Nkosi Sikelel' iAfrika

Nkosi Sikelel' iAfrika is a famous Christian hymn with deep political meaning. It was composed in 1897 by Enoch Sontonga. Sontonga was a Xhosa clergyman. He worked at a Methodist mission school near Johannesburg. Originally, the hymn consisted of only one stanza in the Xhosa language. It was intended to be sung as a religious prayer. Today, the song is often called the unofficial national anthem of Africa. It represents the struggle for African unity and liberation.

The musical structure of the hymn is quite unique. It was written in the key of B-flat major. The song uses a four-part harmony to support its melody. This melody is repetitive in nature. It combines elements of Western hymn composition with indigenous South African melodies. In 1899, the hymn was first sung in public. This occurred during the ordination of John Hlengani Mboweni as a pastor. In that same year, Rev. Mboweni created the first translation into Xitsonga. Later, in 1927, the poet Samuel Mqhayi added seven more stanzas in Xhosa.

As time passed, the song moved from churches to political organizations. The hymn was adopted by the choir of Ohlange High School. This school was co-founded by a man who became the first president of the South African Native National Congress. In 1912, the song was sung to close a Congress meeting. By 1925, it became the official closing anthem for that organization. That group is now known as the African National Congress, or ANC. During the apartheid era, the hymn became a symbol for the anti-apartheid movement. Because of this political connection, the regime banned the song. It represented the suffering of oppressed people.

Many different African nations have used this melody for their national anthems. Zambia used the melody for its anthem from 1964 until 1973. They later replaced the lyrics with "Stand and Sing of Zambia, Proud and Free." Tanzania uses a Swahili translation called "Mungu ibariki Afrika." This was the first national anthem to use the tune. It was performed on December 8, 1961, to celebrate Tanganyika's independence. During that celebration, 75,000 people gathered in a stadium in Dar es Salaam.

Zimbabwe and Namibia also used the melody for their anthems. Zimbabwe used a version called "Ishe Komborera Africa" in Shona and Ndebele. Namibia used the tune when it gained independence in March 1990. In 1994, South African President Nelson Mandela made a major change. He decreed that "Nkosi Sikelel' iAfrika" should be embraced as a joint national anthem. He wanted to combine it with "Die Stem van Suid-Afrika." "Die Stem" was the anthem from the previous apartheid government. This decision aimed to respect all races and cultures in a new era.

The current South African national anthem is a complex, combined version. It was adopted in 1997 under the South African constitution. This version uses several official languages to include many people. The first two lines of the first stanza are in Xhosa. The last two lines of that stanza are in Zulu. The second stanza is sung in Sesotho. The third stanza is a verbatim section of "Die Stem" in Afrikaans. The fourth and final stanza is in English. It is a modified version of the closing lines of "Die Stem."

Musicologists note that the song has a special social function. Performing the hymn requires communal participation and interaction. Every singer must listen to everyone else to move forward together. The block-like harmonic construction creates a sense of stability. It also creates a sense of mutual dependence among the singers. No single vocal part predominates over the others. This makes the song an inclusive piece of expressive culture. It helps build the identity of a community through the act of singing.