OUT OF TUNE
GARETH VAN ONSELEN: Time for a new national anthem
SA’s national anthem is an ode to contradiction: a plea for an end to tyranny; a mask presenting that tyranny as freedom. It’s a Band-Aid slapped on the wound of division. And it’s banal
Nationalism manifests in the deference it seeks before the symbols and ceremonies it manufactures, all in the name of some imagined glory that, in truth, amounts to little more than random chance. Nevertheless, most people tend to revel in the rituals it demands — they provide a sense of belonging and pride, the universal antidotes to low self-esteem. But if pageantry is the price of patriotism, real or imagined, we need a new national anthem. "Nkosi Sikelel’ iAfrika" is the dull, incoherent product of compromise. Not only does the singing of it lull one into a soporific stupor but, on face value, it makes little sense. It’s a mishmash of random thoughts: half Christian prayer offered up in response to crisis, half tribute to arbitrary geography.It has only one line that speaks to any actual value or principle. "Let us live and strive for freedom" is, by some considerable stretch, the only aspirational sentiment in the anthem — something to actually aim for. One could argue the prec...
Would you like to comment on this article?
Sign up (it's quick and free) or sign in now.
Please read our Comment Policy before commenting.
Subscribe now to unlock this article.
Support BusinessLIVE’s award-winning journalism for R129 per month (digital access only).
There’s never been a more important time to support independent journalism in SA. Our subscription packages now offer an ad-free experience for readers.
Cancel anytime.
Questions? Email helpdesk@businesslive.co.za or call 0860 52 52 00. Got a subscription voucher? Redeem it now.