Interpretation

I worked with the two earth colours, blue and red, which, in my view, are the colours of my country.

Blue symbolizes water. Senegal's name comes from a river. Senegal is on the Atlantic and is economically very dependent on the ocean. The rainy season lasts 3-4 months and the sky is nearly always blue.

The earthen colour red is the symbol of the steppe and savannah. The ground in Senegal is mainly flat and red. Now and then, one finds orange-coloured dunes. The bear is painted like a "totem", hence its symmetrical structure; the red-blue contrast symbolizes the rhythm of Senegal.

The three colours in the flag imply: One People, One Goal, One Belief.

The back shows the "baoab", a monkey-bread tree, the symbol of "enracinement et ouverture" which roughly means: "Each people should hold on to its culture while still remaining open to the world."

Amadou M. Diallo