Zambia
Lumbanyeni Zambia
Stand and Sing of Zambia, Proud and Free
1964
1964
Collective
Enoch Sontonga (melody adapted)
✝ God / Faith 🕊 Freedom 🤝 Unity ☮ Peace |
Key Facts
- 1. Zambia changed its anthem melody in 1973 because the original tune was shared with several other African nations; the new melody by Enoch Kavunga Sontonga (not the same Sontonga who wrote 'Nkosi Sikelel' iAfrika') gave Zambia a musically unique identity.
- 2. The phrase 'Stand and Sing of Zambia, Proud and Free' is so iconic that it is inscribed on the base of the Freedom Statue in Lusaka, the country's most recognizable monument.
- 3. Zambia's anthem is one of the few in southern Africa that explicitly mentions 'work and joy' together, reflecting founding president Kenneth Kaunda's philosophy of African humanism (Ubuntu).
Lyrics
Lumbanyeni Zambia, no kwanga
Ne cilumba twange tuumfwane,
Mpalume sha myeo yonse,
Tuleikale ntungulushi,
Lumbanyeni Zambia.
Tukwate pa ntungulushi,
Ne chisyomo ne chishili.
One land and one nation is our cry,
Dignity and peace 'neath Zambia's sky,
Like our noble eagle in its flight,
Zambia, praise to thee.
All one, strong and free.
Stand and sing of Zambia, proud and free,
Land of work and joy in unity,
Victors in the struggle for the right,
We have won freedom's fight.
All one, strong and free.
Translations are non-official and intended to convey meaning, not replace originals
Analysis
EditorialAdopted at independence from Britain in 1964 when Northern Rhodesia became Zambia. The anthem was initially based on the melody of 'Nkosi Sikelel' iAfrika' by Enoch Sontonga but was modified in 1973. The current version is sung in both Bemba (the most widely spoken local language) and English, reflecting the bilingual nature of Zambian public life.