Fatshe leno la rona

national anthem

"Blessed Be This Noble Land" is called "Fatshe leno la rona" (Tswana pronunciation: [fatsʰɪ lɪnʊ la rʊna]) in the Tswana language. It is the national anthem of Botswana. Kgalemang Tumediso Motsete wrote the lyrics (words) and composed the music of this song in 1962. Four years later when the country got its independence from the United Kingdom, this anthem was adopted.[1][2]

Fatshe leno la rona
English: Blessed Be This Noble Land

National anthem of  Botswana
LyricsKgalemang Tumediso Motsete
MusicKgalemang Tumediso Motsete
Adopted1966

Lyrics

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Tswana version

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Setswana lyrics
Pronunciation

Fatshe leno la rona
Ke mpho ya Modimo,
Ke boswa jwa borraetsho;
A le nne ka kagiso.

Khorase:
Tsogang, tsogang! Banna, tsogang!
Emang, basadi, emang, tlhagafalang!
Re kopane le go direla
Lefatshe la rona.

'Ina lentle la tumo
La tšhaba ya Botswana,
Ka kutlwano le kagisano,
E bopagantswe mmogo.

Khorase[3]

 /fatsʰɪ lɪnʊ la rʊna/
/kɪ mpʰʊ ja mʊdimʊ ǀ/
/kɪ bʊswa jwa bʊrraɪtsʰʊ ǀ/
/a lɪ nnɪ kɪ kaχisʊ ‖/

/kʰʊrasɪ/
/tsʊχaŋ ǀ tsʊχaŋ ‖ banna ǀ tsʊχaŋ ‖/
/ɪmaŋ ǀ basadi ǀ ɪmaŋ ǀ tɬʰaχafalaŋ ‖/
/rɪ kʊpanɪ lɪ χʊ dirɪla/
/lɪfatsʰɪ la rʊna ‖/

/ina lɪntɬɪ la tumʊ/
/la tʃʰaba ja bʊtswana ǀ/
/ka kutɬwanʊ lɪ kaχisanʊ ǀ/
/ɪ bʊpaχantswɪ mmʊχʊ ‖/

/kʰʊrasɪ/

English version

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Blessed be this noble land,
Gift to us from God's strong hand,
Heritage our fathers left to us;
May it always be at peace.
Chorus:
Awake, awake, O men, awake!
And women close beside them stand,
Together we'll work and serve
This land, this happy land!
Work of beauty and of fame,
The name Botswana to us came
Through our unity and harmony,
We'll remain at peace as one.
Chorus[4][5]

References

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  1. https://books.google.com/books?id=a3Wt48ldWm0C&pg=PR77 Colour Bar: The Triumph of Seretse Khama and His Nation Penguin Books. 7 June 2007. Williams, Susan. Retrieved 15 May 2017.
  2. https://books.google.com/books?id=csWh3znUrWcC&pg=PA69 Botswana in Pictures. Twenty-First Century Books, 2009. Behnke, Alison. p. 69. Retrieved 18 May 2017
  3. https://books.google.com/books?id=o4VLCAAAQBAJ&pg=PT15 Bogwasi, Beauty (9 Apr 2015). A Botswana Traveler’s Companion; English Setswana Phrase Book. WestBow Press. Retrieved 18 May 2017.
  4. https://web.archive.org/web/20170520024436/http://www.mmegi.bw/index.php?sid=6&aid=53&dir=2012%2FOctober%2FThursday4 The Sound Of Self-Determination. Mmegi. Gaborone. 4 October 2012. Retrieved 20 May 2017.
  5. https://books.google.com/books?id=csWh3znUrWcC&pg=PA69 Behnke, Alison (2009). Botswana in Pictures. Twenty-First Century Books. p. 69. Retrieved 18 May 2017.