The current flag was made official in 1986, after the dictatorship ended, but before then, the Haitian flag had been changed a number of times, reflecting the nation's complicated past. In the center of the current flag is the national emblem, which is composed of a palm tree with the Cap of Liberty, the legendary symbol of victory below - a ribbon with the phrase "the strength of unity", a cannon, drum, and trumpet. The blue base represents African black people, and red, mixed-race between Black and Caucasion.