27 June 2008
Although a few Corsicans would want to see the island of Corsica become independent, most think of themselves as French islanders and are only keen to preserve their own set of culture, from their unique traditional recipes to their symbolic flag.
The "bandiera testa mora", as they call it, is the very symbol of the Island of Beauty and its inhabitants and can be found everywhere on the island, from the entrance to a cafe to a pot of locally produced chestnut jam.
The Corsican flag is entirely white with a Moor's head in the middle. The head is black and has a blindfold on the forehead.
The symbol is thought to originate from the king of Aragon who in 1297 was given powers to rule Sardinia and Corsica by the pope Boniface VIII.
The Moor's head first became a symbol of the island in the 18th century when Theodore de Neuhoff, a German baron who reigned in Corsica for six months, wore the head of his enemies, namely the Moors, or African Muslims, on his ceremonial dress.
Later in the same century, when Pascal Paoli formed the Anglo Corsican kingdom, the Moor's head also briefly became associated to the arms of the king of England.
