The national anthem: A mirror image of the Zimbabwean identity?

Abstract

The article parades those attributes in the Zimbabwean National Anthem that make it Zimbabwean. Having shifted from an anthem for Africa as a continent, ‘Ishe Komborera Africa’, the current Zimbabwe national anthem, eulogizes some sense of patriotism, Zimbabwean hegemony and pride among the Zimbabwean populace. Every nation has its own identity that is mirrored through symbolic historical monuments, artifacts, dress codes and music including the national anthem. Zimbabweans, being the custodians of their identity, have risen up to the challenge of composing their own anthem through the late Solomon Mutswairo and Fred Changundega, who provided the text and score, respectively. Through a content analysis research method the article explains the musical elements that make up the Zimbabwean national anthem. From the research done a conclusion has been drawn that themes and ideologies associated with the Zimbabwean national anthem reflect aspects of nationalism, but in terms of musical compositional techniques some concepts such as rhythm, dynamics, and performance directions are inherited from foreign cultures.