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"" () is the national anthem of Tanzania. It is a
Swahili language Swahili, also known by its local name , is the native language of the Swahili people, who are found primarily in Tanzania, Kenya and Mozambique (along the East African coast and adjacent litoral islands). It is a Bantu language, though Swahili ...
version of Enoch Sontonga's popular hymn "".


Etymology

The word in Swahili means God and its title therefore translates as "God bless Africa".


History

"Mungu ibariki Afrika" was translated and became the state anthem of
Tanganyika Tanganyika may refer to: Places * Tanganyika Territory (1916–1961), a former British territory which preceded the sovereign state * Tanganyika (1961–1964), a sovereign state, comprising the mainland part of present-day Tanzania * Tanzania Main ...
. It was essentially assigned to Enoch Sontonga, who died in 1905. "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 Samuel Edward Krune Mqhayi (S. E. K. Mqhayi, 1 December 1875 – 29 July 1945) was a Xhosa dramatist, essayist, critic, novelist, historian, biographer, translator and poet whose works are regarded as instrumental in standardising the gramma ...
and Enoch Sontonga who created the early versions used by the African National Congress. Although the tune has been assigned to Sontonga, it is thought by some that the tune was originally written by Welsh composer Joseph Parry.


Swahili translation

It was first performed in Swahili at a ceremony on 8 December 1961 following the independence of Tanganyika from the British Empire. "Mungu ibariki Afrika" was composed to replace the British national anthem, " God Save the Queen", as the national anthem of Tanganyika. This made Tanganyika the first African nation to adopt the tune of "Nkosi Sikelel' iAfrika" as its national anthem. In 1964, Tanganyika formed a union with Zanzibar, which created the United Republic of Tanganyika and Zanzibar (later renamed to Tanzania). The newly united country adopted "Mungu ibariki Afrika" as its national anthem instead of Zanzibar's anthem. Tanzania's use of "Mungu ibariki Afrika" led the way for other African countries such as Zimbabwe;
Ciskei Ciskei (, or ) was a Bantustan for the Xhosa people-located in the southeast of South Africa. It covered an area of , almost entirely surrounded by what was then the Cape Province, and possessed a small coastline along the shore of the Indian O ...
and Transkei adopted "Nkosi Sikelel' Afrika", in parts, as their national anthems. South Africa, where the song comes from, uses only some of the words, Zambia uses only the tune and other countries have now abandoned its use. "Mungu ibariki Afrika" was inspired by the African National Congress's (ANC) use of "Nkosi Sikelel' iAfrika" ("God Bless Africa") as its party song after its use at
Ohlange High School Ohlange High School is a secondary school in Inanda, KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa. It was founded by John Dube and Nokuthela Dube née Mdima.
. The ANC party anthem led to "Mungu ibariki Afrika" being selected as the national anthem of Tanzania. "Mungu ibariki Afrika" is also used as a hymn requesting Tanzania remain united and independent. Tanganyika, and later Tanzania, had concerns about religious unrest between Christians and Muslims after independence. This was because of Christian references in government proceedings and official oaths. The wording of "Mungu ibariki Afrika" was intended to help offset this by being inclusive of the different religious views. "Mungu ibariki Afrika" is sung daily at Tanzanian schools. A circular issued in 1998 by the nation's Commissioner of Education recommended the singing of the national anthem as a way to promote
patriotism Patriotism is the feeling of love, devotion, and sense of attachment to one's country. This attachment can be a combination of many different feelings, language relating to one's own homeland, including ethnic, cultural, political or histor ...
in Tanzania's youth. In 2007, a legal issue arose over the anthem, after students who were members of the
Jehovah's Witnesses Jehovah's Witnesses is a millenarian restorationist Christian denomination with nontrinitarian beliefs distinct from mainstream Christianity. The group reports a worldwide membership of approximately 8.7 million adherents involved in ...
refused to sing the song at their primary and secondary schools in
Mbozi District Mbozi District is a district in Songwe Region, Tanzania. It is bordered to the north by Chunya District, to the east by Mbeya Urban and Ileje Districts, to the south by Zambia and to the west by Rukwa Region. According to the 2002 Tanzania Natio ...
, Mbeya Region. Five students were expelled from school, and 122 others received other forms of discipline for their refusal. They objected to singing the anthem because they believed it suggested obeisance to the flag of Tanzania before God. On 2 December 2010, the
High Court of Tanzania In 1964 Tanganyika and Zanzibar formed the United Republic of Tanzania. After the Treaty of the Union, the two countries continued to remain with their own legal systems including court structures. In the 1977 Constitution of the United Republic ...
ruled that the schools' disciplinary actions were appropriate. The
Court of Appeal of Tanzania The chief justice of Tanzania is the highest post in the judicial system of Tanzania. The chief justice is appointed by the president and presides over the Court of Appeal of Tanzania. History After the First World War, the former German-governed ...
overturned that ruling on 12 July 2013, indicating that the disciplinary action taken by the school was unlawful and stating that there was no obligation to sing the national anthem in Tanzanian law.


Lyrics


Notes


References


External links


Tanzania: "Mungu ibariki Afrika" – Audio of the national anthem of Tanzania, with information and lyricsarchive link



National anthem of Tanzania MIDI
{{DEFAULTSORT:Mungu Ibariki Afrika African anthems National anthem compositions in F major National symbols of Tanzania Swahili-language songs Tanzanian songs