National Anthem Comparison
Botswana vs South Africa
3
Shared themes
✗
Different moods
65
65 years apart
✓
Same continent
South Africa
National Anthem of South Africa
Comparison Analysis
Botswana and South Africa, both Africa nations, take distinct approaches to their national anthems. Botswana's "This Land of Ours" was written in 1962, while South Africa's "National Anthem of South Africa" dates to 1897.
Both anthems share themes of unity, god / faith and peace. Botswana additionally explores ancestors / heritage and love of homeland, while South Africa also touches on diversity and freedom.
The emotional tones differ: Botswana's anthem is prayerful, while South Africa's is hopeful.
South Africa's anthem predates Botswana's by 65 years, having been written in 1897 compared to 1962.
South Africa changed its national anthem in 1997, reflecting a shift in the nation's identity or political landscape.
Shared themes
Botswana
🤝 Unity ✝ God / Faith ☮ Peace 🏺 Ancestors / Heritage ❤ Love of homeland
South Africa
🤝 Unity ✝ God / Faith 🌈 Diversity 🕊 Freedom ☮ Peace
Shared themes:
🤝 Unity ✝ God / Faith ☮ Peace
Metadata
| Botswana | South Africa | |
|---|---|---|
| Written | 1962 | 1897 |
| Adopted | 1966 | 1997 |
| Lyricist | Kgalemang Tumediso Motsete | Enoch Sontonga / C.J. Langenhoven / Jeanne Zaidel-Rudolph (English words) |
| Composer | Kgalemang Tumediso Motsete | Enoch Sontonga / M.L. de Villiers (combined) |
| Language | tn | multi |
| Region | Southern Africa | Southern Africa |
Lyrics Side by Side
Botswana
Fatshe leno la rona
Original
Fatshe leno la rona,
Ke mpho ya Modimo,
Ke boswa jwa borraetsho;
A le nne ka kagiso.
Tsogang, tsogang! banna, tsogang!
Emang, basadi, emang, tlhagafalang!
Re kopaneleng go direla
Lefatshe la rona.
Ina lentle la tumo,
La tšhaba ya Botswana,
Ka kutlwano le kagisano,
E bopagantswe mmogo.
Tsogang, tsogang! banna, tsogang!
Emang, basadi, emang, tlhagafalang!
Re kopaneleng go direla
Lefatshe la rona.
Translation
This land of ours,
Is a gift from God,
An inheritance from our forefathers;
May it always be at peace.
Awake, awake! Men, awake!
Arise, women, arise, and be diligent!
Let us work together for
Our land.
The fair and famous name
Of the nation of Botswana,
Which, through harmony and peaceful coexistence,
Has been joined together as one.
Awake, awake! Men, awake!
Arise, women, arise, and be diligent!
Let us work together for
Our land.
South Africa
National Anthem of South Africa
Original
Nkosi Sikelel' iAfrika
Maluphakanyisw' uphondo lwayo,
Yizwa imithandazo yethu,
Nkosi sikelela, thina lusapho lwayo
Morena boloka setjhaba sa heso,
O fedise dintwa le matshwenyeho,
O se boloke, O se boloke setjhaba sa heso,
Setjhaba sa South Afrika - South Afrika.
Uit die blou van onse hemel,
Uit die diepte van ons see,
Oor ons ewige gebergtes,
Waar die kranse antwoord gee,
Sounds the call to come together,
And united we shall stand,
Let us live and strive for freedom,
In South Africa our land.
Translation
Lord bless Africa,
May her glory be lifted high.
Hear our prayers,
Lord bless us, her children.
Lord, protect our nation,
Banish wars and suffering,
Protect it, protect our nation,
The nation of South Africa, South Africa.
Ringing out from our blue heavens,
From our deep seas breaking round,
Over everlasting mountains,
Where the echoing crags resound.
Sounds the call to come together,
And united we shall stand,
Let us live and strive for freedom
In South Africa our land.
Interesting facts
Botswana
- 1. Motsete wrote the song in Ghana in 1962. According to Motsamai Mpho, a co-founder of the Bechuanaland People's Party, he, Motsete and three others were the first to sing it, on their flight home from a pan-Africanist conference in Accra
- 2. The chorus calls on both men and women to rise and work together for their country
- 3. Botswana's anthem speaks of peace and work rather than war: its first verse asks that the land may always be at peace, and its second celebrates a nation united in harmony and peace
South Africa
- 1. In the official score, published in the Government Gazette on 10 October 1997, the anthem starts in G major and moves to D major on the repeated 'South Afrika' just before the Afrikaans lines, so it ends in a different key from the one it began in.
- 2. The interim arrangement of 1994, full versions of both anthems played one after the other, lasted over five minutes. For the combined anthem, Mandela asked for no more than one minute and 48 seconds, the average length of 27 national anthems the committee consulted, according to composer Jeanne Zaidel-Rudolph.
- 3. The closing English lines were newly written for the 1997 anthem, adapted from 'The Call of South Africa', the English version of 'Die Stem'; they are credited to Zaidel-Rudolph, who also arranged the second half of the anthem.
- 4. At the 1995 Rugby World Cup, when South Africa still had two anthems, team manager Morné du Plessis suggested that the Springboks learn all the words of 'Nkosi Sikelel' iAfrika', and they did; before the final, both anthems were sung by the Imilonji Kantu Choral Society.
Listen
Botswana
South Africa
