Guinea-Bissau
Esta e a Nossa Patria Bem Amada
This Is Our Beloved Homeland
1974
1974
Amilcar Cabral
PAIGC collective
🗽 Independence 🤝 Unity ⚔ Battle / War 🏺 Ancestors / Heritage 🌿 Nature |
Key Facts
- 1. Guinea-Bissau kept the original shared anthem after Cape Verde adopted a new one in 1996, making it the sole custodian of a song once meant to unite two nations.
- 2. The anthem is sung in Portuguese, the colonial language, rather than in Crioulo (the widely spoken creole) or any of the country's indigenous languages like Balanta or Fula.
- 3. Guinea-Bissau has experienced multiple coups since independence, yet the anthem has never been changed, making it one of the few constants in the country's turbulent political history.
Lyrics
Sol, suor e o verde e mar,
Séculos de dor e esperança;
Esta é a terra dos nossos avós!
Fruto das nossas mãos,
Da flor do nosso sangue:
Esta é a nossa pátria amada.
[Chorus]
Viva a pátria gloriosa!
Floriu nos céus a bandeira de luta.
Avante, contra o jugo estrangeiro!
Nós vamos construir
Na pátria imortal
A paz e o progresso!
Ramos do mesmo tronco,
Olhos na mesma luz:
Esta é a força da nossa união!
Cantem o mar e a terra
A madrugada e o sol
Que a nossa luta fecundou.
[Chorus]
Translations are non-official and intended to convey meaning, not replace originals
Analysis
EditorialWritten by Amilcar Cabral, the revolutionary leader who led the independence struggle against Portugal for both Guinea-Bissau and Cape Verde through the PAIGC party. Cabral was assassinated in 1973, just months before Guinea-Bissau declared independence in 1974. The anthem was originally shared with Cape Verde until the two countries split politically in 1980.