Last modified: 2006-03-18 by antonio martins
Keywords: lion | shark | nº3 | canton: national flag | taysec co no 1 first choice | men: 4 | men: 8 | drag net | 1947-1997 |
Links: FOTW homepage |
search |
disclaimer and copyright |
write us |
mirrors
I am an avid collector of Fante Asafo flags from Ghana. I have one with
a basking shark image, which does not exist off the coast of Ghana: The flag
is quite simple, but it is also quite large and if that isn’t a Basking
Shark I can’t imagine what it is. (I have one other flag that uses a
shark as a symbol but it is just a regular shark — eating a rival
company member, of course!)
Steve Messick, 08 Jan 2002
It’s a dark green flag with a smallish canton with the
Ghanian national flag (note the two shades of
green!), without the black star and with broader yellow stripe, and
a large solid outline of a shark, facing the hoist, in orange on the
center; centered at the bottom the lettering "Nº3" set in white.
António Martins, 26 May 2004
The drawing is pretty stylized, as should be, flagwise, but it looks
like a Rhincodon typus (the fins are not entirely correct, though:
there’s a ventral fin missing, right below the second dorsal fin; also,
the first dorsal should be noticeably larger than is shown on the flag
— but its a good approximation).
Jorge Candeias, 09 Jan 2002
To create the Taysec “Asafo Company Nº1” flag, the flag
makers of the Fante Region have taken the
Taysec corporate logo and translated
it within the context of the art of the Asafo warrior tradition. The lion
represents the strongest animal — the king of the jungle — and,
as such, the great protector. The Asafo company protects its interests and
the interests of those dependent upon it. The two teams of four fishermen
drawing in the drag-net symbolise the power of pulling together, as reflected
in Ghana’s Independence maxim, «Strength in
Unity», and in Taylor Woodrow’s strong team culture.
The drag-net has turned up a catch of technological images to signifying the
ability of the company to catch the biggest prize and overcome its rivals.
The split Ghana and Union
flags refer to Taysec’s Anglo-Ghanaian origins and the strong partnership
between Britain and Ghana.
Dov Gutterman, 27 May 2002,
quoting from
http://www.taysec.com.gh/50_years/mn_flag.htm
Some would say that this text is too heavy on the advertisement side, but it certainly does so while explaining the flag symbolism. The quoted page is now 404 (page removed) and the main address of Taysec.GH redirects to the Taylor Woodrow Ghana welcome page, where it is said:
Although locally incorporated and with its own Board of Directors, Taysec is a 100% owned subsidiary of the Taylor Woodrow plc, one of the leading housing and property company’s in UK and North America.
This explains the Taylor Woodrow reference above. The mentioned Taysec corporate logo seems to be Taylor Woodrow’s also, for their site mentions «the four-figure logo. All trademarks and servicemarks included in this web site belong »…« to »…« or have been licensed »by« Taylor Woodrow»
António Martins, 03 Jun 2004
