Surrounded by men and animals, the strong figure in the center of this flag seems ready to burst from his chains. Since the 17th century, newly elected officers of asafo companies, or militias, have commissioned flags like this one to decorate their meeting halls, dance competitions, and mock battles. Even as the threat of invasion from other kingdoms receded in the mid-19th century, Fante men continued to join asafo companies as social organizations similar to the Freemasons. The flag of the United Kingdom, in the upper left corner, dates this flag to the colonial era. When Ghana gained its independence in 1957, some asafo companies kept older flags despite evidence of the years of British occupation, while others had new pieces made featuring the Ghanaian national flag.