National Anthem Comparison
Cameroon vs Equatorial Guinea
2
Shared themes
✗
Different moods
40
40 years apart
✓
Same continent
Equatorial Guinea
Caminemos pisando las sendas de nuestra inmensa felicidad
Let Us Tread the Paths of Our Great Happiness
Comparison Analysis
Cameroon and Equatorial Guinea, both Africa nations, take distinct approaches to their national anthems. Cameroon's "O Cameroon, Cradle of Our Ancestors" was written in 1928, while Equatorial Guinea's "Let Us Tread the Paths of Our Great Happiness" dates to 1968.
Both anthems share themes of unity and freedom. Cameroon additionally explores ancestors / heritage and love of homeland, while Equatorial Guinea also touches on independence and revolution.
The emotional tones differ: Cameroon's anthem is proud, while Equatorial Guinea's is defiant.
Cameroon's anthem predates Equatorial Guinea's by 40 years, having been written in 1928 compared to 1968.
Shared themes
Cameroon
🏺 Ancestors / Heritage 🤝 Unity ❤ Love of homeland 🕊 Freedom
Equatorial Guinea
🕊 Freedom 🗽 Independence 🤝 Unity 🔥 Revolution
Shared themes:
🤝 Unity 🕊 Freedom
Metadata
| Cameroon | Equatorial Guinea | |
|---|---|---|
| Written | 1928 | 1968 |
| Adopted | 1957 | 1968 |
| Lyricist | René Djam Afame, Samuel Minkio Bamba, Moïse Nyatte Nko'o (1928); revised 1970 | Atanasio Ndongo Miyone |
| Composer | René Djam Afame (disputed; also credited to Samuel Minkio Bamba) | Ramiro Sánchez López |
| Language | fr | es |
| Region | Central Africa | Central Africa |
Lyrics Side by Side
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.
Equatorial Guinea
Caminemos pisando las sendas de nuestra inmensa felicidad
Original
Caminemos pisando las sendas
de nuestra inmensa felicidad.
En fraternidad, sin separación,
¡cantemos Libertad!
Tras dos siglos de estar sometidos,
por la dominación colonial,
en fraterna unión, sin discriminar,
¡cantemos Libertad!
¡Gritemos viva, libre Guinea!
y defendamos nuestra Libertad.
Cantemos siempre, libre Guinea,
y conservemos siempre la unidad.
¡Gritemos viva, libre Guinea!
y defendamos nuestra Libertad.
Cantemos siempre, libre Guinea,
y conservemos, y conservemos
la independencia nacional.
Translation
Let us walk the paths
of our immense happiness.
In brotherhood, without division,
let us sing of Liberty!
After two centuries of subjection
to colonial domination,
in fraternal union, without discrimination,
let us sing of Liberty!
Let us cry: long live free Guinea!
And let us defend our Liberty.
Let us sing forever, free Guinea,
and let us always preserve our unity.
Let us cry: long live free Guinea!
And let us defend our Liberty.
Let us sing forever, free Guinea,
and let us preserve, let us preserve
our national independence.
Interesting facts
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.
Equatorial Guinea
- 1. Equatorial Guinea is the only sovereign state in Africa with Spanish as an official language
- 2. Atanasio Ndongo Miyone, who wrote the words, was a prominent independence activist; the music is by the Spanish military bandmaster Ramiro Sánchez López
- 3. The anthem was first played on independence day, 12 October 1968: at the ceremony in Santa Isabel (today Malabo), the Territorial Guard performed it as the new national flag was raised for the first time
Listen
Cameroon
Equatorial Guinea
