Roraima (Brazil)

Some time ago, I completed my state flags series, but there are still states for which I didn't propose new flags because I think it was regular or acceptable. One of them is Roraima, whose flag doesn't have many fans.

The current flag of Roraima, strictly according to law, looks like this:


Some people argue the colors are too bland, and that the red line is disharmonious to the rest of the flag. The symbolism of the colors is pretty easy: green for forests, white for peace, blue for sky and breeze, yellow for wealth. The red line represents the equator, and its position represents the approximate latitude where it crosses the state.

My proposal is basically a re-arrangement of the layout:


My first action was putting sky's blue on top and forests' green on bottom. The color shades were changed too, to a better contrast. The red line was moved to the center, better arranged, but, on the other hand, it represents the equator less perfectly than the current flag. All in all, though, I think it's a better flag.

Comments are welcome.
Don't forget to check the other posts of the state flags series.

Autonomous Government of Bangsamoro (Philippines)

A Facebook friend asked about producing a flag to the proposed Autonomous Government of Bangsamoro that, following an agreement between Philippine government and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front, is likely to substitute the current Autonomous Region of Muslim Mindanao (ARMM). The proposed entity might have more autonomy in internal affairs.

It's the current flag of ARMM:


And, looking for related flags, I found the flag of two Moro movements: the flag of Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) and the Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF), the latter also the flag of the short-lived unrecognized Bangsamoro Republik (2013). The Moro people is the biggest Muslim minority of Philippines.

Muslim Islamic Liberation Front	MNLF and Bangsamoro Republik

I decided for a design that used common elements of three flags:


The crescent and star are present in the three flags, and is a common symbol of Islamism. The sword present on it is a kalis, a local variant of the kris or keris (a kind of dagger from Southeastern Asia), a wavy-blade dagger. Like on ARMM flag, the sword represent sovereignty and the will of defend the conquered autonomy; but, on my design, it's turned to the hoist on a more pacific attitude. The green color is associated with Islamism, and more neutral than red.

Comments and suggestions are welcome.
I'd like to thank my Facebook friend for the nice theme suggestion.

Cuiabá (Mato Grosso, Brazil)

In the prologue of the series about Brazilian capital flags, I've said Cuiabá flag would need only minor adjustments. I'll present them today.

This is the current Cuiabá flag:


This flag contains the national colors; curiously, Cuiabá is nicknamed "the green city". The green triangle is the stylized representation of the monument that marks the place historically considered the "geodetic center" of South America (some recent researches makes believe the correct point should be, actually, on a neighbor city). The yellow triangle represents a mount of golden gems, as it appears on city's coat of arms (possibly, only the fifth granted by Portuguese king to a Brazilian locality). On a yellow bordure whose shape emulates a shield, "Vila Real do Bom Jesus de Cuiabá" (original title of the village that would later become the city) and "1719" (the year that village was founded).

Any type of lettering should always be avoided from flags. A good point is that even the city administration prefers not to use the letters on its logo:


 My proposed replacement is the following:


This flag is very similar to current flag, but with the minor fixes I promised: apart from removing the writing, I changed the yellow shade for best contrasts, and the circle has a double function: making the flag completely geometrical, and remembering, together with triangles, a compass (other reference to the "geodetic center").

Comments are welcome.
If you can read Portuguese (or use an online translator), visit my new project about Brazilian heraldry.

José de Anchieta (1534-1597)

I don't usually design personal flags, so let's see if result is satisfactory. The premise is the following: current pope announced José de Anchieta will be canonized in April 2 and, therefore, he'll be allowed to be regarded as a Catholic saint. He was one of the founders of my home city, São Paulo, and is nicknamed "the apostle of Brazil" for his work of conversion among the natives.

Many saints have their own flags, and I design one to Anchieta . My proposal is the following:


On first and fourth quarters, his family coat of arms as it appears, for example, on the coat of arms of the city of São José dos Campos; I suppose the animal is a bear (blazon isn't clear about it), and I settled the stars as eight-pointed, that's related to Virgin Mary in Christian iconography (he once wrote a 4,172 verses poem for her). On second and third quarters, heads of natives, related to his missionary work. On the center of the flag, the emblem of the Society of Jesus, whereof he was one of first members (he was cousin of Ignatius of Loyola).

I also made a rectangular version of the flag, but I think the square is much superior.

Comments are welcome.
Sorry for small delay on posting it.

Clackmannanshire (Scotland, UK)

Hi, readers! This week I'll be travelling and, as a precaution about internet availability, it's a pre-programmed post. I'm sorry if this post is shorter than usual.

The Association of British Counties (ABC) is a non-profit organization that has, among other goals, spread the flag usage in all British historical (or traditional) counties. One of its blogs, related to flags, was expanded on last weeks, and, for my surprise, one of the new proposals appearing on it was made by me, for a flag of Clackmannanshire.

My inspiration for them was the coat of arms of the county, that contains some interesting symbolisms. The gauntlets, related to a local legend related to Robert the Bruce, is present in all flags:

Proposal #1	Proposal # 2
Proposal # 3	Proposal # 4

The flag being proposed on that blog is the #3. A very detailed rationale of that flag, well-exposed by Jason Saber, can be seen here. It's not my only proposal on that blog, and, on a better occasion, I can present some others.

Unfortunately, the adoption of flags on Scotland isn't a simple process, as it depends of a grant by Lord Lyon King of Arms, what can be expensive.

Comments are welcome.

Sorry for the shortness of this post. Next week, the blog return with normal posts.