Nkosi Sikelel' iAfrika
Enoch Sontonga (c.1873-1905)
One of the most famous African music pieces, Nkosi (pronounced 'koe-see', similar to 'coffee') was originally composed in 1897, had extra lyrics added c.1927, has been translated into several languages (including English and Afrikaans), was sung as a protest song during South Africa's apartheid era, and now has become the South African national anthem.
Dialects: The first verse of this arrangment comes from the Xhosa version, the second verse from the Zulu version, and the third verse from the Sesotho version.
AICSA: This version differs from the traditional AICSA version in that it provides corrected lyrics, as well as spelling corrections to both the title and the composer's name. This corrected version has been proposed as the new AICSA-standard version. For more detail on these changes, please refer to the Nkosi changes page.
Click here for the PDF file.
Click here for the learning tracks.
One of the most famous African music pieces, Nkosi (pronounced 'koe-see', similar to 'coffee') was originally composed in 1897, had extra lyrics added c.1927, has been translated into several languages (including English and Afrikaans), was sung as a protest song during South Africa's apartheid era, and now has become the South African national anthem.
Dialects: The first verse of this arrangment comes from the Xhosa version, the second verse from the Zulu version, and the third verse from the Sesotho version.
AICSA: This version differs from the traditional AICSA version in that it provides corrected lyrics, as well as spelling corrections to both the title and the composer's name. This corrected version has been proposed as the new AICSA-standard version. For more detail on these changes, please refer to the Nkosi changes page.
Click here for the PDF file.
Click here for the learning tracks.