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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.
" 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 .
"Mungu ibariki Afrika" used the tune to "Nkosi Sikelel' iAfrika" with a Swahili translation of the words. It is not known who composed the lyrics, but it is known that it was Samuel Mqhayi and Enoch Sontonga who created the early versions used by the African National Congress .
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 .
The lyrics employ the five most widely spoken of South Africa's twelve official languages – Xhosa (first stanza, first two lines), Zulu (first stanza, last two lines), Sesotho (second stanza), Afrikaans (third stanza), and English (final stanza). The lyrics are sung in these languages regardless of the native language of the singer.
The anthem was written as a poem titled "Proud to be African" by Ethiopian poet Tsegaye Gabre-Medhin.Kenyan choral composer Arthur Mudogo Kemoli composed the anthem's music in Dakar, Senegal in 1986 [1] and it was selected as the anthem of the AU's predecessor, the Organisation of African Unity (OAU), as part of a contest.
A shout (or praise break) is a kind of fast-paced Black gospel music accompanied by ecstatic dancing (and sometimes actual shouting). It is sometimes associated with "getting happy" . It is a form of worship/praise most often seen in the Black Church and in Pentecostal churches of any ethnic makeup, and can be celebratory, supplicatory ...