Eswatini National Anthem
Nkulunkulu Mnikati wetibusiso temaSwati
Oh God, Bestower of the Blessings of the Swazi
1968
1968
Andrease Enoke Fanyana Simelane
David Kenneth Rycroft
✝ God / Faith 👑 Monarchy ☮ Peace 🌿 Nature |
Key Facts
- 1. The words were written by Andrease Enoke Fanyana Simelane. The siSwati text gives thanks for the king, named by his traditional title iNgwenyama (the Lion), and asks God to bless all the rulers of the country.
- 2. The music is a compromise between Swazi and Western styles: it keeps the intricate polyphony typical of Swazi song.
- 3. The 2005 constitution, which names the King and iNgwenyama as the hereditary head of state, kept the anthem: it provides that the national anthem is the one lawfully in use when the constitution came into force, unless another is prescribed.
Eswatini National Anthem Lyrics
Nkulunkulu Mnikati wetibusiso teMaswati,
Siyatibonga tonkhe tinhlanhla,
Sibonga iNgwenyama yetfu,
Live netintsaba nemifula.
Busisa tiphatsi mandla taka Ngwane
Nguwe wedvwa Somandla wetfu;
Sinike kuhlanipha lokungenabucili
Simise usicinise, Simakadze.
Translations are non-official and intended to convey meaning, not replace originals
Analysis
EditorialAdopted in 1968 when Swaziland (now Eswatini) gained independence from Britain. The music was composed by David Kenneth Rycroft, a South African ethnomusicologist who studied Swazi music extensively. The anthem reflects the strong role of the monarchy in Swazi national identity.
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Sources & References
- National Anthem . Permanent Mission of the Kingdom of Eswatini to the United Nations
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