Chad
La Tchadienne
The Chadian Song
1960
1960
Louis Gidrol / Students of Saint-Paul
Paul Villard
🤝 Unity 🗽 Independence 🌅 Hope ✝ God / Faith 🏺 Ancestors / Heritage |
Key Facts
- 1. The lyrics were co-written by students of the Saint-Paul seminary, making it one of the few anthems with student contributions
- 2. Chad is named after Lake Chad, which was once one of the largest lakes in Africa but has shrunk by over 90% due to climate change and irrigation
- 3. With over 200 distinct ethnic groups and languages, Chad is one of the most linguistically diverse countries in Africa
Lyrics
Peuple Tchadien, debout et à l'ouvrage!
Tu as conquis la terre et ton droit;
Ta liberté naîtra de ton courage.
Lève les yeux, l'avenir est à Toi.
[Refrain]
Ô mon Pays, que Dieu te prenne en garde,
Que tes voisins admirent tes enfants.
Joyeux, pacifique, avance en chantant,
Fidèle à tes ancêtres qui te regardent.
Race de Cham, peuple antique et vaillant,
Chad! Debout et prends ta place dans le concert des nations!
De l'orgueil de ta victoire,
Garde l'espoir de chanter Liberté!
[Refrain]
Ta bannière bat au vent du progrès,
Tchadien, lève-toi, le pays t'attend!
En sa foi tu trouveras ton chemin,
Sous un ciel d'azur et d'or.
[Refrain]
Regarde l'eau et le blé qui sont là,
Tout un peuple se lève avec élan,
Le Chari, grande rivière et semences,
Fécondent la terre tchadienne.
[Refrain]
Translations are non-official and intended to convey meaning, not replace originals
Analysis
EditorialAdopted at independence from France in 1960. Chad is named after Lake Chad, which has shrunk by over 90% since the 1960s. The anthem was written partly by students of a Catholic mission school, giving it a youthful, optimistic character. Chad has faced decades of civil conflict and political instability, lending the anthem's hopeful lyrics a poignant quality.