Variants and incorrect depictions of the national flag of Cabo Verde

Last modified: 2017-11-25 by antónio martins
Keywords: variant | error |
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• Introduction
• Upside-down hoisting
• Upside-down stars
• Stars in line on blue
• Variant with bigger stars
• Symmetrical version
• Starless variant
  • …as incorrect flag depiction
  • …as stylized inspired-flag pattern
• Symmetrical, starless version
• Ultra simplified version
• Red for blue?
• Black for blue?
• No green for blue

• Cabo Verde

Introduction

Notable variants and usual errors.
António Martins, 22 Dec 2016

Upside-down hoisting

image by Željko Heimer, 21 Jun 2016

This is a usual trend, that of upside-down hoisting of the national flag of Cabo Verde, especially often in situations where the choice of which side goes up is made by people unfamiliar with the flag. Is the geometry of this design somehow more “natural” when the red stripe is turned to the top edge, instead of in the official and correct, bottom-heavy position? (Similar cases are reported for Germany and Russia.)
António Martins, 22 Jun 2016

On line photo showing regular flag hoisted upside down — an often enough sighting, even in official settings, such as this one taken at the 5th C.P.L.P. confference held in São Tomé e Príncipe, in 2004.08.02.
António Martins, 15 Jul 2007

Upside-down stars

image by Željko Heimer and António Martins, 21 Jun 2016

While upside-down hoisting of a correct flag will have its stars poiting down, there is also the case of otherwise correct flags (or, more usually, mere depictions of flags) showing the stars pointing down, a situation that afflicts several other flags with stars, such as the European Union’s. An example of this (also with wrong E.U.!) in an official situation in with two plaques showing the national flag at a government facility in São Filipe island: on the left the correct flag, on the right the flag depicted with its stars pointing downwards.
António Martins, 22 Jun 2016

Variant with bigger stars

image by Mark Sensen and António Martins, 06 May 2017

While the relative size of the 10 stars on the Cabo Verde national flag is not clearly specified in the Constitution, flags with stars bigger than, say, 1/8th of the flag’s height look cluttered and are a seldom sight. Back in the 1990s and 2000s, though, such designs were more often — incl. in this very website, who might even have set the trend. More examples, incl. actual cloth items:

• actual flag, next to the President, in Brava
• Mural in Sal Island, photographed in 2014
• Glamour model with flag (photo artistique)

Stars in line on blue

Flag-like pattern!

image by António Martins, 21 Jun 2016 |

The above is an illustration of this pattern, but not really a flag — still to be attested are any actual flags showing this arrangement
António Martins, 22 Jun 2016

On line image showing national flag pattern but with the stars in line on the blue area in sportsmen uniforms (arguably an “official” item).
António Martins, 15 Jul 2007

This is a recurrent flag-inspired pattern that has a red stripe with white fimbriation on blue background with two parallel rows or lines of yellow stars. This is very popular to express support or allegiance for Cabo Verde in clothing items and accessories, maybe as much as depictions of the flag itself. (See one more example among other hanging garments on this photo.)
António Martins, 22 Jun 2016

Symmetrical version

image by António Martins, 04 May 2017

This design is also sometimes found in inaccurate or wittingly “sketchy” depictions of the flag, such as a painting on the wall of a meeting room in the town hall of São Lourenço dos Órgãos (two photos).
António Martins, 06 May 2017

Starless variant

image by António Martins, 22 Jun 2016

The case of incorrect / simplified CV national flag lacking the ring of 10 stars, being merely a stripped pattern of blue, white, red, white, and blue, if accurate in proportions of 6+1+1+1+3. Very frequent as a bunting ornamental pattern (even more than the same with stars in two rows) but also occasionally as incorrect depictions of actual flags.
António Martins, 22 Jun 2016

Portugal, the former colonial master, uses a simplified national flag as its (very “official”) civil and military aircraft fin flash and rudder mark, which may (be thought to) exhert some influence.
António Martins, 17 Oct 2007

…as incorrect flag depiction

On line photo showing a national flag without the ring of stars is shown in use in a currency exchange rate table in Portugal.
António Martins, 17 Oct 2007

On these online photos (#g213, #g214 and #g218) what seems to be a starless variation of the national flag; on these, at the same location and time (#g217 and #g216), we see that the stars are there…
António Martins, 21 Nov 2006

…as stylized inspired-flag pattern

A starless flag pattern is some times used in several Capeverdean quasi official items, such as national team uniforms.
António Martins, 17 Oct 2007

Here’s one more or less official example, the swuimsuit of Ayline Fortes as CV’s participant in Miss Tourism World 2015.
António Martins, 22 Jun 2016

Symmetrical, starless version

image by António Martins, 06 May 2017

Ultra simplified version

image by António Martins, 22 Dec 2016

This ultra simplified version shows the national flag of Cabo Verde, modified to be a simple ribbon of the national colors, with five equal horizontal stripes of blue, white, and red, no stars — it is used frequently as a simple ribbon or bunting, most often in depicted representations, some times realized in clothing items.
António Martins, 22 Dec 2016

It is not usual to see it taking the role of an actual flag, but it was used in nothing lesser than the logo of one of the candidates of the recent presidential elections — exactly Jorge Carlos Fonseca, incubent candidate who was reelected (and it doesn’t get more unofficially official than this).
António Martins, 22 Dec 2016

This is virtually identical to the ICS signal flag “Charlie”, as both have variable ratios and variable shades of blue.
António Martins, 04 May 2017

Red for blue?

image by Željko Heimer and António Martins, 30 Mar 2016

In this photo (taken on 2012.02.24 in São Filipe mun.) we can see a mural painting (in support of M.p.D. party) that shows the national flag as the backround pattern for slogans, in a kind of grass-root naive political campagning, painted for the 2011 presidential elections. It shows two contiguous panels (on the walls of two neighbouring houses), one using the national flag as described and the other using a red version, i.e. with the main background of the flag colored in the same hue as the thin red stripe. I have no idea about its significance, which might have been merely a matter of «We’ve run out of blue paint!».
António Martins, 30 Mar 2016

On the other hand, red have been growingly associated with this party, once even an official logo designed to look loosely like national flag, with a red panel.
António Martins, 22 Dec 2016 and 21 Nov 2006

Black for blue?

image by Željko Heimer and António Martins, 04 May 2017

Adding to the possibly meaningful red version and to the varying, unfixed blue shade range, a depiction of the national flag of Cabo Verde with black instead of blue can be seen online at at least one location (examples: [1] [2] [3] [4] [5] [6]). This is from the catalog of an online store offering disparate patriotic merchandising and memorabilia, apparently catering especially to the Dutch Caboverdean diaspora. I am not sure about how this error could creep in (or the significance of the intentional change, if that’s the case).
António Martins, 04 May 2017

No green for blue

Strangely enough, I never saw any modified Cabo Verde flag with green instead of blue. Given the name of the country and the most often causes of disgruntlement against the current flag (blue is deemed “un-African” and there’s a lack of continuity with the Pan-African colors), such modification would seem logical…
António Martins, 06 May 2017

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