The experience in politics makes sense with your posts now as you twist and deflect any of the hard questions away from you.
You still haven't answered the question as to what you would do, given the situation you are faced. Your passports are taken, and you have a plane load of pax sitting on the tarmac with your boss breathing down your neck.
Its not just in Africa where you find yourself in these situations. It is in all the poor middle eastern to old eastern block european countries.
The main word there is being poor.
These people get into positions of power and abuse it. Your reference before to your kid and a bully. It's not just any bully. Its the principal thats asking you for your money.
Who do you go to then?
The state controlled press? Key word, state controlled.
The police? They will want a bribe before they do anything? If you don't bribe them, the people in question will bribe them for this to go away.
The office of the president? He's bribed his way to the top anyway. You are trying to put away people who got him to where he was anyway. You are an white expat in the country, these are his countrymen. What do you think will happen?
Interpol? Ok... sure. Lets see how far that will get you. Go and talk to uncle Bob and see what response you get from him when a foriegn country tries to exert any influence on them.
What can WE do about it as pilots? Basically the simple answer is to not come here at all.
What can WE do to stay safe? That comes down to you as a pilot in command. You make it as safe as you want it to be.
The bribes will only get you airborne, therefore not the dangerous part. How you remain in the air is up to you.
Stupidly overloaded? Say No until within limits.
Thunderstorm over the field? Hold or Divert.
Not rated on the aircraft? Don't fly it.
Navaids not working in IMC? Divert.
It might work out 99 times out of 100 when you push the limits. It only takes that 1 time to catch you out and you pay the ultimate price.
As for the bribery... the only way you can fix that will be to raise every person in that country out of the need to do it to survive. I wish you well on that endevour.