Rwanda Nziza
Template:Short description Template:Use dmy dates Template:Infobox anthem
"Template:Lang" (Template:IPA, "Beautiful Rwanda") has been the national anthem of Rwanda since January 1, 2002.<ref name="afrol">Template:Cite news</ref> It replaced "Template:Lang", the original national anthem, eight years after the 1994 genocide against the Tutsis.<ref name="afrol"/><ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
Background
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.Template:SfnTemplate:Sfn The subsequent thirty years, under the presidencies of Grégoire Kayibanda and Juvénal Habyarimana, were marked by continued cycles of violence,Template:Sfn culminating in the 1990s with the launch of the Rwandan Civil War by exiled Tutsi led by Paul Kagame,Template:Sfn the assassination of President Habyarimana, and the 1994 Rwandan genocide, in which between 500,000 and 1,000,000<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> Tutsi and politically moderate Hutu were killed by Hutu extremists, on the orders of the interim government, in the space of just 100 days.Template:Sfn
The genocide was ended when Kagame's rebel army took control of the country in July 1994.Template:Sfn A period of "reconciliation" began, as a unity government took control of the country.Template:Sfn Kagame was the de facto leader from this point on,Template:Sfn and assumed the presidency in 2000.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> As part of this effort, and ostensibly 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.<ref name="BBCNews2001">Template:Cite news</ref> However, some Rwandans at the time expressed doubts about the stated reasoning and merely viewed all this as an attempt by the ruling Rwandan Patriotic Front to assert its political power by changing established state symbols.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref>
History
To commission the lyrics and music for the new state anthem, the government organized a national contest.<ref name="BBCNews2001"/> "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.<ref name="afrol"/> "Rwanda Nziza" became the official anthem of Rwanda on 1 January 2002.<ref name="afrol"/>
Lyrics
| Kinyarwanda lyrics<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> | IPA transcriptionTemplate:Efn |
|---|---|
| <poem>Template:Lang</poem> | <poem>Template:IPA</poem> |
| Swahili lyrics | French lyrics | English translation |
|---|---|---|
| <poem>Template:Lang</poem> | <poem>Template:Lang</poem> | <poem>I
Rwanda, our beautiful and dear country Adorned of hills, lakes and volcanoes Motherland, would be always filled of happiness Us all your children: Abanyarwanda Let us sing your glare and proclaim your high facts You, maternal bosom of us all Would be admired forever, prosperous and cover of praises. II Invaluable heritage, that God protects to you You filled us priceless goods Our common culture identifies us Our single language unifies us That our intelligence, our conscience and our forces Fill you with varied riches For an unceasingly renewed development. III Our valorous ancestors Gave themselves bodies and souls As far as making you a big nation You overcame the colonial-imperialistic yoke That has devastated Africa entirely And has your joy of your sovereign independence Acquired that constantly we will defend. IV Maintain this cape, beloved Rwanda, Standing, we commit for you So that peace reigns countrywide That you are free of all hindrance That your determination hires progress That you have excellent relations with all countries And that finally your pride is worth your esteem.</poem> |