Flagging up an Issue
on Sabo -Oke (Nigeria), 15/Jul/2011 11:00, 34 days ago
I have been pondering the Nigerian flag, flapping forlornly over the school compound in a light breeze, as if it can't be bothered displaying its pride today.It is a green flag, for those unfamiliar with it, with a thick white vertical bar down the middle. Some have a badge positioned in the centre but this one doesn't - probably been pinched!So a random thought was that this flag lacks a bit of pzazz, in my opinion. I know the colour and design of all flags in loaded with meaning and significance and symbolism, inducing intense feelings of pride, much saluting, chest-beating, and an upwelling of emotion at even a distant glimpse of it flying high above a government building or military installation; I understand all that but surely there is room for a bit of artistic style too!I got my world map with the national flags surrounding it and considered the design of other flags.Nigeria's flag is not the worst - in fact if there was a competition or award for the most boring flag, there would be quite a large number of possible candidates. No disrespect at all to any national of whatever country, but its time a few of you consulted you style gurus - or got your kids to redesign one.So here is my TopTen (or so) of the most boring flags on the planet :In tenth place comes Latvia. Being a relatively new nation in the post-Communist era, can you imagine the conversation: 'We need a new flag, comrades - how about brown with a thin white stripe?' 'Yeah! Yeehah! Way to go! 'Awesome!' (they watch too much American TV in Latvia)Ninth place goes to Liechtenstein - sorry fellas, i know there aren't many of you and you are probably working hard all day making loadsamoney, but half blue and half red - come on this is like combining a Red with a Toffee - and that little yellow badge fools nobody.Number 8: Cyprus. If it were not for the yellow map of Cyprus on it to show you whose flag it is, it would just be a white sheet. And two little leaves - at least lebanon has a whole tree!In 7th place comes San Marino. Any nation which uses the colours of Birmingham City FC for its inspiration needs help!At 6th i would put jointly Bahrain and Qatar who have clearly dreamed their flags up together unless they both ran out of cloth in the principal colour and have hand sewn a piecs of white onto it to make it reach as far as the flag pole. Where is the symbol of your wealth and power - an oil droplet or a camel or something.Fifth place is awarded to Japan. If it wasn't for that big red dot, they wouldn't have had to bother at all - surely they didn't have to resort to a giant Strepsil for inspiration!We have a tie for fourth place because Indonesia, Poland and Monaco have clearly copied each other. Come on own up - who copied who? Poland clearly copied probably from turning round and copying one of the others cause they have got it upside down. Monaco and Poland were obviously sitting next to each other - and all three lack a bit of imagination, I think.So in first place - the winner of the  most boring flag on the planet contest , for sheer lack of effort and only a snooker table for inspiration or the outside lawn, I would nominate .... Libya. As a simple green rectangle, it isn't even worth cutting and pasting a picture of it.If you want to share good practice, take a look at some of the other  to see what they have come up with - South Africa, Swaziland, Kenya, Saudi Arabia, Sri Lanka, Bhutan, Kiribati, Malaysia, to name but a few.I reckon I may have upset about 500 million people now - but its not my fault - I didn't design them!For sheer novelty I think a special mention should go to Nepal for its flag shaped like half a Christmas tree with two baubles on it and red - like Santa- for a Budhist nation that is a really generous gesture towards Christianity if ever there was one.Needless to say, the views expressed in this blog are not necessarily those of VSO - but they are mine!So, what about nominating your Top Ten of the best. I know what mine would be - for colour combination, simplicity yet elegance of design, not to mention its historical connotations, how can you beat our own Union Flag1 (The national anthem, however is another matter entirely!)