Le Mali
"Le Mali" (English: "The Mali") is the national anthem of Mali. Adopted in 1962, it was written by Seydou Badian Kouyaté, while the music is attributed to Banzumana Sissoko. It is popularly known as "Pour l'Afrique et pour toi, Mali" (English: "For Africa and for you, Mali") or "À ton appel Mali" (English: "At your call, Mali").[1]
| English: Mali | |
|---|---|
National anthem of  Mali | |
| Also known as | "Pour l'Afrique et pour toi, Mali" or "Afiriki ye ani e ye, Mali" (English: "For Africa and for you, Mali") "À ton appel Mali" (English: "At your call, Mali") |
| Lyrics | Seydou Badian Kouyaté |
| Music | Banzumana Sissoko |
| Adopted | 9 August 1962 |
| Audio sample | |
U.S. Navy Band abridged instrumental version (equivalent to the last four lines of a verse and the chorus)
| |
History
The anthem was written by Seydou Badian Kouyaté[1] around the time of the dissolution of the Mali Federation with Senegal in 1960, which left Mali without a flag or anthem. In a 2010 interview, Kouyaté stated that President Modibo Keïta had been passing through his locality when he approached Kouyaté and asked him to create a song to help the youth remember Malian pre-independence politician Mamadou Konaté. Kouyaté created a song called "Ô jeunesse, c'est le jour de l'Afrique, belle espoir". Keïta then called Kouyaté and told him to try creating something for the national anthem. Kouyaté made a draft for a national anthem and sang it with Keïta, who was pleased with it. Kouyaté stated that Keïta had previously received a proposal for a national anthem by a European pianist residing in the Malian capital, Bamako, but he rejected it, because he wanted something that had an aura of Africa and Mali. Kouyaté reworked an air dating back to the 13th century and the Mali Empire.[2] The musical arrangement is credited to jeli Banzumana Sissoko.[1]
The anthem was officially adopted just under a year after independence, by law n° 62-72 of 9 August 1962. The Malian Young Pioneer movement of the 1960s translated it into Bambara for its rallies as "Afiriki ye ani e ye, Mali".[3] The translation is credited to Abdulay Bari.[4]: 305 It is traditionally played at state ceremonies by the band of the Garde Républicaine of the Armed Forces of Mali.[3]
Lyrics
| French original[3][5][6][4][7] | Bambara lyrics[4]: 305 [8] | English translation |
|---|---|---|
I |
I |
I |
References
- Central Intelligence Agency (24 November 2015). The CIA World Factbook 2016. Skyhorse Publishing Company, Incorporated. p. 3144. ISBN 9781510700895.
- "Seydou Badian Kouyaté : «Pour notre développement, ne comptons pas sur l'Europe, mais sur la Chine.»". RFI (in French). 2010-09-21. Retrieved 2022-02-05.
- "L'Hymne national". Présidence de la République du Mali (in French). Retrieved 2022-02-05.
- Konaré, Alpha Oumar (1982). Les Constitutions du Mali: recueil de textes (in French). République du Mali, Alpha Oumar Konaré.
- Doumbia, Mamadou; Sy, Mamadou; tourisme, Office malien du (1969). Le guide du Mali (in French). Office malien de tourisme. p. 18.
- Tableau de bord du système éducatif du Mali (in French). Ministère de l'éducation de base, Cellule de planification et de statistique. 1999.
- Blauer, Ettagale; Lauré, Jason (2008). Cultures of the World Mali. Marshall Cavendish. p. 40. ISBN 978-0-7614-2568-7.
- "MALI". Conseil Supérieur de la diaspora malienne en Allemagne (in French). Retrieved 2022-02-05.
External links
- Mali: Le Mali - Audio of the national anthem of Mali, with information and lyrics (archive link)
- Presidency of Mali: Symboles de la République, L'Hymne National du Mali: history and lyrics, updated 13 June 2003.