Sierra Leone
High We Exalt Thee, Realm of the Free
1961
1961
Clifford Nelson Fyle
John Joseph Akar
🕊 Freedom ✝ God / Faith 🤝 Unity ❤ Love of homeland 🏺 Ancestors / Heritage |
Key Facts
- 1. Sierra Leone means 'Lion Mountains' in Portuguese, named by explorer Pedro de Sintra in 1462 for the shape of the mountains around what is now Freetown
- 2. John Joseph Akar, who composed the music, later served as Sierra Leone's ambassador to the United States
- 3. Like neighboring Liberia, Sierra Leone was settled by freed slaves, but from Britain rather than America, giving its capital the name Freetown
Lyrics
High we exalt thee, realm of the free;
Great is the love we have for thee;
Firmly united ever we stand,
Singing thy praise, O native land.
We raise up our hearts and our voices on high,
The hills and the valleys re-echo our cry;
Blessing and peace be ever thine own,
Land that we love, our Sierra Leone.
One with a faith that wisdom inspires,
One with a zeal that never tires;
Ever we seek to honour thy name,
Ours is the labour, thine the fame.
We pray that no harm on thy children may fall,
That blessing and peace may descend on us all;
So may we serve thee ever alone,
Land that we love, our Sierra Leone.
Knowledge and truth our forefathers spread,
Mighty the nations whom they led;
Mighty they made thee, so too may we
Show forth the good that is ever in thee.
We pledge our devotion, our strength and our might,
Thy cause to defend and to stand for thy right;
All that we have be ever thine own,
Land that we love, our Sierra Leone.
Translations are non-official and intended to convey meaning, not replace originals
Analysis
EditorialAdopted at independence from Britain in 1961. The anthem was composed by John Joseph Akar, a prominent Sierra Leonean musician and diplomat who was instrumental in promoting West African culture. Sierra Leone, meaning 'Lion Mountains' in Portuguese, has a unique history as a settlement for freed slaves from Britain and North America.