Le Mur des Drapeaux has been Removed

Le Mur des drapeaux in October 2010

Sandus’s oldest Sandum national monument, le Mur des drapeaux, or “the Wall of the Flags,” has been removed from the Office of the Sôgmô in the Palace of State, Kremlum Sandus Province. The wall has been deconstructed in preparation for the Sôgmô’s move to Michigan, where það will attend graduate school.

The wall dates from June 2009 when the then-Lama of the Grand Lamate of Sandefreistikhan commissioned the wall as a national monument to flags of countries and movements which reflected þess vision for Sandus’s future. Early on, the Hammer and Sickle Flag, used by the USSR and subsequently by American Communists, featured prominently, as did the Tibetan flag as Sandefreistikhan was a Buddhist country. In addition, flags of French-speaking nations—like Québec, France, and Belgium—were also a key fixture.

Over the years, various flags have been added to the wall including the Maryland state flag, since Sandus’s cultural heartland is a condominium with the state of Maryland. Several high-profile and well-publicised flags have also been added, such as the LGBTQ+ Pride Flag and the Icelandic national flag.

The most recent flags to be inducted onto the wall were the flags of the United States and Canada, in commemoration of Canada’s 150th anniversary of the Articles of Confederation, in July 2017.

The flags will be moved to Michigan, where the Sôgmô will commission a new Mur des drapeaux. As a part of this move, the display of the flags will be made more regular and will be accompanied in the future with citations explaining why flags are placed on the wall.