"High We Exalt Thee, Realm of the Free" 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 ...

Sierra Leone Sierra Leone,)]. officially the Republic of Sierra Leone, is a country on the southwest coast of West Africa. It is bordered by Liberia to the southeast and Guinea surrounds the northern half of the nation. Covering a total area of , Sierr ...

. Written by

Clifford Nelson Fyle Clifford Nelson Fyle (March 29, 1933 – January 18, 2006) was a Sierra Leonean academic and author, known for writing the lyrics to the Sierra Leone National Anthem. Early life Clifford Nelson Fyle was born and raised in Freetown, British Sier ...

and composed by

John Akar John Joseph Akar (1927–1975) was a Sierra Leonean entertainer, writer, and diplomat. He served as Sierra Leonean ambassador to the United States. Today, he is probably best known for composing the music of Sierra Leone's National Anthem. Ear ...

in a nationwide competition, it was adopted in 1961 when the country became independent from the United Kingdom, replacing "

God Save The Queen "God Save the King" is the national and/or royal anthem of the United Kingdom, most of the Commonwealth realms, their territories, and the British Crown Dependencies. The author of the tune is unknown and it may originate in plainchant, bu ...

". The Constitution of Sierra Leone, 1991, makes it the responsibility of every citizen of Sierra Leone to "respect its ideals and its institutions", including the national anthem.

Lyrics

The anthem consists of three verses, each ending with the phrase "Land that we love, our Sierra Leone."

References

External links

Sierra Leone: "High We Exalt Thee, Realm of the Free" - Audio of the national anthem of Sierra Leone, with information and lyrics

National anthem of Sierra Leone MIDI
{{Nationalanthemsofafrica African anthems Sierra Leonean music National symbols of Sierra Leone National anthem compositions in G major