Mali
Le Mali
Mali
Key Facts
- 1. The anthem became official by law n° 62-72 of 9 August 1962, two years to the day after Mali's independence; the law fixes both the title 'Le Mali' and the four verses with refrain.
- 2. Seydou Badian Kouyaté, the lyricist, was a French-trained physician and the author of the 1957 novel Sous l'orage; he served as Minister of Rural Development under Modibo Keïta and went into exile after the 1968 coup.
- 3. Banzumana Sissoko, blind from childhood, was already known across West Africa as the ngoni master nicknamed le vieux lion de Ségou before he reworked the medieval air the anthem now carries.
- 4. The Malian Pioneer movement of the 1960s translated the lyrics into Bambara as 'Afiriki ye ani e ye, Mali'; the translation, attributed to Abdulay Bari, is sung at school assemblies to this day.
Lyrics
Translations are non-official and intended to convey meaning, not replace originals
Analysis
EditorialMali adopted its national anthem on 9 August 1962, two years after independence, by law n° 62-72. The lyrics are by Seydou Badian Kouyaté, novelist, doctor and minister in the cabinet of President Modibo Keïta; the music is credited to Banzumana Sissoko, the legendary blind griot whose ngoni reworked an air said to date back to the medieval Mali Empire. President Keïta had rejected an earlier proposal from a European pianist, asking instead for something with the breath of Africa. The anthem opens with the country's motto, Un peuple, un but, une foi, and turns again and again to a single phrase: Pour l'Afrique et pour toi, Mali. The fight is for the homeland, but never only for the homeland.
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Sources & References
- David Kendall. Mali . NationalAnthems.info
- L'Hymne du Mali . Mali Pense
Source & Review
- Source status
- Reliable secondary source
- Translation
- Nationalia working translation
- Rights status
- Third-party rights may apply
- Last reviewed
- Reviewed by
- ai-claude
- Report a correction
- rights@nationalia.org