Nkosi Sikelel' iAfrika

"Nkosi Sikelel' iAfrika" (Xhosa

pronunciation:  [ŋkʼɔsi Nkosi Sikelel' iAfrika
sikʼɛlɛl‿iafrikʼa], lit. 'Lord Bless English: Lord Bless Africa
Africa') is a Christian hymn
originally composed in 1897 by
Enoch Sontonga, a Xhosa
clergyman at a Methodist mission
school near Johannesburg. The
song became a pan-African
liberation song and versions of it
were later adopted as the national
anthems of five countries in Africa
including Zambia, Tanzania,
Namibia and Zimbabwe after
independence. Zimbabwe and
Namibia have since adopted new
compositions for their national Former co-national anthem of  South Africa
anthems. The song's melody is
currently used as the national Former national anthem of  Namibia &  Zambia
anthem of Tanzania and the
national anthem of Zambia. In Lyrics Enoch Sontonga, 1897
1994,[1] Nelson Mandela decreed Music Enoch Sontonga, 1897
that the verse be embraced as a
Adopted 10 May 1994 (by South Africa)

joint national anthem of South

Africa, with a revised version 21 March 1990 (by Namibia)

including elements of "Die Stem" 24 October 1964 (by Zambia)

(the then co-state anthem inherited Relinquished 10 October 1997 (by South Africa)

from the previous apartheid 17 December 1991 (by Namibia)

government) adopted in 1997. 14 September 1973 (by Zambia)

The hymn has often been Preceded by "Die Stem van Suid-Afrika" (South Africa & Namibia)

considered the "African national "God Save the Queen" (Zambia)

anthem" due to its reverence of the Succeeded "National anthem of South Africa" (South Africa)

African continent and the hymns by "Namibia, Land of the Brave" (Namibia)

use as liberation music. According

"Stand and Sing of Zambia, Proud and Free" (Zambia)
to anthropologist David Coplan:
" 'Nkosi Sikelel' iAfrika' has come to Audio sample
symbolize more than any other
piece of expressive culture the 0:00 MENU
struggle for African unity and "Nkosi Sikelel' iAfrika" (instrumental)
liberation in South Africa."[2] file · help

Contents
History
Use today
South Africa
 Tanzania
Former national anthem
Zambia
Zimbabwe
Namibia
Other countries and
organisations
Lyrics
Historic lyrics
Contemporary
Meaning and symbolism
Recordings
See also
References
External links

History
"Nkosi Sikelel' iAfrika" was originally composed as a hymn in 0:00 MENU
1897 by Enoch Sontonga, a teacher at a Methodist mission school Hummed rendition of "Nkosi Sikelel'
near Johannesburg. Some claim the melody is based on the hymn iAfrika"
"Aberystwyth" by Joseph Parry,[3]
though others have called the
connection far fetched.[4] The words of the first stanza and
chorus were originally written in Xhosa as a hymn. In 1927 seven
additional Xhosa stanzas[5] were added by the poet Samuel
Mqhayi. Sontonga originally composed the hymn in B-flat major
with a four-part harmony supporting a repetitive melody
characteristic of "both Western hymn composition and
indigenous South African melodies."[6] The hymn was taken up
by the choir of Ohlange High School, whose co-founder served as
the first president of the South African Native National Congress.
It was sung to close the Congress meeting in 1912, and by 1925 it
had become the official closing anthem of the organisation, now "Nkosi Sikelel' iAfrika", then the
known as the African National Congress. [7] "Nkosi Sikelel' national anthem of South Africa,
played by a US military band in
iAfrika" was first published in 1927.[7] The song was the official
1994 as part of an official state visit
anthem for the African National Congress during the apartheid
by South African president Nelson
era and was a symbol of the anti-apartheid movement.[8] For Mandela to Washington, DC.
decades during the apartheid regime it was considered by many
to be the unofficial national anthem of South Africa, representing
the suffering of the oppressed masses. Because of its connection to the ANC, the song was banned by
the regime during the apartheid era.[9]

Use today

South Africa
In 1994, after the end of apartheid, the new President of South Africa Nelson Mandela declared that
both "Nkosi Sikelel' iAfrika" and the previous national anthem, "Die Stem van Suid-Afrika" (English:
"The Call of South Africa") would be national anthems. While the inclusion of "Nkosi Sikelel' iAfrika"
celebrated the newfound freedom of most South Africans, the fact that "Die Stem" was also retained
even after the fall of apartheid, represented the desire of the new government led by Mandela to
respect all races and cultures in an all-inclusive new era dawning upon South Africa. During this
period, the custom was to play "Die Stem" together with "Nkosi Sikelel' iAfrika" during occasions that
required the playing of a national anthem.[10][11][12]

In 1996, a shortened, combined version of the two compositions was released as the new national
anthem of South Africa under the constitution of South Africa and was adopted the following year.
This version uses several of the official languages of South Africa. The first two lines of the first stanza
are sung in Xhosa and the last two in Zulu. The second stanza is sung in Sesotho. The third stanza
consists of a verbatim section of the former South African national anthem, "Die Stem van Suid-
Afrika", and is sung in Afrikaans. The fourth and final stanza, sung in English, is a modified version of
the closing lines of "Die Stem van Suid-Afrika".

Tanzania

A Swahili version of the hymn with modified lyrics is used as the national anthem of Tanzania under
the name of "Mungu ibariki Afrika".

Former national anthem

Zambia

The hymn was the national anthem of Zambia from independence in 1964 until 1973 when the lyrics
were replaced by "Stand and Sing of Zambia, Proud and Free".[13]

Zimbabwe

"Ishe Komborera Africa" was the Zimbabwean version of "God Bless Africa" sung in the Shona and
Ndebele languages and was its first national anthem, adopted upon independence in 1980.

It was replaced in 1994 by "Ngaikomborerwe Nyika yeZimbabwe/Kalibusiswe Ilizwe LeZimbabwe"

(English: "Blessed be the land of Zimbabwe"), but still remains very popular in the country.

Namibia

"Nkosi Sikelel' iAfrika" was used provisionally as the national anthem of Namibia at time of the
country's independence in March 1990. But soon after, an official contest was organised for a new
national anthem. It was won by Axali Doeseb, who wrote "Namibia, Land of the Brave" which was
officially adopted on the first anniversary of the country's independence, in 1991.

Other countries and organisations

In other African countries throughout southern Africa, the song was sung as part of the anti-colonial
movements. It includes versions in Chichewa (Malawi and Zambia). Outside of Africa, the hymn is
perhaps best known as the long-time (since 1925) anthem of the African National Congress (ANC), as
a result of the global anti-Apartheid Movement of the 1970s and 1980s, when it was regularly sung at
meetings and other events.

In Finland the same melody is used as the children's psalm "Kuule, Isä taivaan, pyyntö tää" ("Hear,
Heavenly Father"). The hymn has appeared in Virsikirja, the hymnbook of the Evangelical Lutheran
Church of Finland, with lyrics by Jaakko Löytty.[14]

Lyrics

Historic lyrics

The words of the first stanza and chorus were originally written in Xhosa as a hymn. In 1927 seven
additional Xhosa stanzas were added by the poet Samuel Mqhayi.
 Xhosa English translation

Nkosi, sikelel' iAfrika

Lord, bless Africa

Malupakam' upondo lwayo;

May her horn rise high up;

Yiva imitandazo yetu

Hear Thou our prayers and bless us.

Chorus
Chorus

Yihla Moya, yihla Moya

Descend O Spirit

Yihla Moya Oyingcwele

Descend, O Holy Spirit

Sikelela iNkosi zetu;

Bless our chiefs;

Zimkumbule umDali wazo;

May they remember their Creator;

Zimoyike zezimhlouele,
Fear Him and revere Him,

Azisikelele.
That He may bless them.

Sikelel' amadol' esizwe,

Bless the public men,

Sikelela kwa nomlisela

Bless also the youth

Ulitwal' ilizwe ngomonde,

That they may carry the land with patience,

Uwusikilele.
and that Thou mayst bless them.

Sikelel' amakosikazi;
Bless the wives;

Nawo onk'amanenekazi;
And also all young women;

Pakamisa wonk'umtinjana
Lift up all the young girls

Uwusikilele.
And bless them.

Sikelela abafundisi
Bless the ministers

Bemvaba zonke zelilizwe;

of all the churches of this land;

Ubatwese ngoMoya Wako

Endue them with Thy Spirit

Ubasikelele.
And bless them.

Sikelel' ulimo nemfuyo;

Bless agriculture and stock raising;

Gzota zonk'indlala nezifo;

Banish all famine and diseases;

Zalisa ilizwe nempilo

Fill the land with good health

Ulisikelele.
and bless it.

Sikelel' amalinga etu

Bless our efforts of union and self-uplift,

Awomanyana nokuzaka,
Of education and mutual

Awemfundo nemvisiswano
understanding

Uwasikele
And bless them.

Nkosi Sikelel, Afrika;

Lord, bless Africa

Cima bonk' ubugwenza bayo

Blot out all its wickedness

Neziggito, Nezono zayo

And its transgressions and sins,

Uwazikelele. And bless us.

Contemporary
 Afrikaans (as per Elvis
Xhosa Zulu English
Blue's version)[15]

Nkosi sikelel' iAfrika

Nkosi, sikelel' iAfrika,
Lord, bless Africa
Seën ons Here God,
Maluphakanyisw' Malupnakanyisw' May her spirit rise seën Afrika

uphondo lwayo
udumo lwayo;
high up
Laat haar mag tot in
Yiva imithandazo Yizwa imithandazo Hear thou our prayers
die hemel reik

yethu
yethu
Lord bless us, Lord Hoor ons as ons in
Nkosi Sikelela Nkosi Nkosi sikelela, Nkosi bless us.
gebede vra

Sikelela
sikelela,
Seën ons, in Afrika

Lord, bless Africa

Kinders van Afrika

Nkosi sikelel' iAfrika

Nkosi, sikelel' iAfrika,
May her spirit rise Hou u hand, o Heer,
Maluphakanyisw' Malupnakanyisw' high up
oor Afrika

uphondo lwayo
udumo lwayo;
Hear thou our prayers
Lei ons tot by eenheid
Yizwa imithandazo Yizwa imithandazo Lord bless us
en begrip

yethu
yethu
Your family.
Hoor ons as ons U om
Nkosi Sikelela
Nkosi sikelela,
vrede vra

Thina lusapho lwayo.

Nkosi sikelela,
Chorus
Seën ons, in Afrika

Kinders van Afrika

Chorus
Chorus
Descend, O Spirit

Descend, O Holy Chorus

Yihla moya, yihla Woza Moya (woza, Spirit

moya
woza),
Lord bless us
Daal neer, o Gees,
Yihla moya Woza Moya (woza, Your family.
Heilige Gees

oyingcwele
woza),
Daal neer, o Gees,
Nkosi Sikelela
Woza Moya, (Repeat) Heilige Gees

Thina lusapho lwayo.

Oyingcwele.
Kom woon in ons,

Usisikelele, Thina lei ons, o Heilige Gees

(Repeat) lusapho lwayo.

Seën ons Here God,
seën Afrika

(Repeat) Neem dan nou die

boosheid van ons weg

Maak ons van ons

sonde ewig vry

Seën ons, in Afrika

Kinders van Afrika

(Repeat)

Meaning and symbolism

British musicologist Nicholas Cook states:

"Nkosi Sikelel' iAfrika" has a meaning that emerges from the act of performing it. Like all
choral performance, from singing a hymn to chanting at a football match, it involves
communal participation and interaction. Everybody has to listen to everyone else and
move forward together. It doesn't just symbolize unity, it enacts it ... Through its block-
like harmonic construction and regular phrasing, "Nkosi Sikelel' iAfrika" creates a sense of
stability and mutual dependence, with no one vocal part predominating over the others ...
It lies audibly at the interface between European traditions of 'common-practice' harmony
and African traditions of communal singing, which gives it an inclusive quality entirely
 appropriate to the aspirations of the new South Africa ... Enlisting music's ability to shape
personal identity, "Nkosi Sikelel' iAfrika" actively contributes to the construction of the
community that is the new South Africa. In this sense, singing it is a political act.[16]

Recordings
Solomon Plaatje, author and founding member of the ANC, was the first to have the song recorded in
London, 1923. A Sotho version was published in 1942 by Moses Mphahlele. Rev. John Langalibalele
Dube's Ohlange Zulu Choir popularised the hymn at concerts in Johannesburg, and it became a
popular church hymn that was also adopted as the anthem at political meetings.

A version by the London Symphony Orchestra under André Previn was featured in the film Cry
Freedom (1987).[17]

In Kenya, Mang'u High School uses a translation, Mungu Ibariki Mang'u High, as its school anthem.

It has also been recorded by Paul Simon and Miriam Makeba, Ladysmith Black Mambazo, Boom
Shaka, Osibisa, Oliver Mtukudzi (the Shona version that was once the anthem of Zimbabwe) and the
Mahotella Queens. Boom Shaka, a prominent South African kwaito group, formed the anthem in
kwaito style, a popular South African genre influenced by house music. The interpretation was
controversial, and it was viewed by some as a commercial subversion of the anthem; Boom Shaka
countered by stating that their version represents liberation and introduces the song to younger
listeners.

South African Idols-winner Elvis Blue recorded an Afrikaans translation of the song with Afrikaans
singer Coenie de Villiers entitled "Seëngebed" ("Lord's Blessing") on his third studio album
Afrikaans.

British a cappella vocal ensemble The King's Singers released a recording of the song, arranged by
Neo Muyanga, on their album Finding Harmony.

See also
"Die Stem van Suid-Afrika", former national anthem of South Africa, used during the Apartheid
era
"Ishe Komborera Africa", former national anthem of Zimbabwe, used during the early 1980s
"Shosholoza", Southern African folk song, often referred to as an unofficial national anthem of
South Africa

References
1. https://web.archive.org/web/20180601205935/http://www.nationalanthems.info/za-97b.htm
2. Coplan, David B.; Jules-Rosette, Bennetta (2004). " 'Nkosi Sikelel' iAfrika': From Independent
Spirit to Political Mobilization" (https://doi.org/10.4000%2Fetudesafricaines.4631). Cahiers
d'Études Africaines. 44 (173/174): 343–367. doi:10.4000/etudesafricaines.4631 (https://doi.org/1
0.4000%2Fetudesafricaines.4631).
3. "An Anthem To Ignorance – The Case of 'Nkosi Sikelel' iAfrika' " (https://web.archive.org/web/201
60304042738/https://blogs.sun.ac.za/iplaw/2012/06/18/an-anthem-to-ignorance-the-case-of-nkosi
-sikelel-iafrika/). The Anton Mostert Chair of Intellectual Property [Stellenbosch University]. 18
June 2012. Archived from the original on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 4 March 2016.
4. "How many national athems are plagiarised?" (https://www.bbc.com/news/magazine-34052000).
BBC News. 25 August 2015. Retrieved 3 December 2020.
 5. Bennetta Jules-Rosette (2004). "Nkosi Sikelel' iAfrika" (http://etudesafricaines.revues.org/4631?la
ng=en). Cahiers d'Études Africaines. Etudesafricaines.revues.org. 44 (173–174): 343–367.
doi:10.4000/etudesafricaines.4631 (https://doi.org/10.4000%2Fetudesafricaines.4631). Retrieved
27 May 2013.
6. Redmond, Shana L. (2014). Anthem: Social Movements and the Sound of Solidarity in the African
Diaspora. New York: New York University Press. p. 225. ISBN 978-1-243-64654-5.
7. "Enoch Mankayi Sontonga" (http://www.sahistory.org.za/people/enoch-mankayi-sontonga). South
African History Online. Retrieved 7 May 2014.
8. "Encyclopedia of African History and Culture. Volume IV – The Colonial Era (1850 TO 1960)" (htt
ps://www.scribd.com/doc/33888026/ENCYCLOPEDIA-OF-AFRICAN-HISTORY-AND-CULTURE-
VOLUME-IV-THE-COLONIAL-ERA-1850-TO-1960). Scribd.com. Retrieved 15 February 2011.
9. Lynskey, Dorian (6 December 2013). "Nelson Mandela: the triumph of the protest song" (https://w
ww.theguardian.com/music/2013/dec/06/nelson-mandela-protest-song-special-aka). The
Guardian.
10. SABC Digital News (8 May 2015). "Full Nelson Mandela Inauguration on 10th of May 1994" (http
s://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t3OrcQ18JtY&t=385) – via YouTube.
11. Anthem Base (26 February 2016). "Die Stem, 'Nkosi Sikelel' iAfrika' and 'Star Spangled Banner' –
Mandela State Visit (1994)" (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ocAjBkXRIFM) – via YouTube.
12. "New South African Flag Raising Ceremony | C-SPAN.org" (https://www.c-span.org/video/?56689
-1/south-african-flag-raising-ceremony). www.c-span.org. Retrieved 21 June 2021.
13. "National Anthem Act, Cap 7" (https://web.archive.org/web/20140502033018/http://www.zamlii.or
g/zm/legislation/consolidated-act/7). Zambia Legal Information Institute. 14 September 1973.
Archived from the original (http://www.zamlii.org/zm/legislation/consolidated-act/7) on 2 May
2014. Retrieved 30 April 2014.
14. "Taustakuvaus virrestä 501" (http://evl.fi/Virsikirja.nsf/63fe9e50813fe1d6c2256e570039fa80/5e2c
810549d1e86ac225700d004a391b?OpenDocument). evl.fi (in Finnish). Retrieved 20 August
2016.
15. "F092-Seën ons Here God, Seën Afrika (Seëngebed)" (http://flam.kerkmusiek.co.za/product/f09
2/). Flam. Retrieved 13 June 2021.
16. Nicholas Cook (24 February 2000). Music: A Very Short Introduction (https://books.google.com/b
ooks?id=hOw7HIZG_0wC&pg=PT14). Oxford: Oxford University Press. ISBN 978-0-19-160641-
0.)
17. Coplan, David B.; Jules-Rosette, Bennetta (1 December 2005). " 'Nkosi Sikelel' iAfrika' and the
Liberation of the Spirit of South Africa". African Studies. 64 (2): 285–308.
doi:10.1080/00020180500355876 (https://doi.org/10.1080%2F00020180500355876). ISSN 0002-
0184 (https://www.worldcat.org/issn/0002-0184). S2CID 53402733 (https://api.semanticscholar.or
g/CorpusID:53402733).

External links
Media related to Nkosi Sikelel' iAfrika at Wikimedia Commons
"Nkosi Sikelel' iAfrika" lyrics (https://web.archive.org/web/20071015015347/http://www.anc.org.za/
misc/nkosi.html) at the African National Congress (ANC)
Thomasmesse Iserlohn (https://web.archive.org/web/20040719065136/http://www.thomasmesse-i
serlohn.de/chor-download-2.htm) (#18: "Nkosi sikelel' i Afrika", mp3 sung by a German church
choir)
History of "Nkosi Sikelel' iAfrika" (http://www.flatinternational.org/template_volume.php?volume_id
=277)
BBC Rhythms of the Continent (http://www.bbc.co.uk/worldservice/africa/features/rhythms/southa
frica.shtml): "Nkosi Sikelel' iAfrika" in kwaito style

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