Botswana National Anthem
Fatshe leno la rona
This Land of Ours
1962
1966
Kgalemang Tumediso Motsete
Kgalemang Tumediso Motsete
🤝 Unity ✝ God / Faith ☮ Peace 🏺 Ancestors / Heritage ❤ Love of homeland |
Key Facts
- 1. Motsete wrote the song in Ghana in 1962. According to Motsamai Mpho, a co-founder of the Bechuanaland People's Party, he, Motsete and three others were the first to sing it, on their flight home from a pan-Africanist conference in Accra
- 2. The chorus calls on both men and women to rise and work together for their country
- 3. Botswana's anthem speaks of peace and work rather than war: its first verse asks that the land may always be at peace, and its second celebrates a nation united in harmony and peace
Botswana National Anthem Lyrics
Fatshe leno la rona,
Ke mpho ya Modimo,
Ke boswa jwa borraetsho;
A le nne ka kagiso.
Tsogang, tsogang! banna, tsogang!
Emang, basadi, emang, tlhagafalang!
Re kopaneleng go direla
Lefatshe la rona.
Ina lentle la tumo,
La tšhaba ya Botswana,
Ka kutlwano le kagisano,
E bopagantswe mmogo.
Tsogang, tsogang! banna, tsogang!
Emang, basadi, emang, tlhagafalang!
Re kopaneleng go direla
Lefatshe la rona.
Translations are non-official and intended to convey meaning, not replace originals
Analysis
EditorialWritten and composed by Kgalemang Tumediso Motsete, the anthem was adopted when Botswana gained independence from Britain on September 30, 1966. Motsete was a teacher and activist who played a key role in the independence movement. The anthem is written in Setswana, the national language.
Learn More
Sources & References
- National Symbols . Botswana Mission to Switzerland
- Fatshe leno la rona . tn.wikipedia.org
- About Botswana: National Anthem of Botswana . Permanent Mission of Botswana, Geneva
Source & Review
- Source status
- Embassy or ministry verified
- Translation
- AI-assisted working translation
- Rights status
- Third-party rights may apply
- Last reviewed
- Editorial review
- Pending
- Editorial owner
- Nationalia
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