Mfantsipim School to unveil new flag

  

A new flag for Mfantsipim School will be unveiled by the Chief of the Defence Staff (CDS) of the Ghana Armed Forces, Vice-Admiral Matthew Quashie (MOBA 1970), at the school tomorrow, Thursday,  June 19, 2014.  

The event will be on the theme: “Energising Mfantsipim’s esprit de corps for contemporary challenges”. 

An anonymous student designed the first flag of Mfantsipim during the period Rev W. T. Balmer was at the head of the institution to express the school’s esprit de corps. 

At a ceremony on June 3, 1910, John Mensah Sarbah, the Ghanaian nationalist, unfurled the flag with a rich red background and the word “Mfantsipim” emblazoned, with the Union Jack ensconced at an upper corner.

The students were asked to engrain the symbolism of the flag in their minds and “never tarnish or stain it through dishonour or by means of any dishonourable act”.

 As part of internalising the traditions of the school, students then were expected to be mindful always of the school’s motto — Dwen Hwe Kan — which inculcated thoughtfulness and foresight and to so equip themselves as to be a credit to the school and society. 

The intent was that when they went out to say they were trained by the school, that was sufficient to guarantee good moral character and high intellectual endowment.

 Further, to inculcate in the students the spirit symbolised by that special flag, the students were asked to use the military fashion to give three salutes at the flag post.

 It has been difficult to find out when and possibly why that practice was stopped or fell off the school’s discipline code. However, in the last few years, a flag of black and red stripes has been used.

 In consideration of the collective will to strengthen the Mfantsipim brand, it became necessary to launch a competition among students and Old Boys to select a new flag for the school.

 The winning entry was submitted by a group of Old Boys at the KNUST, under the name TEAM TAK, whose membership are Messrs Ekow Aggrey-Mensah, Yaw Kuffour Sarbeng, Edem Kwame Yankah, David Kwantwi-Mensah, and Gilbert Benjamin Cudjoe.

The meaning of elements in flag:

The Black colour represents the African, while the RED colour represents his blood and sacrifices.

The left section of the flag has eight rectangles to symbolise the ‘Faithful Eight’. Its location on the flag represents the integral part of the origin or beginnings of the school. 

And just as one reads from left to right and top downwards, the first red rectangle continues to the right and downwards to represent the continuation of Mfantsipim’s heritage, traditions, history and legacies that run through the blood of all who have passed and continue to pass through the Hills of Kwabotwe.

The crest rests on a red background to highlight the enormous responsibility present, as well as future generations carry towards fulfilling the dreams, prophecies and aspirations of the founding fathers of Ghana, Africa and humanity, while the WHITE border depicts a new limitless future, new opportunities, new global possibilities and new uncharted destinies for the school and its graduates.

 This new flag, therefore, is to re-establish a commitment to reinforce the esprit de corps of the school and renew the understanding: “Never tarnish or stain it through dishonour or by means of any dishonourable act.”

 Thus, tomorrow, more than a century after the first flag was unveiled, we will have another opportunity to launch Mfantsipim into a new era of enhanced relevance of the school to the advancement of Ghana, Africa and humanity with the unveiling of the flag.