Martinique | Little hummingbird, big discomfort

The new official flag of Martinique is far from attracting everyone’s support. But what is Quebec doing in this story?

A new Martinican flag? Oh good. Wasn’t there before?

Yes, there were already two, even three! But none were official.

Three flags? But say so, it’s a real collection that! Why so much?

Historical reasons.

There was the blue-white-red flag, Martinique being a French department.

There was also the black-green-red flag, used for centuries by the separatists. Red for life and freedom, green for nature and fertility. Black to pay tribute “to all those who have been flouted”. In recent years, this symbol of resistance has come back in force during decolonial demonstrations, which have led to the unbolting of statues on the island.

Finally, there was the “snake flag”. A white cross and four blue squares with white snakes in the middle. Controversial flag because it referred to the period of slavery. But it was until very recently used by the gendarmerie, and it is still the one that appears on the internet when looking for a Martinique emoticon.

Wait… white cross, sky blue squares with four white things in the middle… that looks like the Quebec flag!

Indeed… moreover, it seems that several Quebec Internet users use the Martinican emoji, the fleurdelisé still not being available in this form. By the way, little message to the god of the internet, maybe it’s time, right? The Quebec flag has been around for 75 years!

In effect. But back to our sheep… Why change the flag in Martinique?

Because none was unanimous for international representations. The blue-white-red will continue to float on the administrative buildings. But this new flag, legal, will be used for sports competitions or cultural meetings.

And how is this new flag?

Green-red-black diagonal stripes with a black hummingbird in the foreground. He was chosen on January 16 with a 73% majority, after popular consultation on the internet.

A hummingbird! How cute !

Yeah, good. It’s not what everyone thinks. Critics abound on social networks. We denounce the futile side of this comforter symbol (tropical postcard cliché) and we question the platform that made it possible to vote, apparently dysfunctional.

“The process was not completely democratic”, denounces Myriam Moïse of the Fabrique decoloniale, an association of Martinican intellectuals located in Fort-de-France. “There were a lot of technical problems, and we are not sure that only Martiniquais voted. Moreover, few people voted (35,000 people, or 10% of the Martinican population)! I think it loses its legitimacy. »

On top of that: the designer of the flag is accused of having stolen her hummingbird from an image bank and of having plagiarized an old carnival flag.

Ouch. It will take a bit of pedagogy to get this poor hummingbird accepted.

In effect. Fortunately, the colors of the old nationalist flag are still present. For many Martinicans, they are truly rooted in the island’s history. That said, this is not the first time that a flag has caused a stir in Martinique. In 2019, the president of the local executive council chose a new pavilion, Ipséité, represented by a shell. But it had been invalidated by the courts because of a procedural defect. He did not live two years.

Bonyenne, a real saga, this flag story! Couldn’t we have settled for blue-white-red?

Gods no! For Martinique, it is crucial to have its own flag, recognized internationally. This is part of a fundamental decolonial approach. The process has been under way since the early 1980s. In 2017, France granted it the status of “local authority”, which gives it more powers than a simple department. Independence is not on the agenda, but the island has been ruled for several years by nationalists and autonomists. “The idea is to stay in the French Republic with more power and dignity,” summarizes Myriam Moïse. In the same vein, Martiniquans have also just adopted an official national anthem, the song Ansanm. No problem on that front. She’s not talking about hummingbirds…