What is the flag of Martinique?

What is the flag of Martinique? The flag of the French Republic remains the tricolour, but the island also has 3 flags that matter: the snake flag, historic and controversial, the Ipséité flag, annulled in 2021, and the red, green and black flag, made official by the CTM in 2023. Each one has its reasons for being, its meaning and its history. So let's go for a good Creole history lesson!

The flag "with snakes", a colonial symbol

The symbol of the four snakes, present on the uniform of the gendarmes of Martinique until 2018, long served to represent the island. This flag has never been an official flag: it was used informally, notably to set Martinique apart from metropolitan France.

This flag has stirred strong reactions. It goes back to an ordinance of 4 August 1766 that required it on the ships of Martinique and Saint Lucia. Its critics point out that it also flew on slave ships, and see it as a symbol of slavery. In October 2018, after being asked about it during his visit to Martinique, President Emmanuel Macron decided to remove the emblem from gendarmes' uniforms "to calm tensions". Firefighters had already dropped it in 2016.

Spearhead snakes (fer-de-lance) are a characteristic species of the island. You may be curious about them as well. Believe me, you don't want to get familiar with one of them! The blue field and white cross come from the French merchant ensign of the period, to which four snakes were added.

Ahh... All this history behind this flag! It's a pity that its symbol has become linked to a tragedy over the years.

Source: Wikipédia

The "Ipséité" flag (2019, annulled in 2021)

The Ipséité flag came out of a competition launched by the Collectivité territoriale de Martinique (CTM) in late 2018. It was chosen, with the anthem "Lorizon", by the then president of the executive council, Alfred Marie-Jeanne, and unveiled on 10 May 2019. Martinique's football team then carried it at the 2019 Gold Cup. On 15 November 2021, the administrative court annulled the decision: choosing a flag is the job of the Assembly of Martinique, not of the executive president. Ipséité is therefore no longer the flag of the collectivity, although some still see it as a cultural symbol.

In the center of the flag is a Lambi, Lobatus Gigas for the professionals. The shell of this Creole mollusc has always been used as a musical instrument. Did you know that Martinique has 34 communes? And it is precisely these communes that the 34 Amerindian stars on the Ipséité flag represent. The eight segments refer to the languages spoken on the island over its history. Yes! French, Creole, English, Spanish, Portuguese, Italian, Chinese and Arabic: eight languages have crossed the history of Martinique. Impressive, isn't it? The blue color obviously evokes the Caribbean Sea and the Atlantic Ocean. And if you have traveled around the island you will understand that the green color refers to the nature and the greenery of its landscapes.

Source: Wikipédia

The red, green and black flag, made official by the CTM in 2023

The red, green and black flag (a red triangle at the hoist, then a green band above a black band) has been used since the 1960s and 1970s by Martinique's independence movements. Its colors are those of the Pan-African flag created in 1920 by Marcus Garvey's organisation. On 2 February 2023, the Assembly of Martinique officially recognised it, with 45 votes in favour and 1 abstention. It is visible at cultural and sporting events. The colors can be read in several ways: for one of its designers, Alex Ferdinand, black stands for the Black cause, green for the peasantry and red for socialism; in the Pan-African tradition, red evokes the blood shed for freedom, black the Black people and green the land.

At first, the colors were arranged in vertical bands, in the 1960s. According to the writer Guy Cabort-Masson, the current design was created with Alex Ferdinand in Paris in May 1968 and brought to Martinique in 1971 (his own account, not independently confirmed). Long unofficial, the flag was raised in front of the CTM building on 31 March 2023. It has become a strong symbol for many people on the island and is used to celebrate their culture and history.

Source: Wikipédia

So what is the official flag of Martinique?

Legally, the flag of the French Republic remains the tricolour, as everywhere in France. Since 2 February 2023, the CTM (Collectivité Territoriale de Martinique) has also made the red, green and black flag official to represent the island, after an online public vote in January 2023. The same vote covered a territorial anthem, "Ansanm", adopted in February 2023 and then annulled by the administrative court on 14 May 2024. In May 2026 the CTM voted to hold a new consultation to choose an anthem. But that's a story for another time. Dear Tourcribians, see you next time for another history lesson!

The people of Martinique are proud people. With one or more flags, we all remain the same warm people with a rich and eventful history. Whatever the colors on the flag at the end of the pole, the Martinican locals remain united. The expression differs, but the substance remains the same.

Want to go further into Martinican culture? Dive into the atmosphere of the carnival in Martinique, discover the tradition of the round yole boats, or visit the Cap 110 memorial and the regional museum of history and ethnography.

Meanwhile, I have a question for you... Do you know the capital of Martinique? A question that seems easy at first glance. Many will say that it is Fort-de-France. And yes, it is, with a nuance of vocabulary that we explain in a separate article.