Democratic Republic of the Congo National Anthem
Debout Congolais
Stand Up, Congolese
1960
1960
Joseph Lutumba
Simon-Pierre Boka di Mpasi Londi
🗽 Independence 🤝 Unity ☮ Peace ✝ God / Faith 🏺 Ancestors / Heritage |
Key Facts
- 1. La Zaïroise, the anthem used from 1971 to 1997, had the same two authors as Debout Congolais: Joseph Lutumba and the Jesuit Simon-Pierre Boka di Mpasi Londi.
- 2. Most references, among them the CIA World Factbook, credit Joseph Lutumba with the words and Simon-Pierre Boka with the music; the website of the DRC presidency gives the two roles the other way round.
- 3. The refrain is written for soloists and choir: the choir answers the soloists with the words 'Congo', 'Trente juin' (30 June, the day of independence) and 'Jour sacré' (sacred day).
- 4. The DR Congo is Africa's largest francophone country by population, and the anthem is sung in French, though over 200 local languages are spoken across its territory.
Democratic Republic of the Congo National Anthem Lyrics
Debout Congolais,
Unis par le sort,
Unis dans l'effort pour l'indépendance.
Dressons nos fronts, longtemps courbés
Et pour de bon prenons le plus bel élan,
Dans la paix.
Ô peuple ardent
Par le labeur
Nous bâtirons un pays plus beau qu'avant
Dans la paix.
Citoyens,
Entonnez l'hymne sacré de votre solidarité
Fièrement
Saluez l'emblème d'or de votre souveraineté
Congo,
Don béni, Congo !
Des aïeux, Congo !
Ô pays, Congo !
Bien-aimé, Congo !
Nous peuplerons ton sol
Et nous assurerons ta grandeur.
Trente juin, ô doux soleil
Trente juin, du trente juin
Jour sacré, sois le témoin,
Jour sacré de l'immortel
Serment de liberté
Que nous léguons
À notre postérité
Pour toujours
Translations are non-official and intended to convey meaning, not replace originals
Analysis
EditorialAdopted at independence from Belgium in 1960, the anthem was replaced in 1971, when Mobutu's government renamed the country Zaire and adopted a new anthem, La Zaïroise. It was restored in 1997, when Laurent-Désiré Kabila came to power, together with the country's name and its other independence-era symbols.
Learn More
Sources & References
- Debout Congolais . en.wikipedia.org
- Debout Congolais . nl.wikisource.org
Source & Review
- Source status
- Reliable secondary source
- Translation
- AI-assisted working translation
- Rights status
- Third-party rights may apply
- Last reviewed
- Editorial review
- AI-assisted editorial review
- Editorial owner
- Nationalia
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