National Anthem Comparison
Mauritius vs Seychelles
4
Shared themes
✗
Different moods
28
28 years apart
✓
Same continent
Mauritius
Motherland
Comparison Analysis
Mauritius and Seychelles, both Africa nations, take distinct approaches to their national anthems. Mauritius's "Motherland" was written in 1968, while Seychelles's "Join Together All Seychellois" dates to 1996.
Both anthems share themes of unity, peace, love of homeland and god / faith. Mauritius additionally explores freedom, while Seychelles also touches on nature.
The emotional tones differ: Mauritius's anthem is hopeful, while Seychelles's is joyful.
Seychelles changed its national anthem in 1996, reflecting a shift in the nation's identity or political landscape.
Shared themes
Mauritius
🤝 Unity ☮ Peace ❤ Love of homeland ✝ God / Faith 🕊 Freedom
Seychelles
🤝 Unity 🌿 Nature ❤ Love of homeland ☮ Peace ✝ God / Faith
Shared themes:
🤝 Unity ☮ Peace ❤ Love of homeland ✝ God / Faith
Metadata
| Mauritius | Seychelles | |
|---|---|---|
| Written | 1968 | 1996 |
| Adopted | 1968 | 1996 |
| Lyricist | Jean Georges Prosper | David André and Georges Payet |
| Composer | Philippe Gentil | David André and Georges Payet |
| Language | en | crs |
| Region | East Africa | East Africa |
Lyrics Side by Side
Mauritius
Motherland
Original
Glory to thee, Motherland
O Motherland of mine.
Sweet is thy beauty,
Sweet is thy fragrance,
Around thee we gather
As one people,
As one nation,
In peace, justice and liberty.
Beloved Country,
May God bless thee.
For ever and ever.
Seychelles
Koste Seselwa
Original
Sesel ou menm nou sel patri
Kot nou viv dan larmoni
Lazwa, lanmour ek lape
Nou remersye Bondye
Prezerv labote nou pei
Larises nou losean
En leritaz byen presye
Pour boner nou zanfan
Reste touzour dan linite
Fer monte nou paviyon
Ansanm pour tou leternite
Koste Seselwa
Translation
Seychelles, our only motherland
Where we live in harmony
Happiness, love and peace
We give thanks to God.
Preserve the beauty of our country
The riches of our oceans
A precious heritage
For the happiness of our children.
Live forever in unity
Raise our flag
Together for all eternity
Join together all Seychellois.
Interesting facts
Mauritius
- 1. Composer Philippe Gentil was a violinist, trumpeter and saxophonist in the Mauritius Police Band; he set Prosper's words to music once they had been chosen.
- 2. When the anthem was published in a national newspaper, the Police Band's bandmaster, Philippe Oh San, was wrongly credited as its composer.
- 3. The words were chosen through an open competition launched in 1968. Their author, Jean Georges Prosper, a doctor of letters of the Sorbonne, is a leading name in Mauritian literature in French, although he wrote the anthem in English.
- 4. 'Motherland' was played for the first time at the independence ceremony on 12 March 1968, straight after 'God Save the Queen' was played for the last time.
Seychelles
- 1. Official guidelines on the national symbols require that the anthem, whenever it is sung, be sung in Creole
- 2. Seychelles has had three national anthems since independence in 1976: 'En Avant' was replaced in 1978, after the 1977 coup, and 'Fyer Seselwa' in 1996, after multi-party democracy was restored
- 3. The second verse asks Seychellois to preserve the beauty of their country and the riches of their ocean, fitting for a nation of 115 islands spread across the Indian Ocean
- 4. The anthem was first recorded in Paris in March 1996 by the Orchestre de la Garde républicaine, in an orchestral arrangement by the Russian composer and conductor Anatoli Savatinov
Listen
Mauritius
Seychelles
