National Anthem Comparison
Mali vs Mauritania
0
Shared themes
✗
Different moods
55
55 years apart
✓
Same continent
Comparison Analysis
Mali and Mauritania, both Africa nations, take distinct approaches to their national anthems. Mali's "Mali" was written in 1962, while Mauritania's "National Anthem of Mauritania" dates to 2017.
The two anthems take different thematic approaches. Mali's focuses on unity, freedom, battle / war and hope, while Mauritania's centers on god / faith, love of homeland and ancestors / heritage.
The emotional tones differ: Mali's anthem is proud, while Mauritania's is solemn.
Mali's anthem predates Mauritania's by 55 years, having been written in 1962 compared to 2017.
Mauritania changed its national anthem in 2017, reflecting a shift in the nation's identity or political landscape.
Shared themes
Mali
🤝 Unity 🕊 Freedom ⚔ Battle / War 🌅 Hope
Mauritania
✝ God / Faith ❤ Love of homeland 🏺 Ancestors / Heritage
Metadata
| Mali | Mauritania | |
|---|---|---|
| Written | 1962 | 2017 |
| Adopted | 1962 | 2017 |
| Lyricist | Seydou Badian Kouyaté | Committee |
| Composer | Banzumana Sissoko | Rageh Daoud |
| Language | fr | ar |
| Region | West Africa | West Africa |
Lyrics Side by Side
Mali
Le Mali
Original
À ton appel Mali,
Pour ta prospérité
Fidèle à ton destin
Nous serons tous unis
Un Peuple un But une Foi
Pour une Afrique Unie
Si l'ennemi découvre son front
Au dedans ou au dehors
Debout sur les remparts
Nous sommes résolus de mourir.
[Refrain]
Pour l'Afrique et pour toi Mali
Notre drapeau sera liberté
Pour l'Afrique et pour toi Mali
Notre combat sera unité
Ô Mali d'aujourd'hui
Ô Mali de demain
Les champs fleurissent d'espérance
Les cœurs vibrent de confiance.
Debout villes et campagnes
Debout Femmes, Jeunes et Vieux
Pour la Patrie en marche
Vers l'avenir radieux
Pour notre dignité
Renforçons bien nos rangs
Pour le salut public
Forgeons le bien commun
Ensemble au coude à coude
Faisons le chantier du bonheur.
[Refrain]
La voie est dure, très dure
Qui mène au bonheur commun
Courage et dévouement
Vigilance à tout moment
Vérité des temps anciens
Vérité de tous les jours
Le bonheur par le labeur
Fera le Mali de demain.
[Refrain]
L'Afrique se lève enfin
Saluons ce jour nouveau
Saluons la liberté
Marchons vers l'Unité
Dignité retrouvée
Soutient notre combat
Fidèles à notre serment
De faire l'Afrique Unie
Ensemble, debout mes frères
Tous au rendez-vous de l'honneur.
[Refrain]
Translation
At your call, Mali
For your prosperity
Loyal towards your destiny
We shall all be united,
One people, one goal, one faith,
For a united Africa
If the enemy should show himself
Inside or outside,
Standing on the ramparts,
We are resolved to die.
[Chorus]
For Africa and for you, Mali,
Our banner shall be liberty.
For Africa and for you, Mali,
Our fight shall be for unity.
Oh, Mali of today,
Oh, Mali of tomorrow,
The fields are flowering with hope
Hearts are thrilling with confidence.
Rise, towns and countryside,
Rise, women, young and old,
For the country moving
Towards a bright future
For our dignity
Let us strengthen our ranks well
For the public salvation
Let us forge the common good
Together shoulder to shoulder
Let us make the path of happiness
[Chorus]
The path is hard, very hard,
Which leads to common happiness
Courage and dedication
Vigilance at all times
Truth of ancient times
Truth of every day
Happiness through labour
Will make the Mali of tomorrow
[Chorus]
Africa finally rises
Let us welcome this new day
Let us welcome liberty
Let us march towards unity
Newfound dignity
Supports our fight
True to our oath
Of making Africa united
Together, rise, my brothers,
All to the rendezvous of honour.
[Chorus]
Mauritania
نشيد موريتانيا الوطني
Original
١
بِلَادَ الْأُبَاةِ الْهُدَاةِ الْكِرَامْ
وَحِصْنَ الْكِتَابِ الَّذِي لَا يُضَامْ
أَيَا مُورِيتَانِ رَبِيعَ الْوِئَامْ
وَرُكْنَ السَّمَاحَةِ ثَغْرَ السَّلَامْ
كورال:
سَنَحْمِي حِمَاكِ وَنَحْنُ فِدَاكِ
وَنَكْسُو رُبَاكِ بِلَوْنِ الْأَمَلْ
وَعِنْدَ نِدَاكِ نُلَبِّي أَجَلْ
٢
بُدُورُ سَمَائِكِ لَمْ تُحْجَبِ
وَشَمْسُ جَبِينِكِ لَمْ تَغْرُبِ
نَمَاكِ الْأَمَاجِدُ مِنْ يَعْرُبِ
لِإِفْرِيقِيَّا الْمَنْبَعِ الْأَعْذَبِ
كورال
٣
رَضَعْنَا لِبَانَ النَّدَى وَالْإِبَا
سَجَايَا حَمَلْنَ جَنًى طَيِّبَا
وَمَرْعًى خَصِيبًا، وَإِنْ أَجْدَبَا
سَمَوْنَا، فَكَانَ لَنَا أَرْحَبَا
كورال
٤
سَقَيْنَا عَدُوَّكِ صَابًا وَمُرًّا
فَمَا نَالَ نُزْلًا وَلَا مُسْتَقَرَّا
نُقَاوِمُهُ حَيْثُ جَاسَ وَمَرَّا
نُرَتِّلُ إِنَّ مَعَ العُسْرِ يُسْرَا
كورال
(٥)
قَفَوْنَا الرَّسُولَ بِنَهْجٍ سَمَا
إِلَىٰ سِدْرَةِ الْمَجْدِ فَوْقَ السَّمَا
حَجَزْنَا الثُّرَيَّا لَنَا سُلَّمَا
رَسَمْنَا هُنَالِكَ حَدَّ الْحِمَىٰ
كورال
٦
أَخَذْنَاكِ عَهْدًا حَمَلْنَاكِ وَعْدًا
وَنُهْدِيكِ سَعْدًا لِجِيلٍ أطَلْ
كورال النهائي:
سَنَحْمِي حِمَاكِ وَنَحْنُ فِدَاكِ
وَنَكْسُو رُبَاكِ بِلَوْنِ الْأَمَلْ
سَنَحْمِي حِمَاكِ وَنَحْنُ فِدَاكِ
وَعِنْدَ نِدَاكِ نُلَبِّي أجَلْ
Translation
1
Land of the proud, the guides, the noble,
Inviolable fortress of the Book,
O Mauritania, springtime of concord,
Pillar of tolerance, frontier of peace.
Chorus:
We shall guard your land and give our lives for you,
And clothe your hills in the colour of hope,
And at your call we shall answer: yes!
2
The full moons of your sky have never been veiled,
And the sun upon your brow has never set.
Glorious forebears raised you, from Ya‘rub
To Africa, the sweetest wellspring.
Chorus
3
We suckled the milk of generosity and pride,
Virtues that bore good fruit
And fertile pasture; and when the land turned barren,
We rose higher, and it grew wider for us.
Chorus
4
We gave your enemy bitter aloe and myrrh to drink,
And he found no lodging and no resting place.
We resist him wherever he prowls and passes,
Reciting: "Truly, with hardship comes ease."
Chorus
5
We followed the Messenger on a path that rose
To the Lote Tree of glory above the sky;
We claimed the Pleiades as a ladder for ourselves,
And there we drew the boundary of our domain.
Chorus
6
We took you as a covenant, we carried you as a promise,
And we offer you happiness for a generation now rising.
Final chorus:
We shall guard your land and give our lives for you,
And clothe your hills in the colour of hope,
We shall guard your land and give our lives for you,
And at your call we shall answer: yes!
Interesting facts
Mali
- 1. The anthem became official by law n° 62-72 of 9 August 1962; the law fixes both the title 'Le Mali' and the text, four verses with refrain.
- 2. Seydou Badian Kouyaté, the lyricist, took his medical doctorate at Montpellier and published the novel Sous l'orage in 1957; a minister under Modibo Keïta, first for the rural economy, he was imprisoned after the 1968 coup and went into exile once freed in 1975.
- 3. Banzumana Sissoko, born blind around 1890 in the Ségou region, taught himself the ngoni and was known to his compatriots as le Vieux Lion, the Old Lion.
- 4. The Malian Pioneer movement translated the lyrics into Bambara as 'Afiriki ye ani e ye, Mali'; the translation is attributed to Abdulay Bari.
Mauritania
- 1. Earlier attempts to give Mauritania an officially adopted anthem had failed: in 1977 a commission held a competition in which more than 70 poets took part, but none of their texts was accepted, and further attempts in 1986, 1990 and 2001 also came to nothing.
- 2. The same constitutional reform changed the flag, adding horizontal red bands along its top and bottom edges.
- 3. The previous anthem set a poem by Baba Ould Cheikh Sidiya to a traditional melody; its unusual rhythm made it so hard to sing that it was often wrongly listed as having no words.
Listen
Mali
Mauritania
