"" () 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 European ...

Guinea-Bissau Guinea-Bissau, officially the Republic of Guinea-Bissau, is a country in West Africa that covers with an estimated population of 2,026,778. It borders Senegal to Guinea-Bissau–Senegal border, its north and Guinea to Guinea–Guinea-Bissau b ...

. Written in 1963 by Amílcar Cabral (1924–1973) and composed by Xiao He (1918–2010), it was adopted upon independence from Portugal in 1974. It was also the national anthem of

Cape Verde Cape Verde or Cabo Verde, officially the Republic of Cabo Verde, is an island country and archipelagic state of West Africa in the central Atlantic Ocean, consisting of ten volcanic islands with a combined land area of about . These islands ...

, a legacy of both countries' joint independence, until 1996, when a new anthem ("") was adopted by Cape Verde.

History

The anthem was written by independence leader of Guinea-Bissau and Cape Verde Amílcar Cabral. Cabral, a Bissau-Guinean son of Bissau-Guineans and Cape Verdeans, was the leader of the African Party for the Independence of Guinea and Cape Verde (PAIGC). In 1963, a delegation from then Portuguese Guinea visited China and heard music by composer Xiao He. Cabral asked Xiao to compose a piece that would inspire his people in their struggle for independence. Set to a 1963 poem by Cabral, the piece was later adopted by Guinea Bissau and Cape Verde as the national anthem upon their independence from Portugal in 1974. In the 1990s, after the African Party for the Independence of Cape Verde allowed multi-party rule, it was decided that Cape Verde should adopt its own national symbols, including a

flag A flag is a piece of textile, fabric (most often rectangular) with distinctive colours and design. It is used as a symbol, a signalling device, or for decoration. The term ''flag'' is also used to refer to the graphic design employed, and fla ...

and anthem. A new anthem, "", was adopted in 1996.

Lyrics

Notes

References

External links

Guinea-Bissau: ''Esta É a Nossa Pátria Bem Amada'' - Audio of the national anthem of Guinea-Bissau, with information and lyricsarchive link
{{DEFAULTSORT:Esta E a Nossa Patria Bem Amada African anthems Music of Guinea-Bissau National symbols of Guinea-Bissau Songs in Portuguese Compositions in B-flat major