"Oh Uganda, Land of Beauty" is the national anthem of Uganda. George Wilberforce Kakoma composed the music and authored the lyrics. It was adopted as the national anthem in 1962, when the country gained independence from the United Kingdom. It is musically one of the shortest national anthems in the world. Consequently, multiple verses are sung when it is performed in public.

History

From 1894 until the height of decolonisation during the 1960s, Uganda was a protectorate of the United Kingdom within its colonial empire. In the run up to independence, a subcommittee was formed to determine an anthem for the forthcoming state. It proceeded to hold a nationwide contest, with the criteria they stipulated for the anthem being that it should be "short, original, solemn, praising and looking forward to the future". The song was officially adopted in 1962, the year the country gained independence. The first public occasion where the anthem was played was at the celebrations marking independence on 9 October 1962. He alleged that the government gave him a mere USh.2,000/=,

!Luganda lyrics

!Swahili lyrics

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|<poem>I

Oh, Uganda! May God uphold thee,

We lay our future in thy hand;

United, free for liberty

together we'll always stand.

II

Oh, Uganda! The land of freedom,

Our love and labour we give;

And with neighbours all at our country's call

In peace and friendship we'll live.

III

Oh, Uganda! The land that feeds us,

By sun and fertile soil grown;

For our own dear land, we shall always stand,

The Pearl of Africa's Crown.</poem>

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In local languages

Along with the Luganda and Swahili translations, the national anthem has also been translated into several other local languages.

Composition

At only eight bars long, "Oh Uganda, Land of Beauty" is musically one of the shortest national anthems in the world, together with Japan's anthem. Both Michael Bristow, the editor of the book National Anthems of the World, and Philip Sheppard have identified Uganda's national anthem as the shortest. As a result, multiple verses are typically sung when it is performed at public events like international football games.

Notes

References

  • Uganda: Oh Uganda, Land of Beauty – Audio of the national anthem of Uganda, with information and lyrics (archive link)
  • Pearl of Africa MIDI