Here is what I have learned about the flag of Ethiopia.
The top band of green represents Ethiopia's fertile land.
- Agriculture is Ethiopia's major industry.
The middle yellow represents Ethiopia's religious freedom.
- The predominate faith in Ethiopia is Ethiopian Orthodox Christianity, however Islam and traditional/ tribal spiritual practices coexist without tension.
The bottom red band represents the blood that has been shed to protect the country.
- Ethiopia was Africa's first independent nation. Except for a brief period in the 1940's Ethiopia succeeded in keeping its independence, even as many other countries were colonized by Western Forces.
The central blue disk stands for peace and prosperity.
The star's points are at equal distance from each other to signify the equality of all of Ethiopia's ethnic groups, faiths, and genders.
- Ethiopia is truly multiethnic. It is the home to more than 80 ethnic groups, or tribes. If you traveled all over Ethiopia you would hear about 82 languages, with over 200 dialects. An effort is made to have minorities represented in the government.
- All faiths are treated fairly.
- All people over age 18 receive voting rights.
- Ethiopia adopted its current constitution in 1995, it grants equal rights to all citizens.
The shining rays are representative of hope for a bright future.
This has been the national flag since February 6, 1996.
The colors of the Ethiopian flag have been adopted by many other African nations. Thus the colors green, yellow, and blue have become known as the pan-African colors.
***Our IAN case worker emailed today that all the paperwork is a go, except Chad's letter from his doctor which was improperly notarized. I have a plan to get that redone quickly and simply... I hope. Notaries at the doctor have proven difficult. I mailed the I-600A to the USCIS office in Texas today. They will send us the date we are supposed to be in Fargo for the fingerprinting they require. It has to be done when and where the government requires. Please pray the appointment we are given is not between February 8 and the 15 as we will be in Mexico.
