Happy 50th, Mozambique!
Yesterday marked 50 years since Mozambique won its independence from Portugal. In honor of that landmark, here’s a translation of Stewart Sukuma’s “Moçambique” from his 1996 album “Afrikiti.” Appropriately for a country as diverse as Mozambique, there are multiple languages in this song. I’ve left the Tsonga as is and italicized the English that’s simply ported over.
“Moçambique”
Moçambique
Nossa terra Moçambique
Teus filhos vão te honrar, vão te abracar
Mesmo aqueles que te deixaram
Um dia vão voltar pra nunca mais partir
Mozambique the sun is going to shine
Mocambique elabo ny modda Ngoma dine lo wibiwa
Mozambique the dream is yours and mine
Mocambique elabo ny modda atu anodha olapa
Nossa terra Moçambique
Teu povo vai crescer e ensinar (nosso Moçambique)
Nossos corpos tatuados de glória um dia irão contar
A nossa historia (yelele)
Moçambique
O verde vai desabrochar
Os campos vão florir
Vão parir noites de luar
Onde a batucada
Não sе esquece dе vibrar
E nunca mais parar
[Tsonga]
Nossa terra Moçambique
Teu povo vai te honrar
They’re gonna hold you (nosso Moçambique)
Todos aqueles que te deixaram
Um dia vão voltar
They’re never gonna leave
Mozambique the sun is going to shine
Mocambique elabo ny modda Ngoma dine lo wibiwa
Mozambique the dream is yours and mine
Mocambique elabo ny modda atu anodha olapa
Nossa terra Moçambique
Teu povo vai crescer e ensinar (nosso Moçambique)
Nossos corpos tatuados de glória
Um dia irão contar
A nossa history
Moçambique
O verde vai desabrochar
Os campos vão florir
Vão parir noites de luar
Onde a batucada
Não se esquece de vibrar
E nunca mais parar
Moçambique the sun is going to shine
Moçambique elabo ny modda Ngoma dine lo wibiwa
Moçambique
The sun is going to shine (it’s gonna shine)
Moçambique
The dream is yours and mine (yours and mine)
Moçambique
The sun is going to shine (It’s my dream)
Mocambique elabo ny modda atu anodha olapa
Moçambique
The flowers will bloom
Faces oh so tender
Glowing like the moon
“Mozambique”
Mozambique
Our land Mozambique
Your children will honor you, they will embrace you
Even those who left you
One day will come back never to leave again
Mozambique the sun is going to shine
Mocambique elabo ny modda Ngoma dine lo wibiwa
Mozambique the dream is yours and mine
Mocambique elabo ny modda atu anodha olapa
Our land Mozambique
Your people will grow and teach (our Mozambique)
Our bodies tattooed with glory
One day will tell our story (yelele)
Mozambique
The green will blossom
The fields will flower
Moonlit nights will be born
Where the batucada
Can’t help but vibrate
And never stop again
[Tsonga]
Our land Mozambique
Your people will honor you
They’re gonna hold you (our Mozambique)
All those who left you
One day will return
They’re never gonna leave
Mozambique the sun is going to shine
Mocambique elabo ny modda Ngoma dine lo wibiwa
Mozambique the dream is yours and mine
Mocambique elabo ny modda atu anodha olapa
Our land Mozambique
Your people will grow and teach (our Mozambique)
Our bodies tattooed in glory
One day will tell
Our history
Mozambique
The green will blossom
The fields will flower
Moonlit nights will be born
Where the batucada
Can’t help but vibrate
And never stop again
Mozambique (the sun is going to shine)
Mocambique elabo ny modda Ngoma dine lo wibiwa
Mozambique
The sun is going to shine (it’s gonna shine)
Moçambique
The dream is yours and mine (yours and mine)
Mozambique
The sun is going to shine (It’s my dream)
Mocambique elabo ny modda atu anodha olapa
Mozambique
The flowers will bloom
Faces oh so tender
Glowing like the moon