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Shaba / Katanga (Rep. Dem. Congo)

(separatist movement)

Last modified: 2004-12-22 by jarig bakker
Keywords: shaba | katanga |
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Flag of Katanga by Željko Heimer and António Martins, 25 Nov 2000 
Other Katanga pages: See also:

History

The province, then known as Katanga, attempted secession from in 1960, only a few days after Belgian Congo became independent. The rebel government was put down after a war lasting three years. The state of Katanga had its own flag. More recently, unrest seems to have been aimed at gaining limited autonomy within Zaire. Autonomy was declared in December 1993, but the government in Kinshasa gave no response. The bid for autonomy was led by the Union of Independent Federalists and Republicans (UFERI).
Jan Oskar Engene

This flag is widely used today's by Katanga as "Provincial" flag (Katanga has an unofficial semi-autonomy status under Kabila's regime).
Jean-Luc Sohier, 19 February 2001

The flag was designed by my godfather, my daddy's brother : Louis Dressen. He was born in Bielefeld (Germany) and moved to Liège (Belgium). After a while in Zanzibar as manager ol a belgian bank, he probably settled in Katanga in 1925. He was formerly the manager of Banque du Congo Belge in Elisabethville. Business man(Les Bureaux Modernes, Carrières de la Karavia, Plantations de Dilolo, ...) and architect, he designed many city maps and the armorial bearings of Elisabethville ("ex imis ad culmina") and of local schools (Institut Marie-José, Collège Saint François de Sales). His wife (92) is still living in Liège (Belgium). Louis Dressen died in Lubumbashi (Elisabethville) in 1972.
Pierre Dressen, 20 Aug 2003

Description of the flag

A friend of mine in Belgium actually had a copy of the official regulations concerning the Katangese flag! His letter notes that the flag was designed by an architect called Louis Dressen. This official flag is very similar to the one that I found printed on a map. That is still the only place I have seen a flag looking like this so obviously the letter of the law was not followed too strictly.
Leif Hellström, 30 Apr 1999

All four arms of the crosses are the same length; these crosses are supposed to represent ingots and those were (crudely) symmetrical. I have been researching Congo and Katanga for some time for an upcoming book and during this research I’ve gone through numerous photos and documents showing the flag or arms of Katanga, and I've also seen a couple of preserved flags. Hence my knowledge on this subject.
Leif Hellström, 19 Apr 1999

Meaning of the Couped Saltires

The couped saltires in the flag of Katanga were intended to represent copper bars. Katanga is