National Anthem Comparison
Republic of the Congo vs Cameroon
2
Shared themes
✓
Same mood
31
31 years apart
✓
Same continent
Comparison Analysis
Republic of the Congo and Cameroon, both Africa nations, take distinct approaches to their national anthems. Republic of the Congo's "The Congolese" was written in 1959, while Cameroon's "O Cameroon, Cradle of Our Ancestors" dates to 1928.
Both anthems share themes of unity and freedom. Republic of the Congo additionally explores nature and hope, while Cameroon also touches on ancestors / heritage and love of homeland.
Both anthems carry a proud tone, creating a similar emotional register despite their geographic distance.
Cameroon's anthem predates Republic of the Congo's by 31 years, having been written in 1928 compared to 1959.
Republic of the Congo changed its national anthem in 1991, reflecting a shift in the nation's identity or political landscape.
Shared themes
Republic of the Congo
🤝 Unity 🕊 Freedom 🌿 Nature 🌅 Hope
Cameroon
🏺 Ancestors / Heritage 🤝 Unity ❤ Love of homeland 🕊 Freedom
Shared themes:
🤝 Unity 🕊 Freedom
Metadata
| Republic of the Congo | Cameroon | |
|---|---|---|
| Written | 1959 | 1928 |
| Adopted | 1959 | 1957 |
| Lyricist | Jacques Tondra / Georges Kibanghi | René Djam Afame, Samuel Minkio Bamba, Moïse Nyatte Nko'o (1928); revised 1970 |
| Composer | Jean Royer / Joseph Spadiliere | René Djam Afame (disputed; also credited to Samuel Minkio Bamba) |
| Language | fr | fr |
| Region | Central Africa | Central Africa |
Lyrics Side by Side
Republic of the Congo
La Congolaise
Original
En ce jour le soleil se lève
Et notre Congo resplendit.
Une longue nuit s'achève,
Un grand bonheur a surgi.
Chantons tous avec ivresse
Le chant de la liberté.
[Chorus]
Congolais, debout fièrement partout,
Proclamons l'union de notre nation,
Oublions ce qui nous divise,
Soyons plus unis que jamais.
Vivons pour notre devise:
Unité, travail, progrès!
Vivons pour notre devise:
Unité, travail, progrès!
Des forêts jusqu'à la savane,
Des savanes jusqu'à la mer,
Un seul peuple, une seule âme,
Un seul cœur, ardent et fier,
Luttons tous, tant que nous sommes,
Pour notre vieux pays noir.
[Chorus]
Congolais, debout fièrement partout,
Proclamons l'union de notre nation,
Oublions ce qui nous divise,
Soyons plus unis que jamais.
Vivons pour notre devise:
Unité, travail, progrès!
Vivons pour notre devise:
Unité, travail, progrès!
Et s'il nous faut mourir, en somme
Qu'importe puisque nos enfants,
Partout, pourront dire comme
On triomphe en combattant,
Et dans le moindre village
Chantent sous nos trois couleurs.
[Chorus]
Congolais, debout fièrement partout,
Proclamons l'union de notre nation,
Oublions ce qui nous divise,
Soyons plus unis que jamais.
Vivons pour notre devise:
Unité, travail, progrès!
Vivons pour notre devise:
Unité, travail, progrès!
Translation
On this day the sun rises
And our Congo shines forth.
A long night has ended,
A great happiness has arrived.
Let us all sing with rapture
The song of liberty.
[Chorus]
Congolese, stand up proudly everywhere,
Let us proclaim the union of our nation.
Let us forget what divides us,
Let us be more united than ever.
Let us live by our motto:
Unity, work, progress.
Let us live by our motto:
Unity, work, progress.
From the forests to the savanna,
From the savannas to the sea,
One people, one soul,
One heart, ardent and proud,
Let us all fight, every one of us,
For our old black country.
[Chorus]
Congolese, stand up proudly everywhere,
Let us proclaim the union of our nation.
Let us forget what divides us,
Let us be more united than ever.
Let us live by our motto:
Unity, work, progress.
Let us live by our motto:
Unity, work, progress.
And if we must die, in the end,
What does it matter, since our children
Everywhere will be able to tell
How victory is won by fighting,
And in the smallest village
They sing beneath our three colours.
[Chorus]
Congolese, stand up proudly everywhere,
Let us proclaim the union of our nation.
Let us forget what divides us,
Let us be more united than ever.
Let us live by our motto:
Unity, work, progress.
Let us live by our motto:
Unity, work, progress.
Cameroon
Ô Cameroun, berceau de nos ancêtres
Original
Ô Cameroun, berceau de nos ancêtres,
Va debout et jaloux de ta liberté.
Comme un soleil ton drapeau fier doit être
Un symbole ardent de foi et d'unité.
Que tous tes enfants du Nord au Sud,
De l'Est à l'Ouest soient tout amour,
Te servir que ce soit leur seul but,
Pour remplir leur devoir toujours.
[Chorus]
Chère Patrie, terre chérie,
Tu es notre seul et vrai bonheur,
Notre joie et notre vie,
À toi l'amour et le grand honneur.
Tu es la tombe où dorment nos pères,
Le jardin que nos aïeux ont cultivé.
Nous travaillons pour te rendre prospère,
Un beau jour enfin nous serons arrivés.
De l'Afrique sois fidèle enfant,
Et progresse toujours en paix,
Espérant que tes jeunes enfants
T'aimeront sans bornes à jamais.
[Chorus]
Chère Patrie, terre chérie,
Tu es notre seul et vrai bonheur,
Notre joie et notre vie,
À toi l'amour et le grand honneur.
Translation
O Cameroon, cradle of our ancestors,
Go forth upright, jealously guarding your freedom.
Like a sun, your proud flag must be
A burning symbol of faith and unity.
May all your children from North to South,
From East to West be all love!
To serve you, let that be the only goal,
To fulfill their duty always.
[Chorus]
Dear Fatherland, beloved land,
You are our one and only true happiness,
Our joy and our life,
To you our love and great honor.
You are the grave where our fathers sleep,
The garden that our forebears cultivated.
We work to make you prosperous,
One fine day at last we shall arrive.
Be a faithful child of Africa,
And ever advance in peace,
Hoping that your young children
Will love you boundlessly forever.
[Chorus]
Dear Fatherland, beloved land,
You are our one and only true happiness,
Our joy and our life,
To you our love and great honor.
Interesting facts
Republic of the Congo
- 1. The replacement anthem 'Les Trois Glorieuses' (The Three Glorious Days) was named after the uprising of 13 to 15 August 1963 that overthrew the first president, Fulbert Youlou. Its words were written by Henri Lopes, the writer who later served as prime minister from 1973 to 1975.
- 2. La Congolaise was written before independence: the words by Jacques Tondra, a Frenchman, and Georges Kibanghi, a Congolese, and the music by Jean Royer and Joseph Spadilière.
- 3. La Congolaise beat a rival song, 'Allons Congo' by the Europeans Jo Noves and Stéphane May, by 44 votes to 9 in the National Assembly, and was adopted by constitutional law no. 10 of 21 November 1959.
- 4. Its refrain sets the national motto to music: 'Vivons pour notre devise: Unité, travail, progrès!' (Let us live for our motto: Unity, work, progress!).
- 5. Brazzaville, the capital, faces Kinshasa (DR Congo's capital) across the Congo River; apart from Rome and Vatican City, they are the closest pair of national capitals in the world.
Cameroon
- 1. The words began as a civics assignment in which the students were asked to express their hopes for Cameroon's future; according to one historical account, Afame then combined the best sentences into the two stanzas of the original text.
- 2. Sources differ on the composer: the Cameroonian embassy in Brussels credits Afame, while the same historical account says three student musicians each wrote a melody and Samuel Minkio Bamba's was chosen.
- 3. The song dates from 1928, almost three decades before it became the official anthem in 1957.
- 4. The text was revised in 1970, and Cameroon has official versions of the anthem in both French and English, its two official languages.
Listen
Republic of the Congo
Cameroon
