kanaga

This 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. In 1960, when Senegal and Mali split into separate countries, Muslim fundamentalists in Mali objected to the human figure as being contrary…

…human figure known as the kanaga. Independence followed on August 20, 1960, but the federation ended and Senegal became a separate country with its own flag in September. (See also Mali, flag of.)