Last modified: 2003-03-28 by zeljko heimer
Keywords: burundi | sabena | drum | sorghum | karyenda | error | star: 6 points (fimbriated) | stars: triangle | stars: 3 | star: 6 points |
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At the World Statesmen website there is a historical Burundi flag pictured above.
The flag (which can be found at http://www.worldstatesmen.org/Burundi.html)
is purple with what I presume is a wheatstalk behind a red shield. The shield has interlocking white semicircles.
The status of the flag is unknown.
Zane Whitehorn, 11 Nove 2002
First the flag was vertical: red, white,
green, with golden emblem (a drum) in center.
This flag was in use around 1961-62.
Posted to me by Jorge Hurtado, head redactor of
Banderas.
Jaume Ollé, 20 Jan 1997 and 05 Sep 1998
The true source of this flag is very unreliable:
If I remember correctly, this flag was redesigned after
a newspaper report which said that «in Burundi was
hoisted a flag of red, white and green with a Royal drum
in it». So this flag might be nothing
more than a wrong reconstruction of the
1962 flag.
Ralf Stelter, 13 Jun 1999
From 1962, when Burundi achieved independence from
Belgium, until 1966 the country flew a similar flag, but
in the centre was a drum, called the Karyenda, a
traditional emblem of the Mwami (king). There was also a
sorghum plant, placed in front of the Karyenda.
Stuart Notholt, 12 Mar 1996
On 1 de July the flag was changed to similar current
pattern. In the center the plant and the drum (now in
red). This flag show in the post stamp issued in
the independence day.
The image above is one of several known variants.
Jaume Ollé, 05 Sep 1998
From 1962 until September 1966 the circle in the center
of the flag bore the royal drum and a sorghum, and from
September until November 1966 the sorghum alone.
Nozomi Kariyasu, 12 Jan 2000, quoting from
Mucha's Encyclopedia, 1985
W. Smith, 1980 also
suggests this possibility of the Burundian flag
being based on the old Sabena
flag, but he also says that there is no proof of that.
Zeljko Heimer, 02 Aug 1996
I’m not convinced that the design is similar enough
to that of Burundi to have inspired the latter.
Vincent Morley, 03 Nov 1997
The king (Tutsi) appreciated similarity between the red
drum and a hutu axe, and ordered change, seems that to
more complex drum that show in several books.
Jaume Ollé, 05 Sep 1998
When the monarchy was overthrown in 1966, these
symbols were abandoned.
Stuart Notholt, 12 Mar 1996
Has these images been drawn based on a real image of the flag, or
by its common description «a sorghum plant in front of a drum»? The
drum/plant emblem on top of the shield appears in
Burundi coins issued in 1962.
Other Burundi coins, issued in 1965,
show similarly the drum/plant emblem on top of the shield. It seems
strange that there is such a great difference on how the drum/plant
is portrayed in the coins with the one portrayed in the flags.
Dimitris Kiminas, 25 Sep 2000
A royal standart from the Burundi king (1962-1966) was published by Mc Meekin in Vexillinfo 109, that was the national flag with the arms in the central circle as in the attached image. There is also pictured the flag dated 1961-1962, red-white-green vertically divided, with a yellow drum in center
jaume Olle, 31 Jan 2003After 29 November 1966 the monarchy fell, and the drum
was supressed (but not the plant).
Jaume Ollé, 05 Sep 1998
The period is a bit confuse. If I
understad well, according the issue 10 of DGF-Nachrichten,
the flag was used without drum neither plant for one or
two days (27-28 November 1966).
Jaume Ollé, 05 Sep 1998
28 July 1967 the fimbriated stars were added to the flag.
This flag is shown in a post stamp from 1967 (First anniversary
of the republic), with stars arranged two in the upper part and one in the lower part.
Jaume Ollé, 05 Sep 1998
Burundis flag was never with two stars on top. The postage stamp is incorrect!
It is not unheard in the stamp world, the stamp designer made a mistake.
Ralf Stelter, 09 Dec 2000
The right arrangement of the stars (one over two) was shown
on a post stamp of 1970 (4th anniversary of the Republic).
[There are other sources confirming that such arrangement is in fact
the one used since 1967, i.e. when the stars were introduced.]
The ratio of the flag was fixed on 27 September 1982 to ratio
3:5 when the official regulations were published. [Prior to that date de facto ratio was 2:3.]
Jaume Ollé, 05 Sep 1998