Nkosi sikelel' iAfrika

(for whatever reason, my spellchecker isn't working... so excuse my mistakes - you get to see me for how terrible of a speller I really am.
Ah well, we are all about transparency here)

Our National Anthem -

Madi knows how to sing it all, but I don't. It's a fun song that flips between 5 of South Africa's most prominant languages and actually combines two completely seperate songs in a jarring, but not unlovely way. The beginning, originally a church hymn, was commonly sung as an act of political defience during the aparthied era. Die Stem van Suid-Afrika, the second song, was the national anthem for nearly 50 years during aparthied (preceded by God Save the King/Queen). One of the things Nelson Mandela did so well during his presidency, which was the opening step into an entirely new government system in this country, was to intentionally not throw out the white for the new black... but to seriously attempt to blend the both - to value each culture and help the citizens value each other's cultures. So, true to Mandela's heart and vision for South Africa - In 1997, the new national song was prestented, almagamating the two anthems into one beautiful representation of the appreciation of all. It's a little disjointed, and you can definately tell which crowd you are in depending on which part gets sung strongest, but I think it's beautiful when we are intentional about giving credence to each other - the each others that we might not understand - but by giving everyone a place in our world, we more easily begin to see ourselves in the each others.

Here's a (again poorly recorded... I'm going to have to learn how to do this proper) video of a local preschool in Zandspruit - singing our national anthem.

Nkosi sikelel' iAfrika


(Xhosa) Nkosi sikelel' iAfrika
Maluphakanyisw' uphondo lwayo,
(Zulu) Yizwa imithandazo yethu,
Nkosi sikelela, thina lusapho lwayo.

(God [Lord] bless Africa
Raise high its glory
Hear our prayers
God bless us, her children)

(Sesotho) Morena boloka setjhaba sa heso,
O fedise dintwa le matshwenyeho,
O se boloke, O se boloke setjhaba sa heso,
Setjhaba sa, South Afrika - South Afrika.

(God, we ask You to protect our nation
Intervene and end all conflicts
Protect us, protect our nation, our nation,
South Africa - South Africa)


(Afrikaans) Uit die blou van onse hemel,
Uit die diepte van ons see,
Oor ons ewige gebergtes,
Waar die kranse antwoord gee,

(Out of the blue of our heavens,
Out of the depths of our seas,
Over our everlasting mountains,
Where the echoing crags resound,)

(English) Sounds the call to come together,
And united we shall stand,
Let us live and strive for freedom
In South Africa our land.