South African National Anthem in pictures!

It is almost 50 days to kick off in the 2010 Fifa World Cup Football Tournament. Bafana Bafana will be playing the opening game and we are behind “The Boys” all the way. Cape Point Route realized that singing the South African National Anthem is a major part of the South African pride. The anthem which was put together in 1997 combines 5 different languages, (Xhosa, Zulu, Sesotho, Afrikaans and English), so the South African National Anthem might be tricky if you aren’t fluent in all 5 languages! We hope you will all be belting out the South African National Anthem on the 11 June 2010 as Bafana Bafana take on Mexico!

Cape Point Route found this delightful picture story book to help with the pronunciation of the South African National Anthem and whilst the words and translation into English is written below… the stories and pictures make it very easy!

Did You Know?
Nkosi Sikelel' iAfrika was composed in 1897 by Enoch Sontonga, a Methodist school teacher. It was originally sung as a church hymn but later became an act of political defiance against the apartheid government.

Did You Know?
Die Stem van Suid-Afrika is a poem written by C.J. Langenhoven in 1918 and was set to music by the Reverend Marthinus Lourens de Villiers in 1921. Die Stem was the co-national anthem with God Save the King/Queen from 1936 to 1957, when it became the sole national anthem until 1995.


SA NATIONAL ANTHEM LYRICS {And the English Translation}
(Xhosa) Nkosi sikelel' iAfrika {God [Lord] bless Africa}
Maluphakanyisw' uphondo lwayo, {May her glory be lifted high}
(Zulu)
Yizwa imithandazo yethu, {Hear our petitions}
Nkosi sikelela, thina lusapho lwayo. {God bless us, Your children}

(Sesotho) Morena boloka setjhaba sa heso, {God we ask You to protect our nation}
O fedise dintwa le matshwenyeho, {Intervene and end all conflicts}
O se boloke, O se boloke setjhaba sa heso, Setjhaba sa, South Afrika - South Afrika. {Protect us, protect our nation, our nation, South Africa - South Africa}

(Afrikaans) Uit die blou van onse hemel, {From the blueness of our skies,}
Uit die diepte van ons see, {From the depths of our oceans,}
Oor ons ewige gebergtes, {Over our everlasting mountain ranges,}
Waar die kranse antwoord gee, {Where the cliffs give answer to our call,}

(English) Sounds the call to come together,
And united we shall stand,
Let us live and strive for freedom,
In South Africa our land.