National Anthem Comparison
Eritrea vs Somalia
1
Shared themes
✗
Different moods
34
34 years apart
✓
Same continent
Comparison Analysis
Eritrea and Somalia, both Africa nations, take distinct approaches to their national anthems. Eritrea's "Eritrea, Eritrea, Eritrea" was written in 1993, while Somalia's "Every Nation Has Its Own Flag" dates to 1959.
Both anthems share themes of resilience. Eritrea additionally explores independence, battle / war, freedom and ancestors / heritage, while Somalia also touches on flag, unity and peace.
The emotional tones differ: Eritrea's anthem is defiant, while Somalia's is proud.
Somalia's anthem predates Eritrea's by 34 years, having been written in 1959 compared to 1993.
Somalia changed its national anthem in 2012, reflecting a shift in the nation's identity or political landscape.
Shared themes
Eritrea
🗽 Independence 💪 Resilience ⚔ Battle / War 🕊 Freedom 🏺 Ancestors / Heritage
Somalia
🚩 Flag 🤝 Unity 💪 Resilience ☮ Peace
Shared themes:
💪 Resilience
Metadata
| Eritrea | Somalia | |
|---|---|---|
| Written | 1993 | 1959 |
| Adopted | 1993 | 2012 |
| Lyricist | Solomon Tsehaye Beraki | Abdullahi Qarshe (government credit; Hussein Aw Farah in other sources) |
| Composer | Isaac Abraham Meharezghi / Aron Tekie Tesfatsion | Abdullahi Qarshe |
| Language | ti | so |
| Region | East Africa | East Africa |
Lyrics Side by Side
Eritrea
ኤርትራ ኤርትራ ኤርትራ
Original
𝄆 ኤርትራ ኤርትራ ኤርትራ፡
ብዓል ደማ እናልቀሰ ተደምሲሱ፡
መስዋእታ ብሓርነት ተደቢሱ። 𝄇
መዋእል ነኺሳ ኣብ ዕላማ፡
ትእምርቲ ጽንዓት ኰይኑ ስማ፡
ኤርትራ'ዛ ሓበን ውጹዓት፡
ኣመስኪራ ሓቂ ከምእትዕወት።
ኤርትራ ኤርትራ፡
ኣብ ዓለም ጨቢጣቶ ግቡእ ክብራ።
ናጽነት ዘምጽአ ልዑል ኒሕ፡
ንህንጻ ንልምዓት ክሰርሕ፡
ስልጣነ ከነልብሳ ግርማ፡
ሕድሪ'ለና ግምጃ ክንስልማ።
𝄆 ኤርትራ ኤርትራ፡
ኣብ ዓለም ጨቢጣቶ ግቡእ ክብራ። 𝄇
Translation
𝄆 Eritrea, Eritrea, Eritrea,
Her blood foe, wailing, has been crushed,
Her sacrifice repaid with freedom. 𝄇
Holding fast to her aim through the long years,
Her name became a symbol of steadfastness;
Eritrea, the pride of the oppressed,
Has borne witness that truth prevails.
Eritrea, Eritrea,
Has claimed her rightful honour in the world.
The lofty resolve that brought independence
Shall labour for building and development;
To clothe her in the splendour of civilization,
To adorn her in brocade, is the trust we hold.
𝄆 Eritrea, Eritrea,
Has claimed her rightful honour in the world. 𝄇
Somalia
Qolobaa Calankeed
Original
Chorus:
(𝄆) Qolobaa calankeedu,
waa ceynoo, (𝄇)
Innaga keenu waa,
Cirkoo kala ee,
aan caadna lahayn,
Ee caashaqaye.
I
(𝄆) Xiddigyahay caddi waad,
Naa ciidamisee, (𝄇)
Carradaa keligaa
adow curadee,
cadceedda sideeda,
caan noqo ee!
Chorus
II
(𝄆) Cashadaad dhalataa
caloosheennee, (𝄇)
Sidii culaygii
cidaad marisee,
Allow ha ku celin,
"Cawooy!" dhahe ee
Chorus
III
(𝄆) Shanteena cududood
Cadkii ka maqnaa (𝄇)
Adow celiyow
Nacaawimayee
Waa calaf cimrigu
Isku keen simayee
Translation
[Chorus]
(𝄆) Every nation's flag
has its own colour, (𝄇)
and ours
is like the sky,
without a single cloud,
and we love it dearly.
I
(𝄆) O white star,
you have rallied us, (𝄇)
in this land you alone
are the foremost;
like the sun,
become renowned!
[Chorus]
II
(𝄆) On the day you were born,
our hearts (𝄇)
you cleansed
like purifying incense.
O God, never take it back;
let us cry: "O good fortune!"
[Chorus]
III
(𝄆) The piece that was missing
from our five arms, (𝄇)
it is you who bring it back
and who help us;
it is life's destiny
that has brought us together as one.
Interesting facts
Eritrea
- 1. Eritrea's independence war lasted 30 years (1961-1991), one of the longest in African history, and the anthem's tone reflects this prolonged struggle
- 2. The anthem is in Tigrinya, which is spoken by about 55% of Eritreans, though the country has nine recognized ethnic languages
- 3. Before winning independence, Eritrea had been federated with Ethiopia in 1952 and then annexed by it in 1962
- 4. Eritrean radio and television stations play the anthem when they begin broadcasting in the morning and when they sign off at night, and schools sing it as the flag is raised and lowered
Somalia
- 1. Somalia's previous anthem 'Soomaaliyeey Toosoo' (Somalia Wake Up), a popular song from the 1940s that was sung at the independence celebrations of 1960, was the national anthem from 2000 until it was replaced in 2012
- 2. The anthem addresses the white star of the Somali flag, whose five points stand for the five regions of the Horn of Africa where Somalis historically live
- 3. Somalia has one of the most ethnically homogeneous populations in Africa, with most citizens sharing the Somali language and culture
Listen
Eritrea
Somalia
