Lyrics to anthem
South African flag
One of my favorite things about South Africa is it’s national anthem, Nkosi Sikelel’ iAfrika. It has a nice tune and some pretty sweet lyrics. The primary school learners sing it a couple of times a week during the morning assembly. Just like the US anthem, it has some high parts, but it is really cute listening to the little ones work through the difficult parts with determination. It give me goose bumps to hear them sing it, although the US version certainly affects me more strongly.
The lyrics are written in four languages. The first four lines are in isiZulu, the next four are in Setswana (or Sepedi, depending upon with whom you are talking), the next four are Afrikaans, and the last four lines are in English. As there are eleven official languages in the country, they did a pretty good job representing the largest numbers. Bet you could find a version on Youtube. Check it out!
