"Rwanda Nziza"(Kinyarwanda:[ɾɡwɑː.ndɑnzǐː.zɑ],"Beautiful Rwanda" ) has been thenational anthemofRwandasince January 1, 2002.[1]It replaced "Rwanda Rwacu",which was the original national anthem until the1994 genocide against the Tutsis.[1][2]
| English: Beautiful Rwanda | |
|---|---|
National anthem of  Rwanda | |
| Lyrics | Faustin Murigo, 1990s |
| Music | Jean-Bosco Hashakaimana |
| Adopted | 1 January 2002[1] |
| Preceded by | "Rwanda Rwacu" |
| Audio sample | |
U.S. Navy Bandinstrumental version | |
Background
editRwanda's original national anthem, written when the country achieved independencefrom Belgiumin 1962, was called "Rwanda Rwacu"(" Our Rwanda "). Independence was achieved at a time of high tension, following theRwandan Revolution:centuries of rule by the minorityTutsigroup had been overturned in just three years, the majorityHututaking power in a violent upheaval, and forcing more than 100,000 to seek refuge in neighbouring countries.[3][4]The subsequent thirty years, under the presidencies ofGrégoire KayibandaandJuvénal Habyarimana,were marked by continued cycles of violence,[5]culminating in the 1990s with the launch of theRwandan Civil Warby exiled Tutsi led byPaul Kagame,[6]theassassination of President Habyarimana,and the 1994Rwandan genocide,in which between 500,000 and 1,000,000[7]Tutsi and politically moderate Hutu were killed by Hutu extremists, on the orders of the interim government, in the space of just 100 days.[8]
The genocide was ended when Kagame's rebel army took control of the country in July 1994.[9]A period of "reconciliation" began, as a unity government took control of the country.[10]Kagame was thede factoleader from this point on,[11]and assumed the presidency in 2000.[12]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 theflag,thecoat of armsand the national anthem.[13]However, some Rwandans at the time expressed doubts about the stated reasoning and merely viewed all this as an attempt by the rulingRwandan Patriotic Frontto assert its political power by changing established state symbols.[14]
History
editTo commission the lyrics and music for the new state anthem, the government organized a national contest.[13]"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
edit| Kinyarwandalyrics[15] | IPAtranscription[a] |
|---|---|
I |
1 |
| Swahililyrics | Frenchlyrics | English translation |
|---|---|---|
I |
I |
I |
Notes
editReferences
edit- ^abcdeafrol News (2 January 2002)."Rwanda gets new flag, national anthem and coat of arms".Retrieved11 March2011.
- ^"United Nations Remembers 1994 Genocide against Tutsi in Rwanda with Emphasis on Youth, Countering Hate Speech, Launches Commemorative Events at Headquarters, 12 April | Meetings Coverage and Press Releases".press.un.org.Retrieved27 April2024.
- ^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.Retrieved13 November2015.
- ^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".Retrieved8 February2013.
- ^abBBC News (31 December 2001)."Rwanda unveils new flag and anthem".Retrieved19 October2016.
- ^Burnet, Jennie E. (19 November 2012).Genocide Lives in Us: Women, Memory, and Silence in Rwanda.University of Wisconsin Pres.ISBN9780299286439.Retrieved7 May2022.
- ^"National Symbols".Government of the Republic of Rwanda.Archived fromthe originalon 10 August 2011.Retrieved26 February2022.
Cited works
edit- Dallaire, Roméo (2005).Shake Hands with the Devil: The Failure of Humanity in Rwanda.London: Arrow.ISBN978-0-09-947893-5.
- 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.ISBN978-0-330-37120-9.
- Prunier, Gérard (1999).The Rwanda Crisis: History of a Genocide(2nd ed.). Kampala: Fountain Publishers Limited.ISBN978-9970-02-089-8.
- Waugh, Colin (2004).Paul Kagame And Rwanda: Power, Genocide and the Rwandan Patriotic Front.Jefferson, N.C.: McFarland.ISBN978-0-7864-1941-8.
External links
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