Written piece
The Colours We Inherited.
Luyando Kamanga
Zambia
About this piece
A reflection on growing up with Zambia’s flag colours through school traditions and how their meanings land sacrifice unity and hope become clearer with age linking childhood memories to national identity and a shared sense of belonging across the Commonwealth.
Flown countrywide.
The Colours We Inherited
My fingers were stained green, red, black, and orange long before I understood what those colours meant.
Every year, as Independence Day approached on the 24th of October, my classmates and I painted the Zambian flag on paper, performed plays, and proudly repeated the words "One Zambia, One Nation." At the time, it felt like a school tradition.
Looking back, I realise we were inheriting a thread woven long before we were born.
Each colour on the flag carried a story. Green reflected the land that sustains us and the waters of the Zambezi. Red honoured the bloodshed, and sacrifices that secured our freedom. Black represented the people of Zambia, diverse in culture and language yet united as one nation. Orange symbolised the mineral wealth beneath our soil and the promise of our future.
Above them soared the eagle, reminding us to rise above challenges and reach higher.
As I grew older, I began to see these colours not just on a flag but in everyday life. They connected the beauty of our land, the resilience of our people, and the values passed from one generation to the next.
Across the Commonwealth, every nation contributes its own pattern to the quilt. Zambia's thread is one of unity, hope, and belonging. The colours I painted as a child became more than colours; they became a reminder that we are all part of something larger than ourselves.