President Joseph Nyuma Boakai’s address marking Liberia’s 179th National Flag Day carried a message that deserves to be examined beyond the ceremony, the military salutes, the speeches and the familiar sight of the Lone Star flying over the Executive Pavilion.
At the heart of the President’s message was a simple but profound question: What does the Liberian flag actually require of Liberians?
For nearly 179 years, the Lone Star has represented Liberia’s sovereignty, identity and independence. But a national symbol has meaning only when the citizens who stand beneath it are prepared to live by the values it represents.
That is where President Boakai’s remarks become particularly important.
The President reminded the nation that Liberia’s flag was born out of courage, determination and collective effort. Seven women, led by Susana Lewis, stitched the flag in 1847 as Liberia prepared to declare independence.
That historical detail should not be treated merely as an interesting footnote.
It is a powerful reminder that Liberia was not built by one person, one ethnic group, one political party or one generation.
Liberia was built through collective sacrifice.
And if that is true of the Liberia inherited from previous generations, then it must also be true of the Liberia we leave behind.
The President’s emphasis on national identity therefore comes at an important moment in the country’s history.
Liberia continues to wrestle with political divisions, economic hardship, institutional weaknesses, corruption allegations, unemployment, drug trafficking and the lingering consequences of years of conflict.
Against that background, simply raising the flag is not enough.
The greater challenge is to make the principles associated with the flag visible in everyday Liberian life.
Patriotism cannot only be displayed during Flag Day ceremonies.
It must be demonstrated when a public official refuses a bribe.
It must be demonstrated when a police officer respects the rights of a citizen.
It must be demonstrated when a businessman pays the taxes required by law.
It must be demonstrated when a journalist reports facts responsibly.
It must be demonstrated when a political leader accepts criticism without resorting to hatred or violence.
It must be demonstrated when citizens reject tribalism and choose competence over political loyalty.
And it must be demonstrated when young Liberians decide that their future is worth protecting.
This is why President Boakai’s appeal to the nation’s children deserves particular attention.
The President did not simply tell students to memorize the National Pledge. He urged them to understand and live by its principles.
That distinction matters.
Civic education is meaningful only when citizenship moves beyond memorization.
A student may recite the Pledge perfectly and still grow into an adult who disregards the law, abuses public resources or promotes division.
Conversely, a student who understands the responsibilities of citizenship can become a citizen who respects institutions, protects public property, rejects violence and contributes constructively to society.
The reintroduction of civics education in Liberia’s primary schools, together with the launch of standardized civics textbooks, therefore deserves serious national attention.
For too long, Liberia’s young people have faced an environment where political arguments can overshadow civic responsibility.
A stronger civic education system can help children understand not only Liberia’s history and national symbols, but also the Constitution, their rights, their responsibilities and the importance of democratic institutions.
But civics education must not end in the classroom.
The adults teaching patriotism to children must also demonstrate it.
President Boakai made this point directly when he challenged adults to hold themselves to the same standards expected of young people.
That may be one of the most important portions of his Flag Day message.
Adults cannot demand that children respect the law while powerful people routinely attempt to evade accountability.
We cannot ask young people to reject corruption while corruption is tolerated in public institutions.
We cannot tell students that Liberia belongs to everyone while political, ethnic or personal interests determine who receives opportunities.
We cannot ask children to love Liberia while adults continue to undermine the very institutions responsible for protecting the country.
Patriotism must therefore become a practice rather than a slogan.
The President’s warning about drugs is equally significant.
Liberia has recently witnessed enormous cocaine seizures, including consignments worth hundreds of millions of United States dollars.
The scale of those seizures has demonstrated that the narcotics threat is no longer something Liberians can regard as a distant international problem.
It is a national security issue.
More importantly, it is a youth issue.
Drug trafficking can destroy communities, finance organized crime, corrupt institutions and expose young people to addiction and criminal networks.
President Boakai’s message to students to say no to drugs must therefore be followed by stronger prevention programs, rehabilitation services, public awareness campaigns, enforcement and opportunities for young people.
Telling young Liberians to reject drugs is important.
But Liberia must also give them something to say yes to.
Yes to education.
Yes to vocational training.
Yes to employment.
Yes to entrepreneurship.
Yes to sports and creative industries.
Yes to technology.
Yes to meaningful participation in national development.
A young person without opportunity is vulnerable to manipulation.
The Lone Star must therefore symbolize not only national pride but national possibility.
The President also correctly reminded Liberians that commemoration must not become complacency.
That message should resonate across the country.
A beautiful Flag Day ceremony cannot conceal poor roads.
Patriotic speeches cannot replace functioning hospitals.
National symbols cannot substitute for quality education.
Military salutes cannot solve unemployment.
And ceremonies cannot by themselves create national unity.
The flag must challenge government and citizens alike to deliver results.
When the President speaks of roads connecting communities, electricity reaching more Liberians, improving healthcare, transforming education and expanding opportunities, he is describing what national identity should ultimately produce.
A country is not made stronger merely because its citizens are proud of its flag.
It becomes stronger when citizens can see tangible evidence that their country is working for them.
The Lone Star belongs equally to the farmer in Lofa, the child in Grand Kru, the fisherman in Maryland, the worker in Monrovia and the Liberian living abroad.
That is an important principle.
Liberia cannot afford a nationalism that belongs only to Monrovia.
The Republic must be experienced in every county.
A child in rural Liberia should feel that the national flag represents opportunity just as much as it does for a child attending school in the capital.
A farmer should see the flag in access to roads and markets.
A patient should see it in a functioning healthcare system.
A student should see it in quality education.
A young entrepreneur should see it in access to finance and a predictable business environment.
And an ordinary citizen should see it in equal protection under the law.
That is when the Lone Star becomes more than cloth.
That is when it becomes a national covenant.
President Boakai’s closing message, “Think Liberia, Love Liberia, and together Build Liberia,” is therefore more than a ceremonial slogan.
It should be treated as a challenge.
Think Liberia means putting the national interest above personal gain.
Love Liberia means respecting the people with whom we share the country, even when we disagree politically.
Build Liberia means accepting that development requires work, sacrifice, accountability and patience.
Liberia’s 179th Flag Day should therefore not end when the flags are lowered and the ceremonies conclude.
The real celebration begins afterward.
It begins when citizens return to their communities and decide to practice the values they celebrated.
It begins when leaders understand that public office is a responsibility rather than a privilege.
It begins when young Liberians realize that patriotism is not passive.
And it begins when every Liberian understands that the Lone Star does not belong to the government alone.
It belongs to all of us.
If Liberia is truly to become one people, one nation and one destiny, then the flag must cease to be merely a symbol of what the country was and become a daily reminder of what the country can become.
That is the deeper meaning of Flag Day.
And that is the challenge President Boakai has placed before Liberia.
