A few words about the country:
Afghanistan is a landlocked country in Central Asia. It borders Pakistan in the south and east, Iran in the west, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan and Tajikistan in the north, and China in the northeast. Like a great part of the world, it was once a British colony, but declared its independence in 1926.
History of the anthem:
According to the current Afghan constitution, the law requires the national anthem to be in Pashto (a language spoken by about 65 percent of the population). The song is also required to mention that “God is the greatest” (though I’m pretty sure most people over there don’t really need that confirmation), and it has to name the different ethnicities of the country (which of course are quite diverse). The current anthem was adopted in 2006, with lyrics by Abdul Bari Jahani and music by a German-Afghan composer called Babrak Wassa (no, I’m not sure if he’s allowed to eat sausages, stop asking).
Lyrics:
Pashto:
Dā watan Afğānistān day
Dā izat da har Afğān day
Kor da sole, kor da tūre
Har bačay ye qahramān day
Dā watan da ṭolo kor day
Da Balotso, da Uzbəko
Da Pax̌tūn aw Hazārawo
Da Turkməno, da Tājəko
Wər sara Arab, Gūjər dī
Pāmīryān, Nūristānyān
Brāhawī dī, Qizilbāš dī
Ham Aymāq, ham Pašayān
Dā hīwād ba təl źaleǵī
Ləka lmar pər šnə asmān
Pə sīna ke da Āsyā ba
Ləka zṛə wī jāwīdān
Nūm da haq mo day rahbar
Wāyū Allāhu Akbar
Wāyū Allāhu Akbar
Wāyū Allāhu Akbar
English translation:
This homeland is Afghanistan!
It is the glory of every Afghan.
The abode of peace, the abode of the sword,
Each of its sons is courageous.
This nation is the homeland of us all,
The land of Balochs and Uzbeks.
The land of Pashtuns, Hazaras,
Turkmens and Tajiks.
With them, there are Arabs, Gujjars,
Pamiris and Nuristanis.
Also Brahuis, Qizilbash,
Aimaqs and Pashayis.
Our country will glow forever,
Like the sun in a clear blue sky.
In the chest of Asia,
It will be like heart forever.
We will follow the name of The Truth;
We say God is Greatest!
We say God is Greatest!
We say God is Greatest!
My humble opinion of the anthem:
Again, I’ll start out the process by examining the lyrics before actually listening to the song. First off: how can some place be both the abode of peace and of a sword? It’s like the two most opposite roommates possible. It’s kind of like they’re trying to start a cop movie, with a good one and a bad one (that has swords). Furthermore, how many different ethnicities can one country possibly have? I shudder at the thought of this man ever writing an anthem for the United Nations, it would be the longest song ever created (it wouldn’t even need someone to create a 10 hour version on YouTube if it ever would go viral). In all seriousness though, this is a pretty decent text, got to admire the attention to the different cultures. I especially like the fourth stanza, some nice metaphors there; yet the last stanza seems repetitive: come on guys, be original.
Now, let’s listen. Listening complete. Short answer: I liked it. Slightly longer answer: it had a good, strong melody, yet it really was a bit repetitive. I do realize however that this probably was the plan all along: can’t get the last three sentences out of my head. I give this song a 75/100. Wayu Allahu Akbar.
Let me play you the song of my people... 