These days, tourist boards around the world invest an awful lot of money in creating a visual identity for their nations, so that when you book holidays with Wexas Travel, for instance, you’ve made a decision based in part on how that nation presented itself to you. Setting the typography just right, including symbols that are internationally recognised as belonging to that nation. But at the base of many of these logos are the country’s original marketing asset: its flag. It may be merely the colours of the flag, or an abstraction of its overall form, but even the most obscure nation promotes itself on the strength of its flag.

Denmark’s Influence

Flags throughout history have been flown by navies, armies have marched under them and you could argue that they’ve generally been deployed to be exclusive symbols of nations, rather than inclusive and appealing to outsiders. They originate from a time of human history when the only thing shared across most borders was a taste of steel. Nonetheless, you need look no further than the Danish national flag, the oldest state flag still in use, for shared themes that have had great influence.

The Nordic cross flag is shared throughout Scandinavia: in addition to Denmark, it is found in the flags of Norway, Sweden, Finland, Iceland and is even in the official flags for small regions like the Shetland islands and the Faroe Islands. In addition to being a symbol of Christianity, the shared design ties the nations and islands together.

Flags As Membership

The flag of the UK is an interesting example of a symbol that contains multiple meanings, though debatably negative as well as more promotional. The use of the Union Jack in the flags of commonwealth nations around the world reinforces the link that the UK historically had when its empire spanned the globe. Major nations including New Zealand, Australia and smaller islands like Fiji contain the Union Jack in their upper left Canton. In a sense, you could say that they’re within the commonwealth ‘brand’.

The Union Jack itself is interesting as a composite flag: containing the English, Scottish and (Northern) Irish flags. Flying the flags of these nations individually still remains a source of individual pride.

Inspirational Colours

The red white and blue theme is repeated throughout the northern hemisphere, the pan Slavic colours of the Czech Republic, Croatia and Russia, that remind us also of France, the US, UK and the Netherlands. Another set of widely used colours is what Flag-scholarship calls the ‘Pan-African colours’ – red, green, black and gold. The colours (except black) come from the Ethiopian flag, which was one of the few African nations to maintain sovereignty during the years of European colonialism, and is thus easily associated with African identity. Red and Green are frequently seen with black and gold in African flags, from Angola to Zimbabwe. Even embarking on your Caribbean Holidays 2012, you’re bound to see a few flags flying this theme: Grenada, Saint Kitts and Nevis and Jamaica among them.

Down Right Kenya is a cycle ride in aid of a charity that supports schools in rural Kenya. Three teams of cyclists headed across Europe, hanging a right through the Middle East, and carried on down through Egypt, Sudan and Ethiopea and into northern Kenya. The latest news from the teams is below – but do also browse through the links on the right though to find out more about the ride and check out the route and daily reports on the map. Oh – and don’t forget to visit the sponsorship page to show your support!

About Down Right Kenya

Where are you off to?

Oh…down a bit, right a bit…

Down Right Kenya is the UK to East Africa bicycle rally that left Cambridge on the 20th September 2008 on a 6,000-mile journey in aid of rural Kenyan schools.

The ride aims to raise £60,000 – enough to build a primary school for 700 children – for the remarkable charity ‘Harambee Schools Kenya’ (HSK) which supports education for poor local communities.

This epic adventure will take up to 6 months of constant cycling, with riders grouped in small, unsupported teams who decide their own route – down and right – to Kenya. The teams are also taking part in a hectic schedule of school visits to raise essential awareness and funds.

Each rider is personally raising £3,000 for the charity, as well as funding their own costs and assisting with all aspects of planning the rally.

The rally is ongoing as you read this, please use the web site to find out where all the teams are, what they have been getting up too, and kindly donate a few quid if you are inspired to do so, thank you!

About HSK

HSK is a truly remarkable charity that builds and equips primary and secondary schools in dejected areas of rural Kenya. Underlying all its work is the belief that, more than any other factor, it is education that gives impoverished communities the hope and skills to improve their lot.

HSK strongly deserves our support because:

It has essentially no running costs. Every penny raised goes directly to a project. For a UK based charity operating in East Africa, this is exceptional.

It knows its job inside out. Whether dealing with government ministers or local street boys, HSK understands education. To be precise: Kenyan education, with Kenyan solutions.

It is a community charity. The same battered Landrover transports bags of cement, pregnant women, tin-sheet roofing and the school football team. Sometimes there isn’t room for the cement!

Its impact is astonishing. HSK can build and equip a school for 600 children for the UK equivalent of one years’ wage. Whether that builds a primary or secondary school depends on your salary.

For further information about HSK or for information on other current fundraising projects relating to HSK, please visit their website at www.hsk.org.uk

Please support the superb work that HSK does in Kenya by helping us to raise £60,000 to build a new school for 700 primary children.

To donate securely through the JustGiving site, click here.

Or you can choose to donate to an individual rider (each of whom will be rasing £3,000) by following their team link on the right hand sidebar.

If you’d prefer to pay by cheque, then please make it payable to ‘Harambee Schools Kenya’ and mail to:

David Ashwanden, HSK Treasurer
Butts Legh, School Lane, Cookham, Berkshire SL6 9QJ

Our Patron

Desmond Tutu

Desmond Mpilo Tutu (born 7 October 1931) is a South African cleric and activist who rose to worldwide fame during the 1980s as an opponent of apartheid. In 1984, Tutu became the second South African to be awarded the Nobel Peace Prize. Tutu was elected and ordained the first black South African Anglican Archbishop of Cape Town, South Africa, and primate of the Church of the Province of Southern Africa (now the Anglican Church of Southern Africa). Tutu chaired the Truth and Reconciliation Commission and is currently the chairman of The Elders. Tutu is vocal in his defence of human rights and uses his high profile to campaign for the oppressed. Tutu also campaigns to fight AIDS, poverty and racism. He received the Nobel Peace Prize in 1984, the Albert Schweitzer Prize for Humanitarianism, and the Gandhi Peace Prize in 2007.

“Down Right Kenya is an exciting and innovative project to help rural communities build schools and improve education standards. Education is a fundamental human right and is the best way of eradicating poverty. Support Down Right Kenya enthusiastically and generously. You won’t ever regret it.”

Desmond Mpilo Tutu