appreciate as Nigerians is the need to respesct our flag and other national symbols. a country's greatness is not determined (or reflected, for that matter) by it's flag. Nigeria is a great and robust nation, with a multiplicity and diversity that will make other countries green with envy. what we - you and I - as well as all those organisations and multinationals need to do is to pay impassioned reverence to our good old dear flag as well as any other national symbol that sets us apart.

Our flag is that colour for the same reason that we have arabic words on our notes......... Green & White are the colours of islam...

so you want to change the flag huh. why so much noise about that anyway?