Tunisia
حماة الحمى
Humat al-Hima
Defenders of the Homeland
1930
1987
Mustafa Sadik al-Rafii / Aboul-Qacem Echebbi
Mohammed Abdel Wahab
⚔ Battle / War 🕊 Freedom 💪 Resilience |
Key Facts
- 1. Echebbi's famous line 'If the people one day will to live, destiny must obey' from the same poem became a rallying cry across the entire Arab world during the 2011 Arab Spring revolutions.
- 2. Tunisia had a completely different anthem from 1958 to 1987, called 'Humat al-Hima' with different lyrics; the switch happened on the same night President Ben Ali took power in a bloodless coup.
- 3. The anthem shares its composer, Mohammed Abdel Wahab, with the anthems of the United Arab Emirates and Libya, making Wahab's melodies heard at more UN sessions than those of almost any other single composer.
Lyrics
حُمَاةَ الحِمَى يَا حُمَاةَ الحِمَى
هَلُمُّوا هَلُمُّوا لِعِزِّ الزَّمَنْ
لَقَدْ صَرَخَتْ فِي عُرُوقِنَا الدِّمَا
نَمُوتُ نَمُوتُ وَيَحْيَا الوَطَنْ
لِتَدُو السَّمَاوَاتُ بِرَعْدِهَا
لِتَرْمِ الصَّوَاعِقُ نِيرَانَهَا
إِذَا مُتْنَا مُتْنَا فِدَا لِبِلَادِنَا
وَنِعْمَ المَمَاتُ إِذَا مَا اشْتَكَى الوَطَنْ
إِذَا الشَّعْبُ يَوْمًا أَرَادَ الحَيَاةْ
فَلَا بُدَّ أَنْ يَسْتَجِيبَ القَدَرْ
وَلَا بُدَّ لِلَّيْلِ أَنْ يَنْجَلِي
وَلَا بُدَّ لِلقَيْدِ أَنْ يَنْكَسِرْ
Translations are non-official and intended to convey meaning, not replace originals
Analysis
EditorialThe current anthem was adopted in 1987 when President Ben Ali took power, replacing the previous anthem. The lyrics draw from a poem by Aboul-Qacem Echebbi, Tunisia's most celebrated poet, who died in 1934 at just 25 years old. The music was composed by Mohammed Abdel Wahab, the same Egyptian composer who wrote melodies for several Arab national anthems.