Pincez Tous vos Koras, Frappez les Balafons

National anthem

A national anthem is a generally patriotic musical composition that evokes and eulogizes the history, traditions and struggles of its people, recognized either by a nation's government as the official national song, or by convention through use by the people.- History :Anthems rose to prominence...

of Senegal

Senegal

Senegal , officially the Republic of Senegal , is a country in western Africa. It owes its name to the Sénégal River that borders it to the east and north...

, adopted in 1960. The lyrics were written by Léopold Sédar Senghor

Léopold Sédar Senghor

Léopold Sédar Senghor was a Senegalese poet, politician, and cultural theorist who for two decades served as the first president of Senegal . Senghor was the first African elected as a member of the Académie française. Before independence, he founded the political party called the Senegalese...

, who became Senegal's first president, and the music by Herbert Pepper, who also wrote the national anthem of the Central African Republic

Central African Republic

The Central African Republic , is a landlocked country in Central Africa. It borders Chad in the north, Sudan in the north east, South Sudan in the east, the Democratic Republic of the Congo and the Republic of the Congo in the south, and Cameroon in the west. The CAR covers a land area of about ,...

, "". The kora

Kora (instrument)

The kora is a 21-string bridge-harp used extensively in West Africa.-Description:A kora is built from a large calabash cut in half and covered with cow skin to make a resonator, and has a notched bridge. It does not fit well into any one category of western instruments and would have to be...

(a type of harp) and balafon

Balafon

The balafon is a resonated frame, wooden keyed percussion idiophone of West Africa; part of the idiophone family of tuned percussion instruments that includes the xylophone, marimba, glockenspiel, and the vibraphone...

(wooden xylophone) are Senegalese musical instruments.

Lyrics

French lyrics	English translation
	Everyone strum your koras, strike the balafons. The red lion has roared. The tamer of the savannah Has leapt forward, Dispelling the darkness. Sunlight on our terrors, sunlight on our hope. Stand up, brothers, here is Africa assembled. Chorus: Fibres of my green heart, Shoulder to shoulder, my more than brothers, O Senegalese, arise! Join sea and springs, join steppe and forest! Hail mother Africa, hail mother Africa. Senegal, you the son of the lion's froth, Sprung from the night to the gallop of horses, Give us, oh! give us the honour of our ancestors, Splendid as ebony and strong as muscle, We say it clearly the sword has no flaw. Chorus Senegal, we take on your great work: To shelter the chicks from the falcons, To make, from east to west, north to south, Arisen, one single people, a people without seams, But a people turned to all the winds of the earth. Chorus Senegal, like you, like all our heroes, We will be hard without hatred, with two open arms. The sword in peace-time we will store in the scabbard, For work and words will be our weapon. The Bantu is a brother, and so is the Arab and the White. Chorus But if the enemy burns our borders We will be risen with weapons in our hands: One people defying all sorrows with its faith, Young and old, men and women. Death, yes! We say death, but not shame. Chorus

French lyrics

English translation

Everyone strum your koras, strike the balafons.

The red lion has roared.

The tamer of the savannah

Has leapt forward,

Dispelling the darkness.

Sunlight on our terrors, sunlight on our hope.

Stand up, brothers, here is Africa assembled.

Chorus:

Fibres of my green heart,

Shoulder to shoulder, my more than brothers,

O Senegalese, arise!

Join sea and springs, join steppe and forest!

Hail mother Africa, hail mother Africa.

Senegal, you the son of the lion's froth,

Sprung from the night to the gallop of horses,

Give us, oh! give us the honour of our ancestors,

Splendid as ebony and strong as muscle,

We say it clearly the sword has no flaw.

Chorus

Senegal, we take on your great work:

To shelter the chicks from the falcons,

To make, from east to west, north to south,

Arisen, one single people, a people without seams,

But a people turned to all the winds of the earth.

Chorus

Senegal, like you, like all our heroes,

We will be hard without hatred, with two open arms.

The sword in peace-time we will store in the scabbard,

For work and words will be our weapon.

The Bantu is a brother, and so is the Arab and the White.

Chorus

But if the enemy burns our borders

We will be risen with weapons in our hands:

One people defying all sorrows with its faith,

Young and old, men and women.

Death, yes! We say death, but not shame.

Chorus

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