Oh Uganda, Land of Beauty

Last updated
Oh Uganda, Land of Beauty
Ugandan Anthem Music Sheet.InstrumentalSimple.svg
National anthem of Uganda
Lyrics George Wilberforce Kakoma, 1962
MusicGeorge Wilberforce Kakoma, 1962
AdoptedOctober 1962;62 years ago (1962-10)
Preceded by"God Save the Queen"
Audio sample
U.S. Navy Band instrumental version (one verse)

"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.

Contents

History

From 1894 until the height of decolonisation during the 1960s, Uganda was a protectorate of the United Kingdom within its colonial empire. [1] [2] In the run up to independence, a subcommittee was formed to determine an anthem for the forthcoming state. [3] It proceeded to hold a nationwide contest, [4] with the criteria they stipulated for the anthem being that it should be "short, original, solemn, praising and looking forward to the future". [3]

In the end, the lyrics and tune composed by George Wilberforce Kakoma were selected in July 1962. [3] He wrote the anthem in one day, having listened on Radio Uganda the night before about how none of the entries received so far had been deemed suitable by the subcommittee. [3] His entry was one of four that was shortlisted. [5] The song was officially adopted in 1962, the year the country gained independence. [4] [6] The first public occasion where the anthem was played was at the celebrations marking independence on 9 October 1962. [1] [5]

Kakoma subsequently sued the government in 2008, claiming that he was never adequately remunerated and thus had rights to over four decades of royalty payments. [5] [7] He alleged that the government gave him a mere USh.2,000/=, [5] [7] equivalent to less than £1 in 2008, as a "token of thanks". [7] Kakoma died before the country's Court of Appeal dismissed the case in 2019, finding that the anthem's copyright vested in the government and not the author. [5]

Lyrics

In national languages

English lyrics [4] [8] Luganda lyrics [9] Swahili lyrics

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.

I
O Yuganda! Katonda akuwanirire,
Tussa eby'omumaso byaffe mu mikono gyo,
Mu bwegassi n'obuteefu, ku lw'obumu,
Tujjanga bulijjo kuyimirirawo!
 
II
O Yuganda! Ensi y'eddembe,
Okwagala n'okulusana tubikuwa,
Ne baliraanwa baffe boona, lw'omulanga gwensi yaffe,
Mu mirembe n'omukwano tunaberawo!

III
O Yuganda! Ensi etuliisa,
Lw'omusana n'obugimu bw'ettaka,
Lw'obugazi bw'ensi yaffe, tujja kuyimirira bulijjo,
Ekimasa ky'amakula ga Afirika!

I
Loo, Uganda! Mungu akusimamie,
Tunaweka mustakabali wetu mikononi mwako;
Umoja, bure kwa uhuru
pamoja tutasimama daima.

II
Loo, Uganda! Ardhi ya uhuru,
Tunatoa upendo wetu na kazi yetu;
Na pamoja na majirani wote katika wito wa nchi yetu
Kwa amani na urafiki tutaishi.

III
Loo, Uganda! Ardhi ambayo hutulisha,
Kwa jua na mchanga wenye rutuba uliopandwa;
Kwa ardhi yetu mpendwa, tutasimama daima,
Lulu ya Taji ya Afrika.

In local languages

Along with the Luganda and Swahili translations, the national anthem has also been translated into several other local languages. [10]

Composition

At only eight bars long, [A] "Oh Uganda, Land of Beauty" is musically one of the shortest national anthems in the world, [14] [15] together with Japan's anthem. [16] Both Michael Bristow, the editor of the book National Anthems of the World, [17] and Philip Sheppard have identified Uganda's national anthem as the shortest. [18] [19] As a result, multiple verses are typically sung when it is performed at public events like international football games. [14] [20]

Notes

  1. ↑ Some sources incorrectly state that the anthem is nine bars long. [11] [12] This is because the pickup bar at the beginning of the song is only a partial measure and thus not counted as a complete bar. [13]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lofsöngur</span> National anthem of Iceland

"Lofsöngur", also known by its incipit "Ó Guð vors lands", is the national anthem of Iceland. Sveinbjörn Sveinbjörnsson composed the music, while the lyrics were authored by Matthías Jochumsson. It was adopted as the national anthem in 1944, when the country declared independence by voting to end its "personal union" and become a republic.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jamaica, Land We Love</span> National anthem of Jamaica

"Jamaica, Land We Love" is the national anthem of Jamaica, officially adopted in July 1962. It was chosen after a competition from September 1961 to 31 March 1962, in which the lyrics of the national anthem were selected by Jamaica's Houses of Parliament. When Jamaica was granted independence on 6 August 1962, "Jamaica, Land We Love" continued to be officially used as the national anthem.

"Fatshe leno la rona" is the national anthem of Botswana. The music was composed by Kgalemang Tumediso Motsete, who also authored the song's Setswana lyrics. It was adopted when the country became independent in 1966. Since independence, the song is sung occasionally during the country's important events such as Kgotla meetings, independence celebrations and other national events. The national anthem is highly respected to an extent that when it is sung movements are not allowed, people stand at attention, and security officers, like the police and soldiers, salute as a show of respect.

The "Sri Lanka Matha" is the national anthem of Sri Lanka. "Sri Lanka Matha" was composed by Ananda Samarakoon and was originally titled "Namo Namo Matha".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Entebbe</span> Place in Central Uganda

Entebbe is a city in Central Uganda which is located on Lake Victoria peninsula, approximately 36 kilometres (22 mi) southwest of the Ugandan capital city, Kampala. Entebbe was once the seat of government for the Protectorate of Uganda prior to independence, in 1962. The city is the location of Entebbe International Airport, Uganda's largest commercial and military airport, which gained worldwide attention in 1976 Israeli rescue of 100 hostages kidnapped by the militant group of the PFLP-EO and Revolutionary Cells (RZ) organizations. Entebbe is also the location of State House, the official office and residence of the President of Uganda.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">National Anthem of Uruguay</span>

The "Himno Nacional de Uruguay", also known by its incipit "Orientales, la Patria o la Tumba", is the longest national anthem in terms of duration with 105 bars of music. When performed in its entirety, the anthem lasts about four-and-a-half to six minutes, although nowadays only the first verse and chorus are sung on most occasions, such as before sporting events.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rise, O Voices of Rhodesia</span> National anthem of Rhodesia (1974–1979)

"Rise, O Voices of Rhodesia" was the national anthem of Rhodesia and Zimbabwe Rhodesia between 1974 and 1979. The tune was that of "Ode to Joy", the Fourth Movement from Ludwig van Beethoven's Ninth Symphony, which had been adopted as the official European continental anthem by the Council of Europe in 1972. The music used in Rhodesia was an original sixteen-bar arrangement by Captain Ken MacDonald, the bandmaster of the Rhodesian African Rifles. A national competition was organised by the government to find an appropriate set of lyrics to match the chosen tune, and won by Mary Bloom of Gwelo.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Qaumi Taranah</span> National anthem of Pakistan

The National Anthem of Pakistan, also known by its incipit "The Sacred Land", is the national anthem of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan and formerly the Dominion of Pakistan. First composed by Ahmad G. Chagla in 1949, lyrics in Persified Urdu were later written by Hafeez Jalandhari in 1952. It was broadcast publicly for the first time on Radio Pakistan on 13 August 1954, sung by Jalandhari himself and officially adopted on 16 August 1954 by the Interior Ministry of the Government of Pakistan.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sayaun Thunga Phulka</span> National anthem of Nepal

"Sayaun Thunga Phulka" is the national anthem of Nepal. It was officially adopted as the anthem on 3 August 2007 during a ceremony held at the conference hall of National Planning Commission, inside Singha Durbar, by the speaker of the interim parliament, Subash Chandra Nembang. The previous national anthem "Shriman Gambhir" was adopted in 1962 but was dropped following the treaty of the monarchy.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Languages of Uganda</span>

In Uganda the most spoken language in the capital city is Luganda, followed by English, as all schools in Uganda use it in their studies due to the introduction of English during the colonial period. English is also the language of business and judicial matters. Most spoken after Luganda and English is Swahili. This language is more common in neighbouring Kenya and Tanzania. Swahili is taught in schools as an optional additional language and it is mostly spoken by the Ugandan army. In 2005, there were talks to include Swahili as the second official language as it was seen as neutral, however this is still not ratified by the government. Swahili is used among some communities bordering South Sudan and Kenya.

George Wilberforce Kakoma was a Ugandan musician who wrote and composed "Oh Uganda, Land of Beauty", Uganda's national anthem. Kakoma's composition was first played publicly by the Police Band conducted by Mr. Moon on October 9, 1962 during Uganda's Independence Day Celebrations. He received a personal token of sh2,000 from the Prime Minister Milton Obote for his work.

John Ssebaana Kizito was a Ugandan businessman, economist and politician. He was the president of the Democratic Party (DP) in Uganda from 2005 to 2010. Kizito was a member of the University Council of Ndejje University. He was reported to be one of the wealthiest people in Uganda, having sizable holdings in real estate and insurance.

The Daily Monitor is a Ugandan independent daily newspaper. Its name is shared by the Saturday Monitor and Sunday Monitor, which are also published by Monitor Publications Limited. Daily Monitor averaged a daily circulation of 24,230 newspapers in September 2011. By the fourth quarter of 2019, that figure had dropped to 16,169 copies daily.

"Ekitiibwa kya Buganda" is the official anthem of the Kingdom of Buganda. It was composed in 1939 by Rev Polycarp Kakooza.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nigeria, We Hail Thee</span> National anthem of Nigeria

Nigeria, We Hail Thee is the national anthem of Nigeria. Dating to 1959, the lyrics were written by Lillian Jean Williams and the music was composed by Frances Benda. It was first used upon independence in 1960, until it was replaced by "Arise, O Compatriots" in 1978. "Nigeria, We Hail Thee" was officially readopted on 29 May 2024.

Independence Day in Uganda is a state holiday celebrated on October 9 every year. It celebrates Uganda's independence from the United Kingdom in 1962.

The following is a list of events and releases that have happened or are expected to happen in 2012 in African music.

References

  1. 1 2 Ingham, Kenneth; Lyons, Maryinez (25 February 2020). "Uganda – History". Encyclopedia Britannica. Encyclopedia Britannica, Inc. Retrieved 14 July 2020.
  2. ↑ "Uganda country profile". BBC News. BBC. 10 May 2018. Retrieved 14 July 2020.
  3. 1 2 3 4 Musisi, Charles (9 October 2003). "Kakoma composed the anthem in a day". New Vision. Kampala. Archived from the original on 15 July 2020. Retrieved 14 July 2020.
  4. 1 2 3 Minahan, James B. (23 December 2009). The Complete Guide to National Symbols and Emblems. Vol. 1. ABC-CLIO. p. 929. ISBN   9780313344978.
  5. 1 2 3 4 5 Karugaba, Phillip; Kakongi, Tracy (15 August 2019). "Uganda: Copyright In The National Anthem". ENSafrica. Mondaq. Archived from the original on 15 July 2020. Retrieved 15 July 2020.
  6. ↑ "Uganda". The World Factbook. CIA. 29 June 2020. Retrieved 14 July 2020.
  7. 1 2 3 Michaels, Sean (3 October 2008). "Composer demands royalties from Uganda national anthem". The Guardian. London. Retrieved 15 July 2020.
  8. ↑ "The National Anthem of Uganda". Embassy of the Republic of Uganda in Japan. Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Uganda. Archived from the original on 15 July 2020. Retrieved 15 July 2020.
  9. ↑ Wambi Gulere, Cornelius. Oluyimba olwe Ggwanga Yuganda – The Ugandan National Anthem in Luganda (in Ganda). p. 4.
  10. ↑ Gulere, Cornelius W. (8 October 1998). Ugandan National Anthem Translated into 25 Languages.
  11. ↑ Hanks, Mark (30 April 2012). Usefully Useless: Everything you'd Never Learn at School (But May Like to Know). Random House. p. 28. ISBN   9781407074238.
  12. ↑ The Big World of Fun Facts. Lonely Planet. 1 November 2019. p. 18. ISBN   9781788686570.
  13. ↑ Feist, Jonathan (1 May 2017). Berklee Contemporary Music Notation. Hal Leonard Corporation. p. 47. ISBN   9781540013002.
  14. 1 2 Sherwin, Adam (26 September 2011). "An Olympian challenge: To record all 205 national anthems". The Independent. London. Archived from the original on 15 July 2020. Retrieved 15 July 2020.
  15. ↑ Walker, Peter (18 July 2012). "London 2012 podium planners fight the fear of the upside-down flag". The Guardian. London. Retrieved 15 July 2020.
  16. ↑ "Ten things about national anthems". Mail & Guardian. Johannesburg. 21 September 2012. Archived from the original on 15 July 2020. Retrieved 15 July 2020.
  17. ↑ Bristow, M. J. (2006). National Anthems of the World. Weidenfeld & Nicolson. ISBN   9781540013002.
  18. ↑ Spencer, Clare (27 July 2011). "Is the British national anthem too short?". BBC News Magazine. BBC. Retrieved 15 July 2020.
  19. ↑ "An Olympian anthem arrangement". BBC Radio 4 Today. BBC. 1 March 2012. Retrieved 15 July 2020.
  20. ↑ Wulf, Steve (15 August 2012). "Uganda team finally arrives at LLWS". ESPN. ESPN Internet Ventures. Archived from the original on 15 July 2020. Retrieved 15 July 2020.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.