The national flag of Angola is a horizontal bicolour of red and black, charged in the center with a yellow emblem consisting of a machete crossed by a half-cogwheel and crowned with a five-pointed star. It was adopted on 11 November 1975, when Angola became independent from Portugal following the thirteen-year Angolan War of Independence. The original meanings of the flag's colours and symbols accordingly referenced the war and colonial period, but they have since been reinterpreted to represent the Angolan people and society more broadly. Ana Maria de Oliveira, the MPLA deputy who was responsible for coordinating the subcommission for the national symbols, explained the flag's significance: "The blue strips represent freedom, justice and solidarity, whereas the white ones stand for peace, unity and harmony.
The description of the flag of Angola is written in the nation’s Constitution. A flag featuring a design based on the painting found in the Tchitundo-Hulu cave was proposed but the idea was never adopted.