Rwanda Nziza
| English: Beautiful Rwanda | |
|---|---|
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National anthem of | |
| Lyrics | Faustin Murigo, 199? |
| Music | Jean-Bosco Hashakaimana |
| Adopted | 2002[1] |
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| Music sample | |
| Rwanda Nziza (Instrumental)  | |
"Rwanda Nziza" (Kinyarwanda: [ɾɡwɑːndɑ nziːzɑ́], Beautiful Rwanda) has been the national anthem of Rwanda since January 1, 2002.[1] It replaced Rwanda Rwacu, which had been the national anthem since 1962.[1]
History
Rwanda's original national anthem, written when the country achieved independence from Belgium in 1962, was called Rwanda Rwacu (Our Rwanda). Independence was achieved at a time of high tension, following the Rwandan Revolution: centuries of rule by the minority Tutsi group had been overturned in just three years, the majority Hutu taking power in a violent upheaval, and forcing more than 100,000 to seek refuge in neighbouring countries.[2][3] The subsequent thirty years, under the presidencies of Gregoire Kayibanda and Juvénal Habyarimana, were marked by continued cycles of violence,[4] culminating in the 1990s with the launch of the Rwandan Civil War by exiled Tutsi led by Paul Kagame,[5] the assassination of President Habyarimana, and the 1994 Rwandan Genocide, in which between 500,000 and 1,000,000[6] Tutsi and politically moderate Hutu were killed by Hutu extremists, on the orders of the interim government, in the space of just 100 days.[7]
The genocide was ended when Kagame's rebel army took control of the country in July 1994.[8] A period of reconciliation began, as a unity government took control of the country.[9] Kagame was the de facto leader from this point on,[10] and assumed the presidency in 2000.[11] As part of the reconciliation effort, and to signal a break with the country's violent past, the government enacted an overhaul of the country's symbols, including the flag, the coat of arms and the national anthem.[12]
To commission the lyrics and music for the new anthem, the government organised a national contest.[12] Rwanda Nziza represented the winning entry, with lyrics composed by Faustin Murigo of Karubanda prison, and melody by Captain Jean-Bosco Hashakaimana of the Rwandan army brass band.[1] Rwanda Nziza became the official anthem of Rwanda on 1 January 2002.[1]
Lyrics
The lyrics are as follows:[13]
| Kinyarwanda lyrics | French lyrics | English translation |
|---|---|---|
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Notes and references
- 1 2 3 4 5 afrol News (2 January 2002). "Rwanda gets new flag, national anthem and coat of arms". Retrieved 11 March 2011.
- ↑ Gourevitch 2000, pp. 58–59.
- ↑ Prunier 1999, p. 51.
- ↑ Prunier 1999, p. 56.
- ↑ Prunier 1999, p. 93.
- ↑ Henley, Jon (31 October 2007). "Scar tissue". The Guardian. London. Retrieved 13 November 2015.
- ↑ Dallaire 2005, p. 386.
- ↑ Dallaire 2005, p. 299.
- ↑ Prunier 1999, p. 299.
- ↑ Waugh 2004, pp. 120–121.
- ↑ BBC News (22 April 2000). "Rwanda's Kagame sworn in". Retrieved 8 February 2013.
- 1 2 BBC News (31 December 2001). "Rwanda unveils new flag and anthem". Retrieved 19 October 2016.
- ↑ Republic of Rwanda. "about Rwanda". National Symbols. Retrieved 11 March 2011.
Cited works
- Dallaire, Roméo (2005). Shake Hands with the Devil: The Failure of Humanity in Rwanda. London: Arrow. ISBN 978-0-09-947893-5.
- Gourevitch, Philip (2000). We Wish To Inform You That Tomorrow We Will Be Killed With Our Families (Reprint ed.). London; New York, N.Y.: Picador. ISBN 978-0-330-37120-9.
- Prunier, Gérard (1999). The Rwanda Crisis: History of a Genocide (2nd ed.). Kampala: Fountain Publishers Limited. ISBN 978-9970-02-089-8.
- Waugh, Colin (2004). Paul Kagame And Rwanda: Power, Genocide and the Rwandan Patriotic Front. Jefferson, N.C.: McFarland. ISBN 978-0-7864-1941-8.
External links
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Wikisource has original text related to this article: |
- Rwanda: Rwanda Nziza - Audio of the national anthem of Rwanda, with information and lyrics
- US Navy Band MP3 File