BASSETERRE, St. Kitts – WHEN Edrice Lewis hunched over her drawing board to design what would become the National flag of St. Christopher and Nevis, she was not only carving her mark into history but was also painting the very identity of Kittitians and Nevisians as a symbol of patriotism – a symbol that is entrenched in our history and embedded in the hearts of nationals at home and abroad.
This pride and patriotism was crystallised that September morning in 1983 when the Union Jack was lowered and, for the first time, nationals looked upward in that defining moment when the National Flag of St. Christopher and Nevis was raised. We were now a sovereign state; an independent people.
Today, the flag is flown with its symbolic colours: Red signifies the struggles from slavery through colonialism to independence; Green, our fertile lands; Black, our African heritage; White, hope and liberty, and Yellow, year-round sunshine. These colours can be seen on the site of almost every government office and are even flown on vehicles of individuals who choose to live out the nation’s motto – “Country Above Self”.
It would therefore seem a grave injustice to the honourable Lewis and nationals of the Federation, particularly those of the Sandy Point area, to view the “national flag” that is raised in the yard of the new Pogson Medical Centre.
Looking up from the hospital, the bold red reminds us of our struggles as a people; the green of our land’s fertility; the black never fails to strengthen our African heritage while we still look toward the two white stars for hope and liberty. But where is our reminder of God’s blessing of year-round sunshine? Where is the yellow in the flag?
Is it an honest mistake that government officials responsible forgot the national symbol upon which they serve? Has the yellow faded during the few months the flag has been up? Or is it a deliberate insult to the people of Sandy Point and surrounding communities for political reasons?
SKNVibes approached 200 passers-by over a three-day period (Apr. 27-28 and May 4) to gather the views of Sandy Pointers regarding the “flag” in the hospital yard.
Of the total, 102 persons said the stripes were white; 52 said they were gray and 27 indicated that the stripes were some form of brown. Four agreed that the stripes were beige; two said they appeared to be cream and 13 of the individuals refused to respond. However, no one said the stripes were yellow.
One fifth form student of the Sandy Point High School (SPHS) said, “I find it ridiculous! I don’t believe we should change anything about any of our national symbols. I won’t like to think that it is for some political reason, but it is quite strange that something as important as that could go unnoticed. In fact, I don’t even think that deserves to be called our national flag!”
SKNVibes approached a fifth grade student of the Sandy Point Primary School, who said she did not recognise that the yellow in the flag was missing. “It’s really supposed to be yellow! They don’t know that? Yellow... it stands for the year-round sunshine,” she remarked, adding that she had been taught the colours of the flag since grade two.
A young primary school teacher, who informed that she lives in The Alley, Sandy Point, told SKNVibes that “although many persons may see this as trivial, it is a real insult to [Sandy Point] SP. Do they believe that because this [Constituency Five] is the only seat they [St. Kitts-Nevis Labour Party] didn’t win they don’t have to put a national flag here? That is a national symbol...It’s bigger than politics”!
A young man who works for a particular water company told this media house that although he does not live in Sandy Point, whenever he sees the flag with the absence of yellow, he simply laughs to himself.
“It’s funny...When I first realised it, I just said to myself, ‘I can’t believe those fellas could get so petty. This is just a big joke to me.”
Meanwhile, when approached, a young lady who only gave her last name Williams said although the yellow should be in the flag, she did not see it as a “big deal”. She added that it is a matter than could be easily resolved and that there was no underlying political motive.
It is still possible that the yellow in the flag was the only colour to fade over the last three months. However, the yellow stripes in the flag in the Government’s nursery yard, opposite the new hospital, are still visible notwithstanding the flag has been up for a number of years.
According to a teacher at SPHS, “I hope that the absence of the yellow does not symbolise year-round darkness and gloom for the nation.” The teacher also declared that many Sandy Pointers are suggesting that the flag either be removed or replaced to return to Sandy Point the symbol of heavenly sunshine that compliments them as a people.
