The flag of Saint Kitts and Nevis was designed by a student. The government ran a national competition ahead of independence, Edrice Lewis won it, and the flag went up for the first time on September 19, 1983, the day the federation left British rule.
A competition and a deadline
The brief was to replace the British Blue Ensign that had flown over the islands through the colonial period with something that said what the new country thought of itself. Lewis's design has not been altered since.
Reading the design
A black band edged in yellow runs from the lower hoist corner to the upper fly corner, carrying two white five-pointed stars. The triangle above it is green, the triangle below it red.
Every color has an assigned meaning. Green is the fertile land and what grows on it, yellow the sunshine the islands get year round, black the African ancestry of most of the population, and red the struggle against slavery and colonial rule. The two stars are hope and liberty, and they also stand for the two islands.
Protocol
The flag flies at government buildings, official ceremonies, and national celebrations. Rules cover hoisting and folding, largely to keep it from being damaged, and it flies at half-mast during national mourning. Away from official occasions it appears at festivals and sporting events, and in local music, writing, and art.
Pan-African colors
Red, green, yellow, and black are the pan-African colors, and their use here points directly at where most Kittitians and Nevisians came from. Several other Caribbean flags reach for the same palette for the same reason, which makes the region's flags a fairly legible record of shared history.
References
Government of Saint Kitts and Nevis - National Symbols
Vexillology Association - Flags of the World