"Esta É a Nossa Pátria Bem Amada" is the national anthem of Guinea-Bissau. Written in 1963 by Amílcar Cabral (1924–1973) and composed by Xiao He (1918–2010), it was adopted upon independence from Portugal in 1974. It was also the national anthem of Cape Verde, a legacy of both countries' joint independence, until 1996, when a new anthem ("Cântico da Liberdade") was adopted by Cape Verde.

History

The anthem was written by independence leader of Guinea-Bissau and Cape Verde Amílcar Cabral. Cabral, a Bissau-Guinean son of Bissau-Guineans and Cape Verdeans, was the leader of the African Party for the Independence of Guinea and Cape Verde (PAIGC). In 1963, a delegation from then Portuguese Guinea visited China and heard music by composer Xiao He. Cabral asked Xiao to compose a piece that would inspire his people in their struggle for independence. Set to a 1963 poem by Cabral, the piece was later adopted by Guinea Bissau and Cape Verde as the national anthem upon their independence from Portugal in 1974. In the 1990s, after the African Party for the Independence of Cape Verde allowed multi-party rule, it was decided that Cape Verde should adopt its own national symbols, including a flag and anthem. A new anthem, "Cântico da Liberdade", was adopted in 1996.

Lyrics