National anthem of South Africa

Categories: National anthems | South African culture

Since 1997, The South African national anthem has been a hybrid song combining verses from the national anthem under the apartheid government "Die Stem van Suid-Afrika" and the popular hymn of the African National Congress and other black organisations "Nkosi Sikelel' iAfrika". This makes it perhaps the only national anthem in which the two halves are sung in completely different keys. It contains words from four of the eleven official languages of South Africa.

Nkosi Sekelel' iAfrika was composed in 1897 by Enoch Sontonga, a Methodist school teacher. It was originally sung as a church hymn but later became an act of political defiance against the apartheid Government. Die Stem van Suid-Afrika was written by C.J. Langenhoven in 1918. "Die Stem" was the national anthem of South Africa between 1936 and 1995. The South African Government under Nelson Mandela adopted both songs as national anthems from 1995 until they were merged in 1997 to form the current anthem.

Lyrics

from "Nkosi Sikelel' iAfrika"

Nkosi sikelel' iAfrika Maluphakanyisw' uphondo lwayo, Yizwa imithandazo yethu, Nkosi sikelela, thina lusapho lwayo.	(Xhosa)
Morena boloka setjhaba sa heso, O fedise dintwa le matshwenyeho, O se boloke, O se boloke setjhaba sa heso, Setjhaba sa South Afrika - South Afrika.	(Sesotho)
from "Die Stem" Uit die blou van onse hemel, Uit die diepte van ons see, Oor ons ewige gebergtes, Waar die kranse antwoord gee,	(Afrikaans)
Sounds the call to come together, And united we shall stand, Let us live and strive for freedom, In South Africa our land.	(English)

Complete lyrics in English

Lord bless Africa
May her glory be lifted high
Hear our petitions
Lord bless us
Us your children
Lord we ask You to protect our nation
Intervene and end all conflicts
Protect us, protect our nation
Protect South Africa
From the blue of our skies
From the depths of our seas
Over our everlasting mountains
Where the echoing crags resound
Sounds the call to come together,
And united we shall stand,
Let us live and strive for freedom,
In South Africa our land.

External link

• The National Anthem, from info.gov.za
• Brief history of the anthem
• ANC speech commemorating Enoch Sontonga
• listen to The National Anthemaf:Volkslied van Suid-Afrika

de:Nationalhymne Südafrikas es:Nkosi Sikelel' iAfrika fr:Hymne national sud-africain nl:Volkslied van Zuid-Afrika pt:Hino nacional da África do Sul sk:Nkosi sikele li'Africa/Die Stem van Suid-Afrika fi:Etelä-Afrikan kansallislaulu sv:Sydafrikas nationalsång