President Weah Declares Friday August 24 As National Flag Day

The President of the Republic of Liberia His Excellency Dr. George Manneh Weah, has by proclamation declared Friday, August 24, 2018 as National Flag Day to be observed throughout the Republic as a National Holiday.

The proclamation is in consonance with an Act approved on October 25, 1915 by the National Legislature of the Republic of Liberia declaring the 24th Day of August of each year as “National Flag Day” to be observed as National Holiday.

The day, which is in observance of the historic event when the National Flag was designed and produced by a committee of ladies led by Mrs. Susannah Lewis which signifies the importance as Africa’s Pacesetter in the struggle for self-determination and inspiration to future African States and the National Ensign of the Republic of Liberia is a visible evidence of the country’s sovereignty and independence as well as a symbol of pride and dignity within the comity of nations.

The proclamation reveals that The Flag consists of six red stripes and five alternating white stripes, totaling eleven stripes, each representing one of the eleven signers of the Declaration of Independence of Liberia, the blue field, in the upper left corner of a rectangular form with a single white star in the center of the blue field, depicting Liberia as the then only independent state on the continent of Africa, the color red symbolizes the blood of those who died in the struggle for independence; the color white indicates the purity of mind of all our fore bearers toward each other; and the Blue for the dark continent of Africa as it was then depicted.

According to the proclamation, it is important and befitting that the day is commemorated annually by all citizens of the Republic in testimony of their allegiance and loyalty to the National Ensign, the embodiment of our national existence as a sovereign entity, and to encourage national pride and patriotism.

The proclamation calls on the Ministry of Education and all other government agencies concern to design programs befitting the day and that all citizens of the Republic, foreign residents within the border to give prominence to the observance of the Day throughout the Republic by flying the National Flag from each dwelling and public building, and that all government offices, public and business houses be closed on this Day.