Liberia and its 164 Independence: What Do They Have to Celebrate?

Liberia, the oldest independent African Country with the age of 164 years has not made any substantive progress to have a wide celebration. The country continues to have political confusion marked with unprepared multi-party democracy, ethnic tension, selfish interest over public concern and the common wealth is mostly taken to the Americas and other parts of the world while majority of the people in the country suffered abject poverty. Since independence, on July 26, 1847, most of the national leaders preferred keeping their families in the United States of America, thus creating huge capital flight for a small economy that continues to be fragile.

Liberia’s political order emerged as an over-centralized and predatory order that turned increasingly repressive as pressures for inclusion intensified over the years. It ultimately collapsed under such pressures as external support declined with the ending of the cold war (sawyer, 2004). For the most part, the country has experienced eighteenth violent conflict ranging from 1822 up to 2003 (Levitt, 2005). These violent conflicts have made the society to be acculturated to the “culture of violence”. For instance, in some cases whenever there is an accident in the street where a driver hit somebody especially in a crowded area, when the police doesn’t come around faster on the spot, there will be mob action that could lead to the death of the driver. These wars further broke down the weak and impaired system of governance, led to the death of many Liberians, the destruction of properties and created too much ethnic tension in the country especially among the indigenous and the settlers or the Americo-Liberians. It was appalling that some of those Liberians who were involved in planning and executing the conflict from 1979 up to 2003 refused to apologize to Liberians during the Truth and Reconciliation Commission hearing. Worse of all, the country is witnessing its former President, Charles Taylor being investigated in the Hague for committing crime against humanity in Sierra Leone.

Sadly, there is a breakdown of social value system in the society than ever before simply because the teenage parents don’t have the socialization skills to develop such a core family value. The county needs severe and real commitment to settle such a national crisis rather than putting more interest in celebrating an independence that is not meaningful.

Indeed, the celebration of independence is just because of age factor not because progress has been made in the country as compared to other countries that have had independence. Despite the challenges that come with governing a fragile state, all of these socio-economic and political problems persist because there is no “political will”. For Liberians to always be proud of their independence celebration there must be practical reality of national commitment which will require collective efforts that calls dedication, honesty, hard work, transparency and nationalism.