Composer Enoch Sontonga to be honoured in exhibition as part of Freedom Day

Celebrated South African composer Enoch Sontonga will be honoured by the City of Cape Town in the form of a temporary exhibition.

Sontonga composed the country’s national anthem Nkosi Sikelel’ iAfrika.

Born in the Eastern Cape in 1873, Sontonga earned his place in history with the song which translated means ‘God Bless Africa.’

The temporary exhibition opening will take place at the Cape Town City Hall on Tuesday and is being done in celebration of Freedom Day on Wednesday.

Anthem symbolises unity 

From being written as a prayer to being converted to a liberation song and then adopted as a national anthem in five countries, Enoch Sontonga’s “Nkosi Sikelela iAfrica” is a symbol of African Unity and a shared struggle for countries that were colonialized on the continent.

More details in the report below: 

Mixed reactions to national anthem being voted best in the world

Meanwhile, people expressed mixed reactions on social media over the news of Nkosi Sikelel’ iAfrika having been voted the world’s best national anthem.

This came out in a poll conducted among readers of the respected international magazine, The Economist, back in 2017.

The Economist attributed the anthem’s success to its unifying element, being the only anthem to encompass different languages.

However, South Africans took to Twitter to express their discontent.  Some users say they do not sing the Afrikaans part of the anthem, because of South Africa’s apartheid past while others have expressed their excitement about the “win”.

Poll results of the national anthem in the post below: 

South Africa’s Nkosi Sikelel’ iAfrika has been voted as the best national anthem by the Economist magazine. Do you agree?

— SABC News (@SABCNews) December 28, 2017

-Additional reporting by Zoleka Qodashe