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Our National Anthem
Nkosi sikelel' iAfrika
Maluphakanyisw' uphondo
lwayo,
Yizwa imithandazo yethu,
Nkosi sikelela, thina lusapho
lwayo.
Morena boloka setjhaba sa heso,
O fedise dintwa la
matshwenyeho,
O se boloke, O se boloke setjhaba sa
heso,
Setjhaba sa South Afrika - South Afrika.
Uit die blou van onse hemel,
Uit die diepte van ons
see,
Oor ons ewige gebergtes,
Waar die kranse antwoord gee,
Sounds the call to come together,
And united we shall
stand,
Let us live and strive for freedom,
In South Africa our
land.
Translation
The isiXhosa and
isiZulu of the first stanza, the Sesotho of the second stanza and
the Afrikaans of the third stanza translate into English as follows:
Lord, bless Africa
May her spirit rise high up
Hear thou
our prayers
Lord bless us.
Lord, bless Africa
Banish wars and strife
Lord, bless our
nation
Of South Africa.
Ringing out from our blue heavens
From our deep seas
breaking round
Over everlasting mountains
Where the echoing
crags resound ...
History: two
anthems into one
Before South Africa's first
democratic elections in 1994, the country had two anthems - an
official and an unofficial one. The official anthem was Die
Stem, in English The Call of South Africa. The unofficial
anthem, Nkosi Sikelel' iAfrika, was a symbol of independence
and resistance to apartheid, sung by the majority of the population
and at all anti-apartheid rallies and gatherings.
In the official anthem of the new South Africa, the two anthems
merge into one.
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