Patriotism for Sale: When the Flag Becomes a Cover for Theft

Such systems thrive where loyalty to party or ethnic bloc outweighs loyalty to principle, and where supporters excuse corruption not because they doubt it exists, but because it benefits “their side.”

By M. C. Folo The Indepenedentistnews contributor

Across much of Africa’s political landscape, patriotism has been stripped of its meaning. It no longer serves as a moral guide or a shared civic duty. Instead, it has become a costume—worn loudly, waved theatrically, and deployed strategically whenever power is questioned.

The performance is familiar. A senior official steps before microphones, voice trembling with rehearsed outrage, warning of “enemies of the nation” and “forces bent on destabilization.” The language is heavy with sacrifice and unity. The crowd applauds. Flags wave. Cameras roll.

What the speech does not mention is the bloated contract approved quietly months earlier. Or the unexplained wealth of family members. Or the audit reports buried deep in government offices while public hospitals run out of medicine and teachers go unpaid.

This is one of Africa’s most enduring political paradoxes: those who loot the state drape themselves in its symbols, while those who speak the truth are accused of betraying it.

When Corruption Is Defended as Love of Country

In deeply partisan systems, corruption is rarely denied outright. It is reframed. It is justified. It is wrapped in the language of patriotism. Whistleblowers are accused of humiliating the nation. Journalists are told they are sabotaging development. Auditors are labeled agents of foreign interests.

In this upside-down logic, theft becomes loyalty, and honesty becomes treason. The criminal is celebrated as a defender of sovereignty, while the citizen demanding accountability is cast as an enemy within. If the consequences were not so severe, the absurdity would be comical. But this inversion corrodes institutions, poisons public trust, and normalizes impunity.

In stronger democracies—flawed though they may be—power is constrained. Courts challenge executives. Prosecutors pursue officials still in office. Journalists investigate wrongdoing without fearing disappearance. Ministers resign not always because they are convicted, but because the idea of responsibility still matters. In many African states, the opposite logic prevails. When corruption is exposed, the state does not respond with explanation or reform. It responds with retaliation.

Law as a Weapon Against Truth

Dissent is no longer debated; it is criminalized. Anti-corruption activists are arrested for “incitement.” Reporters face cybercrime charges for publishing leaked documents. Opposition figures are detained indefinitely “for questioning.” Peaceful protesters are branded threats to national stability. Meanwhile, those who steal public resources move freely, protected by sirens, security details, and official silence. This is not governance. It is intimidation masquerading as law.

Such systems thrive where loyalty to party or ethnic bloc outweighs loyalty to principle, and where supporters excuse corruption not because they doubt it exists, but because it benefits “their side.”

The Lie of Stability Without Justice

Citizens are repeatedly offered a false dilemma: accept corruption for the sake of stability, or demand accountability and risk chaos. So people are urged to endure stolen elections, stolen budgets, and stolen futures—all in the name of peace.

History tells a different story. Nations do not collapse because officials are held accountable. They collapse because they are not. It is not dissent that breeds unrest, but inequality, unemployment, and the quiet violence of public wealth siphoned into private hands. When clinics have no drugs and schools have no books, while officials acquire private jets and offshore properties, appeals to patriotism become obscene.

Redefining the Patriot

So who deserves the title “patriot”? Is it the official who steals millions and finances rallies chanting his name? Or the civil servant who refuses to falsify accounts and loses her job? Is it the minister who brands critics as enemies of the state? Or the journalist who publishes the truth knowing prison may follow? If patriotism means shielding thieves from consequences, then Africa has no shortage of patriots. But if patriotism means defending the future of the nation, then it belongs to those who pay the highest price for integrity: the dismissed, the harassed, the prosecuted, the silenced.

History Keeps Score. No country can be built on slogans while its budgets are looted. Flags cannot conceal empty classrooms or unpaid nurses. And patriotism cannot survive when it is weaponized to punish honesty. Africa’s crisis is not a lack of love for country. It is an excess of performative patriotism—loud, selective, and profitable.

The true patriot is not the one closest to power, but the one willing to confront it. Not the one who shouts “unity” while stealing from the public, but the one who insists that unity without justice is a lie. History is unforgiving. It remembers who waved the flag—and who actually defended the nation. Africa does not need louder patriots. It needs braver ones.

M. C. Folo