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 "Kassaman (We 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 | 1962 | 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
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 lightning that destroys,
By the streams of generous blood being shed,
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!
In our revolution is the end of empty talk;
We are determined that Algeria should live,
So be our witness, be our witness, be our witness!
From our heroes we shall make an army come to being,
From our dead we shall build up a glory,
Our spirits shall ascend to immortality
And on our shoulders 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!
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. Imprisoned by the French at Barberousse without paper, Zakaria wrote the lyrics on his cell wall using his own blood, according to the Algeria Press Service.
- 2. The third stanza names France directly and warns of a 'day of reckoning'; for years, only the first verse was sung publicly to soften the diplomatic tension.
- 3. In November 2008, Algeria amended Article 5 of its Constitution to declare the anthem 'immutable', binding all five stanzas to the country's revolutionary identity.
- 4. A 2023 presidential decree under Abdelmadjid Tebboune revived the anti-France verse, mandating that all five stanzas be performed at official ceremonies attended by the president.
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