ABSTRACT
This chapter focuses on celebrations of Independence Day in Ghana and Malaysia, two nation-states which gained their independence from Great Britain in 1957, and on the fortieth anniversary of independence celebrated in Papua New Guinea (PNG), which separated from the Australian Commonwealth in 1975. Ghana is legally constituted as a modern nation-state with equal rights for all citizens, regardless of ethnic, religious or regional background. In Malaysia, celebrations marking independence from Britain on 31 August 1957, dubbed Merdeka Day, have been and continue to be regular events in the public calendar. In 2007, Ghana celebrated fifty years of independence from Great Britain in grand style. While on Independence Day the national colours were prominent, in the weeks leading up to the fortieth anniversary the flag sellers' business was dominated by other flags, representing all twenty-two Papua New Guinean provinces, from Bougainville through to West New Britain.
