National Anthem Comparison
Burkina Faso vs Mali
3
Shared themes
✗
Different moods
22
22 years apart
✓
Same continent
Comparison Analysis
Burkina Faso and Mali, both Africa nations, take distinct approaches to their national anthems. Burkina Faso's "A Single Night" was written in 1984, while Mali's "Mali" dates to 1962.
Both anthems share themes of Unity, Freedom and Battle / War. Burkina Faso additionally explores Revolution and Independence, while Mali also touches on Hope.
The emotional tones differ: Burkina Faso's anthem is Defiant, while Mali's is Proud.
Burkina Faso changed its national anthem in 1984, reflecting a shift in the nation's identity or political landscape.
Shared themes
Burkina Faso
🔥 Revolution 🗽 Independence 🤝 Unity 🕊 Freedom ⚔ Battle / War
Mali
🤝 Unity 🕊 Freedom ⚔ Battle / War 🌅 Hope
Shared themes:
🤝 Unity 🕊 Freedom ⚔ Battle / War
Metadata
| Burkina Faso | Mali | |
|---|---|---|
| Written | 1984 | 1962 |
| Adopted | 1984 | 1962 |
| Lyricist | Thomas Sankara | Seydou Badian Kouyate |
| Composer | Thomas Sankara | Banzoumana Sissoko |
| Language | fr | fr |
| Region | West Africa | West Africa |
Lyrics Side by Side
Burkina Faso
Une Seule Nuit
Original
Contre la férule humiliante il n'y a pas
De consentement,
À la misère pas de trêve;
Libertaires et progressistes
Conjugons ensemble nos efforts,
Pour la Patrie en marche vers son indépendance.
Une Seule Nuit a rassemblé en nous
L'histoire de tout un Peuple.
Et le Peuple debout sur les créneaux de la saison
Profère la solennelle volonté
De défier la nuit réactionnaire,
Envahisseurs d'antan et d'aujourd'hui,
Pillards sans foi ni loi.
Une Seule Nuit a rassemblé en nous
L'histoire de tout un Peuple.
Et le Peuple armé de sa volonté
Défie le ciel malheureux,
Contre la tyrannie il oppose
Sa grandeur à l'oppression séculaire.
La flamme du bonheur est dans nos cœurs.
Une Seule Nuit a rassemblé en nous
L'histoire de tout un Peuple.
Face à la misère en rangs serrés
Nous refusons la trêve des combats.
La mère Afrique entendra nos cris
Face aux fossoyeurs de la Liberté.
La victoire ou la mort nous y tiendrons.
Une Seule Nuit a rassemblé en nous
L'histoire de tout un Peuple.
Portons au cœur de notre Nation
L'amour de la Patrie et de la Liberté.
Car le bien du Peuple est notre idéal,
Et dans l'unité et la dignité
Nous bâtirons l'Afrique.
Une Seule Nuit a rassemblé en nous
L'histoire de tout un Peuple.
Gloire au Peuple, gloire à la Lutte,
Liberté, un seul combat.
En avant, Afrique en marche,
En avant, Afrique en marche.
Une Seule Nuit a rassemblé en nous
L'histoire de tout un Peuple.
Translation
Against the humiliating bondage, there is no
Consent,
To misery no truce;
Libertarians and progressives
Let us join our efforts together,
For the Fatherland marching toward its independence.
A Single Night has gathered within us
The history of an entire People.
And the People standing on the ramparts of the season
Proclaim the solemn will
To defy the reactionary night,
Invaders of past and present,
Plunderers without faith or law.
A Single Night has gathered within us
The history of an entire People.
And the People armed with their will
Defy the wretched sky,
Against tyranny they oppose
Their greatness to age-old oppression.
The flame of happiness burns in our hearts.
A Single Night has gathered within us
The history of an entire People.
Facing misery in tight ranks
We refuse a truce from the battles.
Mother Africa shall hear our cries
Against the gravediggers of Freedom.
Victory or death, we shall hold firm.
A Single Night has gathered within us
The history of an entire People.
Let us carry in the heart of our Nation
The love of Fatherland and of Freedom.
For the good of the People is our ideal,
And in unity and dignity
We shall build Africa.
A Single Night has gathered within us
The history of an entire People.
Glory to the People, glory to the Struggle,
Freedom, a single fight.
Forward, Africa on the march,
Forward, Africa on the march.
A Single Night has gathered within us
The history of an entire People.
Mali
Le Mali
Original
À ton appel, Mali,
Pour ta prospérité,
Fidèle à ton destin,
Nous serons tous unis,
Un peuple, un but, une foi.
Pour une Afrique unie,
Si l'ennemi découvre son front,
Au dedans ou au dehors,
Debout sur les remparts,
Nous sommes résolus de mourir.
[Refrain]
Pour l'Afrique et pour toi, Mali,
Notre drapeau sera liberté.
Pour l'Afrique et pour toi, Mali,
Notre combat sera unité.
Ô Mali d'aujourd'hui,
Ô Mali de demain,
Les champs fleurissent d'espérance,
Les cœurs vibrent de confiance.
Afrique, lève-toi!
Afrique, lève-toi!
Afrique, lève-toi!
[Refrain]
Translation
At your call, Mali,
For your prosperity,
Faithful to your destiny,
We shall all be united,
One people, one goal, one faith.
For a united Africa,
If the enemy reveals his face,
From within or from without,
Standing on the ramparts,
We are resolved to die.
[Chorus]
For Africa and for you, Mali,
Our banner shall be liberty.
For Africa and for you, Mali,
Our struggle shall be unity.
O Mali of today,
O Mali of tomorrow,
The fields blossom with hope,
Hearts pulsate with confidence.
Africa, arise!
Africa, arise!
Africa, arise!
[Chorus]
Interesting facts
Burkina Faso
- 1. Sankara was also an accomplished guitarist who played in a band called 'Tout-a-Coup Jazz,' and his musical background informed the anthem's composition.
- 2. Unlike most African anthems written in French or English, the anthem's title 'Une Seule Nuit' carries a double meaning in French, evoking both a literal single night and the idea of emerging from darkness.
- 3. After Sankara's assassination by his former ally Blaise Compaore, the new government kept the anthem unchanged despite purging most other symbols of the Sankara era.
Mali
- 1. Banzoumana Sissoko, who composed the melody, was a legendary blind griot who played the ngoni (a traditional West African lute), and his musical style infuses the anthem with Mandinka musical traditions.
- 2. Mali briefly shared a national anthem with Senegal when the two countries formed the short-lived Mali Federation in 1959-1960 before going their separate ways.
- 3. The anthem's line about dying on the ramparts is one of the most militant in any African anthem, reflecting the anti-colonial fervor of the early 1960s independence movements across West Africa.
Listen
Burkina Faso
Mali
