The music of the national anthem was composed by Norbert Raharisoa, a music teacher and professor. The words were written by Pasteur Rahajason, a priest. It was first performed in the public when Madagascar was declared an autonomous republic within the Union Française. The parliament officially adopted the anthem on April 27,1959. Therefore Madagascar already had a national anthem when it achieved full independence on 26th June 1960.
"Ry Tanindrazanay malala ô!" is the national anthem of Madagascar. The lyrics were written by Pasteur Rahajason, and the music by Norbert Raharisoa. It is similar to a march and was strongly influenced by European music and the French colonial education system. It is often played by Malagasy musicians on the accordion.
In the lead up to independence in 1964, a competition to find a national anthem was held. Entries were received from Europe, the US and many African countries. Malawian Michael-Fredrick Paul Sauka submitted four entries to the competition. Sauka was a member of the Nyasaland Audit Department and a part-time music teacher at St. Mary's Girl's Secondary School in Zomba. He was also the organist of Zomba's Roman Catholic church. One of his entries was chosen as the winner and adopted as the national anthem.
"Mlungu dalitsani Malaŵi" (Chichewa pronunciation: [mɽuᵑɡu ɗaɽit͡sani maɽaβi]; sometimes written "Mulungu";[1][2] English: "O God bless our land of Malawi") is the national anthem of Malawi.[3] It was written and composed by Michael-Fredrick Paul Sauka and adopted in 1964 as a result of a competition.
Mayotte is a department of France, next to the Comoros (as a vestige from when France owned the entire island group). Like all departments of France, whether within metropolitan France or overseas, “La Marseillaise” is used as the national anthem, a local anthem has been heard at sporting events, but no information is yet available.
In March 2017, following a referendum to amend the Constitution of July 1991,[4] the Mauritanian National Assembly adopted a new national anthem to replace the previous one, which was considered almost impossible to sing.
The anthem currently has six verses, with a chorus repeated after each verse. The fifth verse (in brackets) is sung in an extended version of the anthem. It was first sung on the 57th Independence Day of Mauritania, on 28 November 2017.
The Cherifian Anthem (Arabic: النشيد الشريف, romanized: an-našīd aš-šarīf) is the national anthem of Morocco. Composed by French military officer and chief of music for the royal Moroccan guard Léo Morgan [fr], it has been in use since the French protectorate period. Lyrics were written for it by the Moroccan author and poet Professor Ali Squalli Houssaini and adopted in 1970.
The anthem's melody was composed by Léo Morgan [fr], a French military officer and chief of music for the Moroccan royal guard, during the French protectorate. The anthem was believed to have been composed in 1952, four years before Morocco's independence in 1956.
"Lesōthō Fatše La Bo-Ntat'a Rōna" (English: "Lesotho, Land of Our Fathers") is the national anthem of Lesotho. The lyrics were written by French missionary François Coillard and Swiss missionary Adolphe Mabille, and the music is taken from an 1820 hymnal composed by Swiss composer Ferdinand Samuel Laur. It was officially adopted as the national anthem in 1967. The original composition that the national anthem was based on had five verses, though only the first and last ended up being adopted,
The song was written by French missionaries François Coillard and Adolphe Mabille and set to the tune of the 1820 hymnal "Freiheit" (English: "Freedom") by Swiss composer Ferdinand-Samuel Laur. It was introduced around 1869 as part of a collection of hymns and work songs. This was immediately after the third and final Free State–Basotho War (1867–1868), and the lyrics encouraged the Basotho to accept the borders defined in the 1869 Convention of Aliwal North between Britain and the Boer Free State, which ended the war.
"Pátria Amada" (Portuguese pronunciation: [ˈpatɾjaˈmaðɐ]; 'Beloved Homeland') is the national anthem of Mozambique, approved by law in 2002 under Article 295 of the Constitution of Mozambique.[2] It was written by Salomão J. Manhiça and replaced "Viva, Viva a FRELIMO" on 30 April 2002.
The anthem is the second Mozambique has adopted after its independence, the first being "Viva, Viva a FRELIMO". The lyrics of the latter were removed in the 1990s, then the Parliament adopted a new anthem, "Pátria Amada", in 2002. Despite the fact that nine people took part in making the song, as recently as 2013, the Republic's Assembly recognised Manhiça as the author of the anthem. However, there are sources that claim others contributed to "Pátria Amada", including Justino Sigaulane Chemane, who composed the music, and Mia Couto
The Honor of the Fatherland (French "L'Honneur de la Patrie") was the national anthem of Niger. It was adopted on June 23, 2023, replacing La Nigerienne, which was adopted in 1961, a year after the country's gaining of independence
On June 22, 2023, the National Assembly adopted The Honor of the Fatherland as the country's new anthem to replace La Nigerienne.
The Honor of the Fatherland (French "L'Honneur de la Patrie") was the national anthem of Niger. It was adopted on June 23, 2023, replacing La Nigerienne, which was adopted in 1961, a year after the country's gaining of independence
On June 22, 2023, the National Assembly adopted The Honor of the Fatherland as the country's new anthem to replace La Nigerienne.
The anthem was adopted in 1978 and replaced the previous national anthem, "Nigeria, We Hail Thee".
The lyrics are a combination of words and phrases taken from five of the best entries in a national contest. The words were put to music by the Nigerian Police Band under the directorship of Benedict P. Odiase (1934–2013). The Nigerian national anthem lyrics were created by five people: P. O. Aderibigbe, John A. Ilechukwu, Dr. Sota Omoigui, Eme Etim Akpan and B.A. Ogunnaike.
On 29 May 2024, "Arise, O Compatriots" was officially relinquished following a bill passed by the National Assembly and subsequently signed into law by president Bola Tinubu. It was replaced by "Nigeria, We Hail Thee", Nigeria’s first national anthem.
When "Nigeria, We Hail Thee" was first adopted in 1960, the new national anthem faced criticism for a number of reasons. The Daily Service, a newspaper run by the Yoruba organisation Egbé Ọmọ Odùduwà, started a campaign against the national anthem, which led to a committee being established to collect signatures as a petition.
Following its readoption in 2024, the song was again criticised for the lack of consultation in passing the law designating it as the national anthem and for what was perceived to be misplaced priorities by the administration of President Bola Tinubu. Former education minister Oby Ezekwesili criticised the anthem's suitability, given the presence of "pejorative" words like "native land" and "tribes", and that she would continue to sing Arise, O Compatriots as the national anthem. A video of political activist Aisha Yesufu circulated online where she refused to recite "Nigeria, We Hail Thee" as the new national anthem.
Mohammed Tahir Monguno, chair of the parliamentary committee that pushed through the anthem's readoption, said that the change was "apt, timely and important", while Tinubu said the anthem symbolised Nigeria's diversity.