Republic of the Congo
La Congolaise
The Congolese
1959
1959
Jacques Tondra / Georges Kibanghi
Jean Royer / Joseph Spadiliere
🤝 Unity 🕊 Freedom 🌿 Nature 🌅 Hope |
Key Facts
- 1. The replacement anthem 'Les Trois Glorieuses' (The Three Glorious Days) was named after the August 1963 uprising that toppled the first president and ushered in the Marxist era.
- 2. Jacques Tondra and Georges Kibanghi, who wrote the anthem, were among the country's first post-colonial intellectuals and composed it before the nation had even formally declared independence.
- 3. Brazzaville, the capital, sits directly across the Congo River from Kinshasa (DR Congo's capital), making them the closest pair of national capitals in the world, each with its own distinct anthem.
Lyrics
En ce jour le soleil se lève
Et notre Congo resplendit.
Une longue nuit s'achève,
Un grand bonheur a surgi.
Chantons tous avec ivresse
Le chant de la liberté.
[Chorus]
Congolais, debout fièrement partout,
Proclamons l'union de notre nation.
Oublions ce qui nous divise,
Soyons plus unis que jamais.
Vivons pour notre devise:
Unité, travail, progrès.
Des forêts jusqu'à la savane,
Du grand fleuve impétueux,
Élevons notre âme vaillante,
Un hymne joyeux et pieux.
[Chorus]
Et si quelqu'un un jour ose
Vouloir détruire notre Congo,
Tous ensemble par la force
Nous imposerons un ordre nouveau.
[Chorus]
Translations are non-official and intended to convey meaning, not replace originals
Analysis
EditorialAdopted before independence in 1959, the anthem was restored in 1991 after being replaced during the Marxist-Leninist era (1969-1991) when the country used 'Les Trois Glorieuses' as its anthem. The restoration accompanied the country's transition to multiparty democracy.