"Nkosi Sikelel' iAfrika" is a Christian hymn originally composed in 1897 by Enoch Sontonga, a Xhosa clergyman at a Methodist mission school near Johannesburg.

18… Like all choral performance, from singing a hymn to chanting at a football match, it involves communal participation and interaction. Nkosi Sikelel’ iAfrica became the national anthem for the African National Congress and in 1994, it was amalgamated with Die Stem, or Call of South Africa, that was written in 1918 by CJ Langenhoven, an Afrikaans poet. The national anthem of South Africa was adopted in 1997 and is a hybrid song combining new English lyrics with extracts of the 19th century hymn "Nkosi Sikelel' iAfrika" (Template:Lang-en, Template:Literal translation) and the Afrikaans song "Die Stem van Suid-Afrika" (Template:Lang-en), which was formerly used as the South African national anthem from the late 1930s to the mid-1990s. In Xhosa, the words to the song that immortalized Enoch Sontonga are as follows: Nkosi, sikelel’ iAfrika
The song became a pan-African liberation song and versions of it were later adopted as the national anthems of five countries in Africa including Zambia, Tanzania, Namibia and Zimbabwe after independence.

The hymn has often been considered the "African national anthem" due to its reverence of the African continent and the hymns use as liberation music. A proclamation issued by the (then) State President on 20 April 1994 in terms of the provisions of Section 248 (1) together with Section 2 of the Constitution of the Republic of South Africa, 1993 (Act 200 of 1993), stated that the Republic of South Africa would have two national anthems.

But soon after, an official contest was organised for a new national anthem. God bless Africa May her glory be lifted high Hear our petitions God bless us, Your children: Here, seën Afrika Mag haar gees opsty Hoor ons gebede aan Here, seën ons.

Afrikaans Version . Nkosi, sikelel' iAfrika, Malupnakanyisw' udumo lwayo; Yizwa imithandazo yethu Nkosi sikelela, Nkosi sikelela, Thus, lines from the apartheid-era national anthem's first stanza referencing the In recent years, the South African national anthem has come under criticism for its Afrikaans verse as it was originally part of the national anthem of South Africa that was used during the apartheid era,The South African national anthem as it appears specified in the South African Italics denotes unrecognized, partially-recognized, or non-sovereign entities. Afrikaans translation / Afrikaanse vertaling Nkosi sikelel' iAfrika Maluphakanyisw' uphondo lwayo, Yizwa imithandazo yethu, Nkosi sikelela, thina lusapho lwayo.
The committee responsible for this new composition included Anna Bender, Elize Botha, Richard Cock, Dolf Havemann, Mzilikazi Khumalo, Masizi Kunene, John Lenake, Fatima Meer, Khabi A proclamation issued by the State President on 20 April, 1994 stipulated that both Nkosi Sikelel’ iAfrika and Die Stem would be the national anthems of South Africa. Zimbabwe and Namibia have since adopted ne… Everybody has to listen to everyone else and move forward together. The national anthem of South Africa is a shortened, combined version of “Nkosi Sikelel’ iAfrika” and “The Call of South Africa” (known in Afrikaans as “Die Stem van Suid Afrika”). Seen ons Here God, seen Afrika, Laat sy mag tot in die hemel reik, Hoor ons as ons in gebede vra, Seen ons in Afrika, ... Nkosi sikelel' iAfrika Zulu Version. According to anthropologist David Coplan: ""Nkosi Sikelel' iAfrika" was originally composed as a In 1996, a shortened, combined version of the two compositions was released as the new A Swahili version of the hymn with modified lyrics is used as the national anthem of Tanzania under the name of ""Nkosi Sikelel' iAfrika" was used provisionally as the national anthem of Namibia at time of the country's independence in March 1990. The national anthem of South Africa was adopted in 1997 and is a hybrid song combining new English lyrics with extracts of the 19th century hymn "Nkosi Sikelel' iAfrika" and the Afrikaans song "Die Stem van Suid-Afrika", which was formerly used as the South African national anthem from the late 1930s to the mid-1990s.

It includes versions in Chichewa (The words of the first stanza and chorus were originally written in Xhosa as a hymn. They were Nkosi Sikelel' iAfrika and The Call of South Africa (Die Stem van Suid-Afrika). Nkosi sikelel’ iAfrika Maluphakanyisw’ uphondo lwayo, Yizwa imithandazo yethu, Nkosi sikelela, thina lusapho lwayo.