The national flag of Angola came into use at independence on November 11, 1975. It is split horizontally into an upper red half and a lower black half. The explanation of the flag is the red is for the blood spilt by Angolans during their independence struggles while the black is for the continent of Africa. The symbol in the middle is of a crossed cog wheel (representing workers and industry) and machete (representing the peasantry) with a gold star. The Angolan flag has remained controversial. Some see it as an excessively political symbol, pointing out the similarity with the MPLA's party flag. It has also been criticized for representing memories of Angola's bloody and violent past, instead of hope for the future.
