National anthem of South Africa

South African National Anthem - Nkosi Sikelel' iAfrica - Earth Africa

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The current national anthem of South Africa was adopted in 1997 and is a hybrid song combining new Afrikaans and English lyrics with extracts of the hymn "Nkosi Sikelel' iAfrika" (English: "God Bless Africa") and "Die Stem van Suid-Afrika" (English: "The Call of South Africa").

Video National anthem of South Africa

Structure

The fact that it shifts (modulates) and ends in a different key, a feature it shares with the Italian national anthem, makes it compositionally unusual. The lyrics employ the five of the most widely spoken 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).

Maps National anthem of South Africa

History

"Nkosi Sikelel' iAfrika" was composed by a Methodist school teacher named Enoch Sontonga in 1897. It was first sung as a church hymn but later became an act of political defiance against the apartheid regime. "Die Stem" is a poem written by C. J. Langenhoven in 1918 and was set to music by the Reverend Marthinus Lourens de Villiers in 1921. "Die Stem van Suid-Afrika"/"The Call of South Africa" was the co-national anthem with 'God Save The King'/'God Save The Queen' between 1938 and 1957, when it became the sole national anthem until 1994. "Die Stem van van Suid-Afrika"/"The Call of South Africa" was composed of 8 stanzas (The original 4 in Afrikaans and 4 in English - a translation of the Afrikaans). It was seldom sung in its entirety with the first stanza being the most widely known and sung.

The South African government adopted both songs as national anthems in 1994, when they were performed at Nelson Mandela's inauguration. They were merged in 1997 to form the current anthem. The new English lyrics were adapted from the last four lines of the first stanza of 'Die Stem van Suid-Afrika'/The Call of South Africa, with the changes made to reflect hope in post-apartheid South African society.

For the 1995 Rugby World Cup, Morné du Plessis suggested that the Springboks learn all the words of "Nkosi Sikelel' iAfrika", and "they did so with great feeling", according to their instructor Anne Munnik.