National anthem of South Africa

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Since 1997, The South African national anthem has been a hybrid song combining new words in English with extracts of the hymns "Nkosi Sikelel' iAfrika" and "Die Stem van Suid-Afrika/The Call of South Africa". It is in this way the only neo-modal national anthem in the world, by virtue of being the only one that starts in one key and finishes in another. The lyrics employ the five most populous of South Africa's eleven official languages - Xhosa (first stanza, first two lines), Zulu (first stanza, last two lines), Sesotho (second stanza), Afrikaans (third stanza) and English (final stanza).

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/The Call of South Africa was written by C.J. Langenhoven in 1918. "Die Stem" was the co-national anthem with God Save the King/Queen from 1936 to 1957, when it became the sole national anthem through 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.

1 Lyrics
2 English translation of Xhosa and Zulu stanza
3 English translation of Sesotho stanza
4 English translation of Afrikaans stanza
5 External links

[edit] Lyrics

from "Nkosi Sikelel' iAfrika"

Nkosi sikelel' iAfrika Maluphakanyisw' uphondo lwayo, Yizwa imithandazo yethu, Nkosi sikelela, thina lusapho lwayo.	(Xhosa and Zulu)
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)