"" () is the
national anthem
A national anthem is a patriotic musical composition symbolizing and evoking eulogies of the history and traditions of a country or nation. The majority of national anthems are marches or hymns in style. American, Central Asian, and Europea ...
of
Mali
Mali (; ), officially the Republic of Mali,, , ff, 𞤈𞤫𞤲𞥆𞤣𞤢𞥄𞤲𞤣𞤭 𞤃𞤢𞥄𞤤𞤭, Renndaandi Maali, italics=no, ar, جمهورية مالي, Jumhūriyyāt Mālī is a landlocked country in West Africa. Mal ...
. Adopted in 1962, it was written by
Seydou Badian Kouyaté
Seydou Badian Kouyaté (April 10, 1928 – December 28, 2018) was a Malian writer and politician. He wrote the lyrics to the Malian national anthem, "Le Mali".
Early life and education
Born in Bamako, Kouyaté studied medicine at the University ...
, while the music is attributed to
Banzumana Sissoko. It is popularly known as "" () or "" ().
History
The anthem was written by
Seydou Badian Kouyaté
Seydou Badian Kouyaté (April 10, 1928 – December 28, 2018) was a Malian writer and politician. He wrote the lyrics to the Malian national anthem, "Le Mali".
Early life and education
Born in Bamako, Kouyaté studied medicine at the University ...
around the time of the dissolution of the
Mali Federation
The Mali Federation ( ar, اتحاد مالي) was a federation in West Africa linking the French colonies of Senegal and the Sudanese Republic (or French Sudan) for two months in 1960. It was founded on 4 April 1959 as a territory with self-ru ...
with
Senegal
Senegal,; Wolof: ''Senegaal''; Pulaar: 𞤅𞤫𞤲𞤫𞤺𞤢𞥄𞤤𞤭 (Senegaali); Arabic: السنغال ''As-Sinighal'') officially the Republic of Senegal,; Wolof: ''Réewum Senegaal''; Pulaar : 𞤈𞤫𞤲𞤣𞤢𞥄𞤲𞤣𞤭 ...
in 1960, which left Mali without a flag or anthem. In a 2010 interview, Kouyaté stated that
President
President most commonly refers to:
*President (corporate title)
* President (education), a leader of a college or university
* President (government title)
President may also refer to:
Automobiles
* Nissan President, a 1966–2010 Japanese ...
Modibo Keïta
Modibo Keïta (4 June 1915 – 16 May 1977) was the first President of Mali (1960–1968) and the Prime Minister of the Mali Federation. He espoused a form of African socialism.
Youth
Keïta was born in Bamako-Coura, a neighborhood of Ba ...
had been passing through his locality when he approached Kouyaté and asked him to create a song to help the youth remember Malian pre-independence politician
Mamadou Konaté
Mamadou Konate (1897 in Kati, Mali - May 11, 1956 in Bamako) was a politician from Mali who served in the French National Assembly from 1946-1956.Jean Clauzel La France d'outre-mer ( 1930 - 1960 ): Témoignages - 2003 Page 318 "Mamadou Konaté m ...
. Kouyaté created a song called "". Keïta then called Kouyaté and told him to try creating something for the national anthem. Kouyaté made a draft for a national anthem and sang it with Keïta, who was pleased with it. Kouyaté stated that Keïta had previously received a proposal for a national anthem by a European pianist residing in the Malian capital,
Bamako
Bamako ( bm, ߓߡߊ߬ߞߐ߬ ''Bàmakɔ̌'', ff, 𞤄𞤢𞤥𞤢𞤳𞤮 ''Bamako'') is the capital and largest city of Mali, with a 2009 population of 1,810,366 and an estimated 2022 population of 2.81 million. It is located on the Niger Rive ...
, but he rejected it, because he wanted something that had an aura of Africa and Mali. Kouyaté reworked an
air
The atmosphere of Earth is the layer of gases, known collectively as air, retained by Earth's gravity that surrounds the planet and forms its planetary atmosphere. The atmosphere of Earth protects life on Earth by creating pressure allowing f ...
dating back to the 13th century and the
Mali Empire.
The musical arrangement is credited to
jeli
The Jeli District (Jawi: جلي) is a district and a parliamentary constituency in western Kelantan, Malaysia. As of 2010, the district's population is estimated to be 42,150. Jeli is administered by the Jeli District Council. Jeli is bordered b ...
Banzumana Sissoko.
The anthem was officially adopted just under a year after independence, by law n° 62-72 of 9 August 1962. The
Malian Young Pioneer movement of the 1960s translated it into
Bambara for its rallies as "".
The translation is credited to Abdulay Bari.
It is traditionally played at state ceremonies by the band of the of the
Armed Forces of Mali.
Lyrics
References
External links
Mali: ''Le Mali'' - Audio of the national anthem of Mali, with information and lyricsarchive link
Presidency of Mali: Symboles de la République, L'Hymne National du Mali
history and lyrics, updated 13 June 2003.
{{DEFAULTSORT:Mali, Le
African anthems
National symbols of Mali
Malian music
1962 songs
National anthem compositions in G major