What is the 'Kanaga' figure, and on which flags can it be found?

BRY2K

Kanaga is a human "stick figure", in black, with its arms pointing to the sky. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flag_of_Mali It WAS on the original flag of Mali that was was adopted on April 4, 1959, when Mali joined the Mali Federation. The figure was removed because of Islamic aniconism, the belief against making pictures of the human figure. (see reference above) Mar 20 08, 4:51 AM

author

Yes - and prior to that it was used in the flag of French Sudan. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/French_Sudan The symbol, known as the kanaga, originated with the Dogon people of Mali and was given modern meaning by the Negritude movement of West African and Caribbean intellectuals. http://www.britannica.com/eb/topic-715344/kanaga In the period 1959-60 the 'kanaga' could also be found in the flag of Senegal, who later replaced it with a star, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flag_of_Senegal Mar 20 08, 5:35 AM