Liberian County Flags in Historical and Cultural Context

The flags of Liberia’s counties are often derided in social media forums as “childish”, “poorly designed”, or “ugly”. However, such judgments, derived from European flag design traditions, fail to account for the cultural and political context in which the flags were created. This paper explores the historical circumstances of their introduction in the mid-1960s—a time of rising discontent among indigenous Liberians opposed to the government dominated by Americo-Liberians. The introduction of county flags—which draw upon Americo-Liberian quilting traditions and serve as a genre of flag design unique to the nation—served the political and cultural purposes of the ruling elite. This paper also addresses the reception by European and American audiences of flags employing an African artistic tradition, and how that reception is reflected in social media discussions of Liberian county flags.

[IVI.CID] 70d7799b-57c7-4e99-9d5e-f5423e9426a3