When it comes to talking about flags to represent Martinique, we are dealing with a sensitive subject because until today no flag is unanimously accepted by the whole population. Depending on the people you meet, the answers will be totally different. We present you the different flags and their meaning.
The French tricolor flag
Martinique is a French territory, as such, its flag is the French tricolor flag whenever the island is on the international scene. It is also the flag that you will see erected on all town halls and public state buildings.
However, like other metropolitan departments, it can use a local flag representing it. These are based on the coats of arms of the former provinces of France and today have no official status.
They can sometimes be seen on the various tourist, historical or natural sites of the regions concerned.
However, these flags have not been taken over by the local authorities who have preferred to use logotypes or flags bearing their own logotype.
Some overseas departments and regions have recognized a historical flag or created a new one to represent them.
The four snake flag
Thus in Martinique, you will certainly see the blue flag with a white cross delimiting a blue rectangle overhung by a snake. This is the old coat of arms of the island. This flag remains unofficial and has been used since 1766 by the merchant navy. At that time the blue flag with a white cross represented royalty. The snake in question was the trigonocephalus endemic to the island, which would have claimed many victims among the Arawaks and Caribs and during colonization. But it was said at the time that the snake had been introduced to terrorize the slaves and force them to perform their tasks.
On August 4, 1766, a decree of the representatives of the French State in Martinique and Saint Lucia provided that all owners of vessels and schooners of these islands fly this flag:
All owners of vessels, ships, schooners and boats of Martinique and St. Lucia will have their ships provided with a blue flag with a cross that will divide the said flag into four; in each blue square, and in the middle of the square, there will be the figure of a snake in white, so that there will be four snakes in white in the said flag, which will be recognized henceforth for that of Martinique and St. Lucia.
This flag is now the subject of controversy because it is considered a "slavery flag" by some people, notably the Mouvement pour les Réparations de Martinique (Movement for Reparations in Martinique), the Red, Green, Black activists and the independence political party Modemas (Mouvement des démocrates et écologistes pour une Martinique souveraine) (Movement of Democrats and Ecologists for a Sovereign Martinique).
They also called on the various candidates in the 2007 presidential election to ban the use of this flag, which was tainted by having been flown on ships involved in the slave trade. Emmanuel Macron, then President of the Republic (2017-2027), decided to ban it from the coat of arms of the gendarmes operating on the island. It is still very popular in the rest of the world to represent Martinique.
The red green black flag
The red, green and black flag was chosen as the banner of Martinique in international sports and cultural competitions following a competition organized by the Collectivité Territoriale de la Martinique (Territorial Collectivity of Martinique). It consists of a red triangle on the left and two green and black quadrilaterals. It was established in great pomp on the site of the Collectivity on March 31, 2023. It is the result of a fight of several years for the pro-independence militants of the Modemas for whom it symbolizes the "resistance to the colonial oppression of the French".
These colors have already been flown several times. Indeed, in 1665, Francis Fabulé, a black maroon African deported to Martinique, brandished these colors during rebellions and fights that he would have led on the side of the Amerindians against the French colonists.
Later, in 1801, Jean Kina brandished it during a slave rebellion in Carbet. Also, during the Insurrection of the South in 1870, the insurgents would have worn red, green and black scarves or headbands on several occasions as a sign of rallying.
These colors then reappeared during the revolt of the youth of the O.J.A.M. (Organisation de la Jeunesse Anticolonialiste de la Martinique) (Organization of the Anticolonial Youth of Martinique) who wore these colors in early 1960. They criticized the departmental status of Martinique and claimed the right to emancipation of the Martinican people.
In the years 90-2000, it was displayed in the traffic circles of the city of Sainte-Anne at the time when it was headed by Garcin Malsa president of Modemas. This flag was not accepted by a large part of the local population.
More recently, a part of the population has adopted and displayed this flag, which is more marked by the African roots of the population. For some it represents the Black pride and identity of Martinique. It has been brandished during various protests on the island.
The "Ispeity" flag
Following the disputes over the flag to adopt in Martinique, Alfred Marie-Jeanne, then President of the Executive Council of the Collectivité Unique de Martinique decided to launch a competition to designers and talents of the island to develop a flag that would bring together all entities of the island and would be federative. This approach has disappointed the defenders of the Red, Green, Black flag for whom it would be necessary to adopt the colors from Africa.
Following this contest and the vote, the flag "Ispéité" was adopted on May 10, 2019. It was deployed on the buildings of the Collectivité Unique and was also the one used to represent Martinique during sports representations.
This flag presents in its center an emblematic shellfish of the West Indies, locally called lambis, whose flesh is appreciated as a quality meal and the shell is used as an instrument during events such as the Tour des Yoles. It produces a sound that carries for miles. It was the tool used in the past and still is today to signal to the population that a fisherman was returning from the sea with fish.
The 34 Amerindian stars symbolize the 34 municipalies of the island and the 8 segments refer to the 8 languages spoken (French, Creole, English, Spanish, Portuguese, Italian, Chinese and Arabic) on the island after the European colonization. The blue refers to the Atlantic Ocean and the Caribbean Sea that surround the island and the green refers to the nature and the mountain ranges of the island.
Following a complaint filed by associations and individuals, the Court declared the choice of this banner as illegal since the final choice had not been made in transparent conditions. It remains strongly linked to Alfred Marie-Jeanne, a very popular politician on the island, and its supporters continue to fly it as their flag.
In a nutshell
Four flags are associated with the island and none is unanimously accepted locally. The four snake flag is often used to represent Martinique in the world, especially on the internet, but during political meetings it is the French flag only that is used. If the Red, Green, Black flag remains marked by independence claims for some, it is now used for international cultural or sport events and also social movements.
