"" () is the national anthem of Guinea-Bissau. Written in 1963 by Amílcar Cabral (1924–1973) and composed by Xiao He (1918–2010), it was adopted upon independence from Portugal in 1974.

It was also the national anthem of Cape Verde, a legacy of both countries' joint independence, until 1996, when a new anthem ("") was adopted by Cape Verde.

History

The anthem was written by independence leader of Guinea-Bissau and Cape Verde Amílcar Cabral. Cabral, a Bissau-Guinean son of Bissau-Guineans and Cape Verdeans, was the leader of the African Party for the Independence of Guinea and Cape Verde (PAIGC).

In 1963, a delegation from then Portuguese Guinea visited China and heard music by composer Xiao He. Cabral asked Xiao to compose a piece that would inspire his people in their struggle for independence. Set to a 1963 poem by Cabral, the piece was later adopted by Guinea Bissau and Cape Verde as the national anthem upon their independence from Portugal in 1974.

In the 1990s, after the African Party for the Independence of Cape Verde allowed multi-party rule, it was decided that Cape Verde should adopt its own national symbols, including a flag and anthem.

!IPA transcription

!English translation

|- style="vertical-align:top; white-space:nowrap;"

|<poem></poem>

|<poem></poem>

|<poem>I

Sun, sweat, verdure and sea,

Centuries of pain and hope;

This is the land of our ancestors!

Fruit of our hands,

Of the flower of our blood:

This is our beloved homeland.

Long live our glorious homeland!

The banner of the struggle has fluttered in the skies.

Forward, against the foreign yoke!

𝄆 We are going to build

In our immortal homeland

Peace and progress! 𝄇

II

Branches of the same trunk,

Eyes in the same light;

This is the force of our union!

Sing of the sea and land,

The dawn and the sun

That our struggle fertilised!

</poem>

|}

Notes

References

  • Guinea-Bissau: Esta É a Nossa Pátria Bem Amada - Audio of the national anthem of Guinea-Bissau, with information and lyrics (archive link)