National Anthem Comparison
Algeria vs Tunisia
2
Shared themes
✓
Same mood
25
25 years apart
✓
Same continent
Comparison Analysis
Algeria and Tunisia, both Africa nations, take distinct approaches to their national anthems. Algeria's "The Pledge" was written in 1955, while Tunisia's "Defenders of the Homeland" dates to 1930.
Both anthems share themes of Battle / War and Freedom. Algeria additionally explores Independence, Revolution and Flag, while Tunisia also touches on Resilience.
Both anthems carry a Fierce tone, creating a similar emotional register despite their geographic distance.
Tunisia changed its national anthem in 1987, reflecting a shift in the nation's identity or political landscape.
Shared themes
Algeria
⚔ Battle / War 🗽 Independence 🕊 Freedom 🔥 Revolution 🚩 Flag
Tunisia
⚔ Battle / War 🕊 Freedom 💪 Resilience
Shared themes:
⚔ Battle / War 🕊 Freedom
Metadata
| Algeria | Tunisia | |
|---|---|---|
| Written | 1955 | 1930 |
| Adopted | 1963 | 1987 |
| Lyricist | Moufdi Zakaria | Mustafa Sadik al-Rafii / Aboul-Qacem Echebbi |
| Composer | Mohamed Fawzi | Mohammed Abdel Wahab |
| Language | ar | ar |
| Region | North Africa | North Africa |
Lyrics Side by Side
Algeria
قسما
Original
قَسَمًا بِالنَّازِلَاتِ الْمَاحِقَاتِ
وَالدِّمَاءِ الزَّاكِيَاتِ الطَّاهِرَاتِ
وَالْبُنُودِ اللَّامِعَاتِ الْخَافِقَاتِ
فِي الْجِبَالِ الشَّامِخَاتِ الشَّاهِقَاتِ
نَحْنُ ثُرْنَا فَحَيَاةٌ أَوْ مَمَاتٌ
وَعَقَدْنَا الْعَزْمَ أَنْ تَحْيَا الْجَزَائِرُ
فَاشْهَدُوا... فَاشْهَدُوا... فَاشْهَدُوا...
نَحْنُ جُنْدٌ فِي سَبِيلِ الْحَقِّ ثُرْنَا
وَإِلَى اسْتِقْلَالِنَا بِالْحَرْبِ قُمْنَا
لَمْ يَكُنْ يُصْغَى لَنَا لَمَّا نَطَقْنَا
فَاتَّخَذْنَا رَنَّةَ الْبَارُودِ وَزْنًا
وَعَزَفْنَا نَغْمَةَ الرَّشَّاشِ لَحْنًا
وَعَقَدْنَا الْعَزْمَ أَنْ تَحْيَا الْجَزَائِرُ
فَاشْهَدُوا... فَاشْهَدُوا... فَاشْهَدُوا...
يَا فِرَنْسَا قَدْ مَضَى وَقْتُ الْعِتَابِ
وَطَوَيْنَاهُ كَمَا يُطْوَى الْكِتَابُ
يَا فِرَنْسَا إِنَّ ذَا يَوْمُ الْحِسَابِ
فَاسْتَعِدِّي وَخُذِي مِنَّا الْجَوَابَ
إِنَّ فِي ثَوْرَتِنَا فَصْلَ الْخِطَابِ
وَعَقَدْنَا الْعَزْمَ أَنْ تَحْيَا الْجَزَائِرُ
فَاشْهَدُوا... فَاشْهَدُوا... فَاشْهَدُوا...
نَحْنُ مِنْ أَبْطَالِنَا نَصْنَعُ مَجْدًا
وَعَلَى أَشْلَائِنَا نَصْنَعُ حَيَاةً
وَعَلَى أَرْوَاحِنَا نَصْعَدُ خُلْدًا
وَعَلَى هَامَاتِنَا نَرْفَعُ بُنُودًا
جَبْهَةُ التَّحْرِيرِ أَعْطَيْنَاكِ عَهْدًا
وَعَقَدْنَا الْعَزْمَ أَنْ تَحْيَا الْجَزَائِرُ
فَاشْهَدُوا... فَاشْهَدُوا... فَاشْهَدُوا...
صَرْخَةُ الْأَوْطَانِ مِنْ سَاحِ الْفِدَا
اسْمَعُوهَا وَاسْتَجِيبُوا لِلنِّدَا
وَاكْتُبُوهَا بِدِمَاءِ الشُّهَدَا
وَاقْرَؤُوهَا لِبَنِي الْجِيلِ غَدَا
قَدْ مَدَدْنَا لَكَ يَا مَجْدُ يَدًا
وَعَقَدْنَا الْعَزْمَ أَنْ تَحْيَا الْجَزَائِرُ
فَاشْهَدُوا... فَاشْهَدُوا... فَاشْهَدُوا...
Translation
We swear by the lightning that destroys,
By the streams of generous blood being shed,
By the bright flags that wave,
Flying proudly on the high majestic mountains,
That we have risen up, and whether we live or die,
We are resolved that Algeria shall live.
So bear witness... bear witness... bear witness...
We are soldiers in the cause of right, we have risen,
And for our independence we have gone to war.
No one heeded us when we spoke,
So we have taken the echo of gunfire as our rhythm
And played the rattling of machine guns as our melody,
And we are resolved that Algeria shall live.
So bear witness... bear witness... bear witness...
O France, the time of reproach has passed
And we have closed it like a book.
O France, this is the day of reckoning,
So be ready and receive our answer.
In our revolution lies the final word,
And we are resolved that Algeria shall live.
So bear witness... bear witness... bear witness...
From our heroes we shall build glory,
And upon our remains we shall build life,
And upon our souls we shall ascend to eternity,
And upon our heads we shall raise the banners.
Front of Liberation, we have given you our oath,
And we are resolved that Algeria shall live.
So bear witness... bear witness... bear witness...
The cry of the homeland from the fields of sacrifice,
Hear it and heed the call,
And write it in the blood of the martyrs,
And read it to the sons of future generations.
We have extended our hand to you, O glory,
And we are resolved that Algeria shall live.
So bear witness... bear witness... bear witness...
Tunisia
حماة الحمى
Original
حُمَاةَ الحِمَى يَا حُمَاةَ الحِمَى
هَلُمُّوا هَلُمُّوا لِعِزِّ الزَّمَنْ
لَقَدْ صَرَخَتْ فِي عُرُوقِنَا الدِّمَا
نَمُوتُ نَمُوتُ وَيَحْيَا الوَطَنْ
لِتَدُو السَّمَاوَاتُ بِرَعْدِهَا
لِتَرْمِ الصَّوَاعِقُ نِيرَانَهَا
إِذَا مُتْنَا مُتْنَا فِدَا لِبِلَادِنَا
وَنِعْمَ المَمَاتُ إِذَا مَا اشْتَكَى الوَطَنْ
إِذَا الشَّعْبُ يَوْمًا أَرَادَ الحَيَاةْ
فَلَا بُدَّ أَنْ يَسْتَجِيبَ القَدَرْ
وَلَا بُدَّ لِلَّيْلِ أَنْ يَنْجَلِي
وَلَا بُدَّ لِلقَيْدِ أَنْ يَنْكَسِرْ
Translation
O defenders of the homeland!
Rally around to the glory of our time!
The blood surges in our veins,
We die, we die, so that the homeland may live!
Let the heavens thunder,
Let the thunderbolts hurl their fire,
If we die, we die as sacrifice for our country,
And what a fine death when the homeland calls.
If the people one day will to live,
Then destiny must surely respond,
The darkness must surely lift,
And the chains must surely be broken.
Interesting facts
Algeria
- 1. The anthem's title 'Kassaman' (The Pledge) is structured as an oath, and the word 'bear witness' is repeated three times at the end, echoing the Islamic shahada tradition of triple attestation.
- 2. Moufdi Zakaria never received payment or formal recognition from the Algerian government during his lifetime and spent his later years in Morocco, feeling politically sidelined.
- 3. Algeria's anthem is banned from being remixed, sampled, or used in commercial music under Algerian law, with violations carrying potential prison sentences.
Tunisia
- 1. Echebbi's famous line 'If the people one day will to live, destiny must obey' from the same poem became a rallying cry across the entire Arab world during the 2011 Arab Spring revolutions.
- 2. Tunisia had a completely different anthem from 1958 to 1987, called 'Humat al-Hima' with different lyrics; the switch happened on the same night President Ben Ali took power in a bloodless coup.
- 3. The anthem shares its composer, Mohammed Abdel Wahab, with the anthems of the United Arab Emirates and Libya, making Wahab's melodies heard at more UN sessions than those of almost any other single composer.
Listen
Algeria
Tunisia
