Nelson Mandela's death at the age of 95 touched off mourning the world over, and inspired coverage from all fields of media. It wasn't empty sentiment either. Major news sites had no issue demonstrating Mandela's importance in international politics, and ESPN's retrospective addressed Mandela's love of sport and how he used it to better South Africa. Mandela's love of music is less documented perhaps, but much like he used rugby to meld the cultural divide in his nation, the leader also used music to bring his people together.
Anyone familiar with Mandela's story is also familiar with the system of apartheid with which he contested. Apartheid did more than just discriminate against the native Africans of South Africa; it also inflicted the European culture of the Afrikaners on them as well. This included "Die Stem van Suid-Afrika" ("The Call of South Africa"), and Afrikaans-language national anthem, which served as the country's official song from 1936.
Rising frustrations and protests from groups such as the African National Congress-an anti-apartheid political group-threatened the stability of the system however, The ANC adopted "Nkosi Sikelel iAfrika" ("Lord Bless Afrika" in Xhosa) as its official song. That tune became a rallying cry for the embattled South Africans, and was used as a protest hymn against the Afrikaner government.
It was no surprise then, that when Nelson Mandela was elected president, that "Nkosi Sikelel iAfrika" was adopted as a new national anthem. However, much like with the rugby championship featured in the film Invictus, Mandela aimed to bring both cultural groups together, and he did so by keeping "Die Stem van Suid-Afrika" as official anthem as well. Two years later, the two songs were combined into one anthem, which is still known as "Nkosi Sikelel iAfrika." Recognizing that many subgroups existed within the native Africans of South Africa, the new version features sections in Xhosa, Zulu, Sesotho, as well as portions in Afrikaans and English.
Five languages might sound like a potential mess, but the anthem flows smoothly, proving Mandela correct: Many cultures can work in unison for a greater good.
