"" (; "The Nigerien") is the former

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 ...

Niger Niger, officially the Republic of the Niger, is a landlocked country in West Africa. It is a unitary state Geography of Niger#Political geography, bordered by Libya to the Libya–Niger border, north-east, Chad to the Chad–Niger border, east ...

. The lyrics are by

Maurice Albert Thiriet Maurice Thiriet (; 2 May 1906 – 28 September 1972) was a French composer of classical and film music. Biography Born in Meulan, Yvelines, Maurice Thiriet attended the Paris Conservatory from 1925 to 1931, studying counterpoint and fugue with ...

; Robert Jacquet and Nicolas Abel François Frionnet wrote the music. It was adopted as Niger's anthem in 1961 and relinquished in 2023.

History

The anthem was written by French film composer

. The music was composed by two other Frenchmen, Robert Jacquet and Nicolas Abel François Frionnet. It was adopted in 1961, a year after Niger gained independence from France. On 21 November 2019, President

Mahamadou Issoufou Mahamadou Issoufou (born 1 January 1952) is a Nigerien politician who served as the president of Niger from 7 April 2011 to 2 April 2021. Issoufou was the prime minister of Niger from 1993 to 1994, president of the National Assembly from 1995 to ...

announced that he had decided to change the national anthem. The decision followed criticism that some of the lyrics appeared to express gratitude to the former coloniser,

France France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...

, with Nigeriens on social media challenging lines three and four. A committee chaired by Prime Minister Brigi Rafini was "charged with reflecting on the current anthem by providing corrections" and "if possible find a new anthem that responds to the current context of Niger". Created in 2018, it was composed of several members of the Government and about fifteen "experts experienced in writing and musical composition". Assamana Malam Issa, the Minister of Cultural Renaissance, said a hymn must be found "that can galvanize the population, be for us a kind of war cry to touch our patriotic fiber". On 22 June 2023 the

National Assembly In politics, a national assembly is either a unicameral legislature, the lower house of a bicameral legislature, or both houses of a bicameral legislature together. In the English language it generally means "an assembly composed of the repr ...

adopted ''

The Honor of the Fatherland The Honor of the Fatherland ( French "L'Honneur de la Patrie") is the national anthem of Niger. It was adopted on June 23, 2023, replacing '' La Nigerienne'', which was adopted in 1961, a year after the country's gaining of independence. Hist ...

'' as Niger's new anthem.

Lyrics

French original

Translations

References

Notes

External links

Niger: ''La Nigérienne'' - Audio of the national anthem of Niger, with information and lyricsarchive link

has lyrics, with an English translation.

Media

Vocal version (Recording from a radio station)
Anthem finishes at 1:47 African anthems Music of Niger National symbols of Niger Historical national anthems {{Niger-stub