Cape Verde National Anthem
Cântico da Liberdade
Song of Freedom
1996
1996
Amilcar Spencer Lopes
Adalberto Higino Tavares Silva
🕊 Freedom 🤝 Unity 🌅 Hope 🌿 Nature 💪 Resilience |
Key Facts
- 1. The anthem's composer, Adalberto Higino Tavares Silva, was a local musician who blended Portuguese-influenced fado melodies with Cape Verdean morna rhythms in the composition.
- 2. Cape Verde's anthem is one of very few in Africa sung in a Creole-influenced Portuguese rather than in a European language or indigenous African language.
- 3. The lyrics never mention war, enemies, or military struggle, making it one of the most peaceful national anthems in Africa, focused entirely on hope, nature, and human dignity.
Cape Verde National Anthem Lyrics
Canta, irmão
Canta, meu irmão
Que a liberdade é hino
E o homem a certeza.
Com dignidade, enterra a semente
No pó da ilha nua;
No despenhadeiro da vida
A esperança é do tamanho do mar
Que nos abraça,
Sentinela de mares e ventos
Perseverante
Entre estrelas e o atlântico
Entoa o cântico da liberdade.
Canta, irmão
Canta, meu irmão
Que a liberdade é hino
E o homem a certeza.
Translations are non-official and intended to convey meaning, not replace originals
Analysis
EditorialAdopted in 1996, replacing the original anthem that had been shared with Guinea-Bissau since both countries were once united under the PAIGC liberation movement. After Cape Verde broke ties with Guinea-Bissau following a 1980 coup, the country eventually adopted its own distinct anthem. The lyrics beautifully evoke the island nation's relationship with the sea and its volcanic, arid landscape.
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Sources & References
- Hino . Governo de Cabo Verde
Source & Review
- Source status
- Official source verified
- Translation
- AI-assisted working translation
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- Nationalia
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