The imperial coat of arms of the
Central African Empire
From 4 December 1976 to 21 September 1979, the Central African Republic was officially known as the Central African Empire (french: Empire centrafricain), after military dictator (and president at the time) Marshal Jean-Bédel Bokassa declared ...
consists of a shield in the centre, with two flags on its edges, and with a sun rising over the shield, with an imperial eagle in the centre. With the imperial crown of
Bokassa I above, below and above the shield are banners, and there is a medal located below the shield as well.
Symbolism
Zo Kwe Zo, the motto on the left, means "A person is a person" in Sango.
Zo A Yeke Zo ("A person is also a person")
[Bradshaw, Richard and Juan Fandos-Rius, ''Historical Dictionary of the Central African Republic'' (2016), p. 168] is the motto on the right.
The elephant and the baobab tree represent nature and the backbone of the country. The gold star on a map of Africa symbolizes the position of the Central African Empire. The hand (bottom right corner) was the symbol of the dominant party in 1963 when the original arms were adopted.
The bottom left corner holds 3 diamonds, this symbolizes the mineral resources of the country.
The medal under the shield is the honorific decoration of the
Order of Central African Merit
The Order of Central African Merit is the highest civil decoration of the Central African Republic. It was instituted on 20 June 1959, with the Grand Officer class being added on October 13, 1961.
It is awarded for special merit in the humanitari ...
.
See also
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Coat of arms of the Central African Republic
The coat of arms of the Central African Republic consists of a shield in the center, with two flags on its edges, and with a sun rising over the shield. Below and above the shield are banners, and there is the badge of the Order of Central Afric ...
References
1970s in the Central African Republic
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