Article: Ramaphosa speaks about Die Stem

Lord, bless Africa
May her horn rise high up
Hear thou our prayers
Lord bless us, Lord bless us.

Lord, bless Africa
May her horn rise high up
Hear thou our prayers
Lord bless us
Your family.
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Yup, very South African. Oh wait. The horn of africa is Somalia isn't it?
The song became a pan-African liberation anthem and was later adopted as the national anthem of five countries in Africa including Zambia, Tanzania, Namibia and Zimbabwe after independence. Zimbabwe and Namibia have since adopted new national anthems. The song is currently the national anthem of Tanzania, Zambia and since 1994, a portion of the national anthem of South Africa.
 
JStrike said:
Those bad connotations are the reason. Much like the Swastika has it's origins in peace, it's usage by the Nazi's has made it offensive
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So we should just let it be for the stupid sheeple in the country? No thanks. Ban VW while we are at it.
 
Sinbad said:
Yup, very South African. Oh wait. The horn of africa is Somalia isn't it?
The song became a pan-African liberation anthem and was later adopted as the national anthem of five countries in Africa including Zambia, Tanzania, Namibia and Zimbabwe after independence. Zimbabwe and Namibia have since adopted new national anthems. The song is currently the national anthem of Tanzania, Zambia and since 1994, a portion of the national anthem of South Africa.
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Ok that I didn't know, and now looking that up you're absolutely right.

In that case, it does need to be changed. In fact, why the hell was it adopted in the first place?
 
Greylor said:
Ok that I didn't know, and now looking that up you're absolutely right.

In that case, it does needs to be changed. In fact, why the hell was it adopted in the first place?
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The song was the official anthem for the African National Congress during the apartheid era and was a symbol of the anti-apartheid movement.[5] For decades during the apartheid regime it was considered by many to be the unofficial national anthem of South Africa, representing the suffering of the oppressed.


wikipedia ftw
 
Sinbad said:
The song was the official anthem for the African National Congress during the apartheid era and was a symbol of the anti-apartheid movement.[5] For decades during the apartheid regime it was considered by many to be the unofficial national anthem of South Africa, representing the suffering of the oppressed.


wikipedia ftw
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Ya, I knew that part.

Regardless of that though, if it's already the national anthem of other countries then it's silly to make it the national anthem of your own.
 
Sinbad said:
There is nothing South African about Nkosi Sikelele....
.
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Erm... It was written by a South African, in South Africa, in Xhosa, a South African language...

I don't know what your criteria are for considering something to be South African but from where I'm sitting it's totally South African... :wtf:
 
joelus said:
Erm... It was written by a South African, in South Africa, in Xhosa, a South African language...

I don't know what your criteria are for considering something to be South African but from where I'm sitting it's totally South African... :wtf:
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I think the idea is that as an anthem it's not unique to South Africa, Tanzania and Zambia both have different language versions of it as their national anthems.
 
Cray said:
I think the idea is that as an anthem it's not unique to South Africa, Tanzania and Zambia both have different language versions of it as their national anthems.
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And it's a prayer for the horn of africa.
 
Cray said:
I think the idea is that as an anthem it's not unique to South Africa, Tanzania and Zambia both have different language versions of it as their national anthems.
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Well it came from South Africa which makes it South African. The fact that other countries adopted it is neither here nor there. To say there is "nothing South African about it " is just about as wrong as wrong can be.
Sinbad said:
And it's a prayer for the horn of africa.
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Rubbish. You're just trolling now. It's a prayer for Africa. The current version doesn't even mention the horn of Africa :rolleyes:
 
joelus said:
Well it came from South Africa which makes it South African. The fact that other countries adopted it is neither here nor there. To say there is "nothing South African about it " is just about as wrong as wrong can be.

Rubbish. You're just trolling now. It's a prayer for Africa. The current version doesn't even mention the horn of Africa :rolleyes:
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what does "uphondo" mean?
 
joelus said:
Erm... It was written by a South African, in South Africa, in Xhosa, a South African language...

I don't know what your criteria are for considering something to be South African but from where I'm sitting it's totally South African... :wtf:
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http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Enoch_Sontonga

It was the official anthem of the African National Congress since 1925 and is still the national anthem of Tanzania and Zambia. It was also sung in Zimbabwe and Namibia for many years.
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The hymn tune is Welsh :D <- http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aberystwyth_(hymn_tune)

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nkosi_Sikelel'_iAfrika

The song became a pan-African liberation anthem and was later adopted as the national anthem of five countries in Africa including Zambia, Tanzania, Namibia and Zimbabwe after independence. Zimbabwe and Namibia have since adopted new national anthems. The song is currently the national anthem of Tanzania, Zambia and since 1994, a portion of the national anthem of South Africa.

...

Adopted:
1961 (Tanzania)
1964 (Zambia)
1963 (Transkei)

...

The song was the official anthem for the African National Congress during the apartheid era and was a symbol of the anti-apartheid movement.[5] For decades during the apartheid regime it was considered by many to be the unofficial national anthem of South Africa, representing the suffering of the oppressed. In 1994 after the fall of apartheid, the new President of South Africa Nelson Mandela declared that both "Nkosi Sikelel' iAfrika" and the previous national anthem, "Die Stem van Suid-Afrika" ("The Call of South Africa") would be national anthems. While the inclusion of "Nkosi Sikelel' iAfrika" celebrated the newfound freedom of many South Africans, the fact that "Die Stem" was also kept as an anthem even after the fall of apartheid, signified to all that the new government under Mandela respected all races and cultures and that an all-inclusive new era was dawning upon South Africa.
1994 (South Africa)
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Strictly speaking the song was sang as part of the anti-colonial movements for Pan-Africanism.
 
Ag please people, I have just learnt the words to this one.
 
joelus said:
So by your logic "Die Stem" isn't about South Africa either is it? It's clearly a tribute to the voice of our loved one. And mountain climbers and deep sea divers
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Wow, just wow.
In what culture does the HORN embody ANYTHING relating to spirit?
Whereas, a country can have a voice.

Nkosi sikelel is just a frigging viagra advert! :p
 
Sinbad said:
Wow, just wow.
In what culture does the HORN embody ANYTHING relating to spirit?
Whereas, a country can have a voice.

Nkosi Sikelel is just a frigging viagra advert! :p
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In my opinion looking at the Wiki links and known history, then the Nkosi sikelel is culturally a liberation song for Pan-Africanism and the reason why it was adopted by various African countries.

The problem we have with the African cultural mind-set is that we have Africans (indigenous black groups) and Africans (African citizens of all ethnic groups). In South Africa they camp non-Africans as Afrikaners (never mind the foreigners or English-speaking), which is wrong in my books.

Being highly opinionated, mixing Die Stem (The Call) with Nkosi Sikelel' iAfrika is by no means uniquely South African and socially diverse.
 
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