Motherland (anthem)
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"Motherland" is the national anthem of
Mauritius Mauritius ( ; french: Maurice, link=no ; mfe, label=Mauritian Creole, Moris ), officially the Republic of Mauritius, is an island nation in the Indian Ocean about off the southeast coast of the African continent, east of Madagascar. It incl ...
. The music was composed by Philippe Gentil, and the lyrics were written by Jean-Georges Prosper. The anthem is short and briefly describes the luscious landscape of Mauritius. It also mentions the qualities of its people: peace, justice and liberty. The national anthem is composed in English and was first played during the first Independence Day on 12 March 1968.


History

Mauritius was a
British colony The British Overseas Territories (BOTs), also known as the United Kingdom Overseas Territories (UKOTs), are fourteen territories with a constitutional and historical link with the United Kingdom. They are the last remnants of the former Bri ...
from 1810 and became an independent state on 12 March 1968, with
Elizabeth II Elizabeth II (Elizabeth Alexandra Mary; 21 April 1926 – 8 September 2022) was Queen of the United Kingdom and other Commonwealth realms from 6 February 1952 until her death in 2022. She was queen regnant of 32 sovereign states during ...
as
Queen of Mauritius Elizabeth II was Queen of Mauritius as well as its head of state from 1968 to 1992 when Mauritius was an independent sovereign state and a constitutional monarchy within the Commonwealth of Nations. She was also the monarch of other Commonwealth ...
, represented as
head of state A head of state (or chief of state) is the public persona who officially embodies a state Foakes, pp. 110–11 " he head of statebeing an embodiment of the State itself or representatitve of its international persona." in its unity and l ...
by the
Governor-General Governor-general (plural ''governors-general''), or governor general (plural ''governors general''), is the title of an office-holder. In the context of governors-general and former British colonies, governors-general are appointed as viceroy t ...
. The last
governor A governor is an administrative leader and head of a polity or political region, ranking under the head of state and in some cases, such as governors-general, as the head of state's official representative. Depending on the type of political ...
, Sir John Shaw Rennie, served as the first governor-general until 27 August 1968. A competition was held to choose the best national anthem. Jean Georges Prosper, a popular poet, won the competition, and "Motherland" was chosen as the national anthem. Music for the anthem was later composed by police band musician Philippe Gentil. During the announcement of independence, the flag of the United Kingdom was lowered by Lieutenant D.E. Wenn from the British side, and the flag of Mauritius was hoisted by Inspector Palmyre of the Special Mobile Force (SMF) from the Mauritian side. "
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 national anthem of the UK, was played for the last time, and "Motherland" was played for the first time. It was followed by firing of 31 salvos in the harbour and a loud cheer from the crowd. The Labour Party ruled Mauritius from the time of independence in 1968 to 1982. The opposing
Mauritian Militant Movement The Mouvement Militant Mauricien (MMM) ( en, Mauritian Militant Movement) is a left-wing socialist political party in Mauritius. The party was formed by a group of students in the late 1960s. The MMM advocates what it sees as a "fairer" society, ...
won the 1982 election. The party decided to establish
Mauritian Creole Mauritian Creole or Morisien (formerly Morisyen) ( mfe, kreol morisien, links=no ) is a French-based creole language spoken in Mauritius. English words are included in the standardized version of the language. In addition, the slaves and in ...
as the national language and wanted to sing the national anthem in Creole during the 15th Independence Day on 15 March 1983. The move was sternly opposed by the alliance partners; the party lost power in
1983 The year 1983 saw both the official beginning of the Internet and the first mobile cellular telephone call. Events January * January 1 – The migration of the ARPANET to Internet protocol suite, TCP/IP is officially completed (this is consid ...
.


Lyrics


Criticism

Critics consider that the national anthem failed to inspire the people during not-so-prosperous times of the economy when communalism and casteism made headway. There is a strong criticism in sections of Mauritian media that although the anthem states unity as the prime strength of the nation, the nation stands divided even after 40 years of independence. Unity described as the strength of the nation, as quoted as "as one people as one nation", is also posted as a challenge the country faces at the face of globalization. The harmony and cultural mix of different religious communities of the country are also not seen united in the nation. The unrest during 1969 clashes between Muslims and Creoles and the football tournaments until 1980 conducted on community basis are commonly quoted to show the indifference.


See also

*
Coat of arms of Mauritius The coat of arms of Mauritius are stipulated in the "''Mauritius Laws 1990 Vol.2 SCHEDULE (Section 2)''". In the lower left quarter is a key and on the right-hand side is a white star, which are referred to in the Latin motto "Stella Clavisque Ma ...
*
List of national anthems Most nation states have an anthem, defined as "a song, as of praise, devotion, or patriotism"; most anthems are either marches or hymns in style. A song or hymn can become a national anthem under the state's constitution, by a law enacted by its ...


References


External links


Motherland MIDI
{{National Anthems of Africa Mauritian music African anthems National symbols of Mauritius National anthem compositions in C major