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" Nkosi Sikelel' iAfrika" (Xhosa pronunciation: [ŋkʼɔsi sikʼɛlɛl‿iafrikʼa], lit. ' Lord Bless Africa ' ) is a Christian hymn composed in 1897 by Enoch Sontonga , a Xhosa clergyman at a Methodist mission school near Johannesburg .
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. The South African government adopted both songs as dual national anthems in 1994, when they were performed at Nelson Mandela's ...
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In 1973, having used "Nkosi Sikeleli Africa" for over 9 years, it was decided that new lyrics set to the tune of "Nkosi Sikelel' iAfrika" would be needed for Zambia's national anthem. A national competition was held for the new words. However, none of the entries were deemed good enough to be used in full for the anthem.
Today, "Nkosi Sikelel' iAfrika" is part of the national anthem of South Africa. The formerly illegal lyrics—"Nkosi sikelela, thina lusapho lwayo"—are now often sung when "Weeping" is recorded or performed. In 1999, "Weeping" was voted "All-time favorite South African Song" by the readers of the South African Rock Encyclopedia. [4]
Enoch Mankayi Sontonga (c. 1873 – 18 April 1905) was a South African composer, who is best known for writing the Xhosa hymn "Nkosi Sikelel' iAfrika" (English: "God Bless Africa"), which, in abbreviated version, has been sung as the first half of the national anthem of South Africa since 1994.
It is a translation of 19th-century South African schoolteacher Enoch Sontonga's popular African hymn "Nkosi Sikelel' iAfrika" into Zimbabwe's native Shona and Ndebele languages. [2] [3] The song was first translated into Shona in the early 20th century and was initially popular with all sections of society in Southern Rhodesia.
Download QR code; Print/export ... Pages in category "South African songs" ... Nkosi Sikelel' iAfrika; P. Paradise Road (song) Push 2 Start; S.