National Anthem Comparison
Algeria vs Morocco
1
Shared themes
✗
Different moods
1
1 years apart
✓
Same continent
Comparison Analysis
Algeria and Morocco, both Africa nations, take distinct approaches to their national anthems. Algeria's "Kassaman (We Pledge)" was written in 1955, while Morocco's "Cherifian Anthem" dates to 1956.
Both anthems share themes of freedom. Algeria additionally explores battle / war, independence, revolution and flag, while Morocco also touches on god / faith, monarchy and unity.
The emotional tones differ: Algeria's anthem is fierce, while Morocco's is majestic.
Shared themes
Algeria
⚔ Battle / War 🗽 Independence 🕊 Freedom 🔥 Revolution 🚩 Flag
Morocco
✝ God / Faith 👑 Monarchy 🕊 Freedom 🤝 Unity
Shared themes:
🕊 Freedom
Metadata
| Algeria | Morocco | |
|---|---|---|
| Written | 1955 | 1956 |
| Adopted | 1962 | 1956 |
| Lyricist | Moufdi Zakaria | Ali Squalli Houssaini |
| Composer | Mohamed Fawzi | Leo Morgan |
| Language | ar | ar |
| Region | North Africa | North Africa |
Lyrics Side by Side
Algeria
قَسَمًا
Original
قَسَمًا بِالنَّازِلَاتِ الْمَاحِقَاتْ
وَالدِّمَاءِ الزَّاكِيَاتِ الطَّاهِرَاتْ
وَالْبُنُودِ اللَّامِعَاتِ الْخَافِقَاتْ
فِي الْجِبَالِ الشَّامِخَاتِ الشَّاهِقَاتْ
نَحْنُ ثُرْنَا فَحَيَاةٌ أَوْ مَمَاتْ
وَعَقَدْنَا الْعَزْمَ أَنْ تَحْيَا الْجَزَائِرْ
فَاشْهَدُوا… فَاشْهَدُوا… فَاشْهَدُوا…
نَحْنُ جُنْدٌ فِي سَبِيلِ الْحَقِّ ثُرْنَا
وَإِلَى اسْتِقْلَالِنَا بِالْحَرْبِ قُمْنَا
لَمْ يَكُنْ يُصْغَى لَنَا لَمَا نَطَقْنَا
فَاتَّخَذْنَا رَنَّةَ الْبَارُودِ وَزْنَا
وَعَزَفْنَا نَغْمَةَ الرَّشَّاشِ لَحْنَا
وَعَقَدْنَا الْعَزْمَ أَنْ تَحْيَا الْجَزَائِرْ
فَاشْهَدُوا… فَاشْهَدُوا… فَاشْهَدُوا…
يَا فِرَنْسَا قَدْ مَضَى وَقْتُ الْعِتَابْ
وَطَوَيْنَاهُ كَمَا يُطْوَى الْكِتَابْ
يَا فِرَنْسَا اِنَّ ذَا يَوْمُ الْحِسَابْ
فَاسْتَعِدِّي وَخُذِي مِنَّا الْجَوَابْ
اِنَّ فِي ثَوْرَتِنَا فَصْلُ الْخِطَابْ
وَعَقَدْنَا الْعَزْمَ أَنْ تَحْيَا الْجَزَائِرْ
فَاشْهَدُوا… فَاشْهَدُوا… فَاشْهَدُوا…
نَحْنُ مِنْ أَبْطَالِنَا نَدْفَعُ جُنْدًا
وَعَلَى أَشْلَائِنَا نَصْنَعُ مَجْدًا
وَعَلَى أَرْوَاحِنَا نَصْعَدُ خُلْدًا
وَعَلَى هَامَاتِنَا نَرْفَعُ بَنْدًا
جَبْهَةُ التَّحْرِيرِ أَعْطَيْنَاكِ عَهْدًا
وَعَقَدْنَا الْعَزْمَ أَنْ تَحْيَا الْجَزَائِرْ
فَاشْهَدُوا… فَاشْهَدُوا… فَاشْهَدُوا…
صَرْخَةُ الْأَوْطَانِ مِنْ سَاحِ الْفِدَا
اِسْمَعُوهَا وَاسْتَجِيبُوا لِلنِّدَا
وَاكْتُبُوهَا بِدِمَاءِ الشُّهَدَا
وَاقْرَأُوهَا لِبَنِي الْجِيلِ غَدَا
قَدْ مَدَدْنَا لَكَ يَا مَجْدُ يَدَا
وَعَقَدْنَا الْعَزْمَ أَنْ تَحْيَا الْجَزَائِرْ
فَاشْهَدُوا… فَاشْهَدُوا… فَاشْهَدُوا…
Translation
We swear by the devastating calamities,
By the pure and stainless blood,
By the bright flags that wave,
Flying proudly on the high mountains
That we are in revolt, whether to live or to die,
We are determined that Algeria should live,
So be our witness, be our witness, be our witness!
We are soldiers, for the sake of justice we revolted,
And for our independence we waged war,
When we spoke, nobody listened to us,
So we have taken the noise of gunpowder as our rhythm
And the sound of machine guns as our melody,
We are determined that Algeria should live,
So be our witness, be our witness, be our witness!
O France, the time of reproof is over
And we have closed it as a book is closed;
O France, this is the day of reckoning
So prepare to receive from us our answer!
Our revolution has the final word;
We are determined that Algeria should live,
So be our witness, be our witness, be our witness!
From our heroes we shall send forth an army,
From our dead we shall build up a glory,
At the price of our lives we shall rise to immortality
And above our heads we shall raise the standard.
To the nation's Liberation Front we have sworn an oath,
We are determined that Algeria should live,
So be our witness, be our witness, be our witness!
The cry of the motherland sounds from the battlefields.
Listen to it and answer the call!
Let it be written with the blood of martyrs
And be read to future generations.
Oh, glory, we have held out our hand to you,
We are determined that Algeria should live,
So be our witness, be our witness, be our witness!
Morocco
النشيد الوطني المغربي
Original
منبت الأحرار
مشرق الأنوار
منتدى السؤدد وحماه
دمت منتداه وحماه
عشت في الأوطان
للعلى عنوان
ملء كل جنان
ذكر كل لسان
بالروح بالجسد
هب فتاك
لبى نداك
في فمي وفي دمي
هواك ثار نور ونار
إخوتي هيا
للعلى سعيا
نشهد الدنيا
أنا هنا نحيا
بشعار
الله الوطن الملك
Translation
Fountain of freedom,
Source of light,
Gathering place of glory and its sanctuary,
May you ever remain its gathering place and its sanctuary!
May you live among the nations
As an emblem of greatness,
Filling every heart,
Chanted by every tongue.
With spirit and body,
Your son has risen,
Has answered your call.
In my mouth and in my blood,
Love for you has surged as light and fire.
My brothers, come,
Strive for the highest!
Let the world witness
That we live here
With our motto:
God, Homeland, King.
Interesting facts
Algeria
- 1. The best-known story, reported by the Algeria Press Service, holds that Zakaria had neither paper nor pen in his cell and wrote the verses on the wall in his own blood; a scholarly study calls it a legend.
- 2. The third stanza names France directly and declares that the day of reckoning has come. In the 1980s, under President Chadli Bendjedid, the authorities tried to remove it, arguing that Kassaman was the only anthem in the world to name another country, but a parliamentary committee rejected the amendment.
- 3. In November 2008, Algeria amended Article 5 of its Constitution to declare the anthem 'immutable' and to define it as Kassaman in all its stanzas.
- 4. A presidential decree signed by Abdelmadjid Tebboune in May 2023 made all five stanzas mandatory at official commemorations attended by the president; the 1986 rules had reserved the full anthem for FLN congresses and presidential inaugurations, and a shortened version is still played at other official ceremonies with the president and on state visits.
Morocco
- 1. Leo Morgan, a French army captain and head of music of the Moroccan Royal Guard, wrote the melody under the protectorate; independent Morocco kept it as its anthem
- 2. The anthem's closing words, 'God, Homeland, King', are Morocco's official motto, set out in Article 4 of the 2011 Constitution
- 3. The lyrics were only officially added in 1970, fourteen years after the melody was adopted at independence; the idea of giving the anthem words came after Morocco qualified for its first FIFA World Cup, held in Mexico that year
Listen
Algeria
Morocco
