God zij met ons Suriname
"God zij met ons Suriname" (Dutch pronunciation: [ˌɣɔt ˈsɛi mɛt ɔns ˌsyːriˈnaːmə]) or "Opo kondreman" is the national anthem of Suriname. It has two verses: the first in Dutch and the second in Sranan Tongo.
English: God be with our Suriname | |
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National anthem of ![]() | |
Also known as | Opo kondreman (English: Rise, countrymen) |
Lyrics | Cornelis Atses Hoekstra (1893) and Henry de Ziel (1959) |
Music | Johannes Corstianus de Puy, 1876 |
Adopted | 1959 |
Audio sample | |
Instrumental performance by the U.S. Navy Band
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History
The original version of the anthem was written by Cornelis Atses Hoekstra in 1893 and based on a 1876 melody by Johannes Corstianus de Puy. It was written to replace the old anthem Wien Neêrlands Bloed. The anthem did not have an official status. In 1959, the Government of Suriname appointed Henri Frans de Ziel to add a stanza about the unity of the country to Hoekstra's anthem.[1] De Ziel was concerned about the negative nuance in the original, and started to transform the anthem into a positive message. He combined this with a poem he wrote in Sranan Tongo on the death of Ronald Elwin Kappel. His anthem was unanimously approved by the Government of Suriname on 7 December 1959.[2]
Lyrics
Dutch: | English translation | |
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Sranan Tongo: | Dutch Translation | English translation |
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References
- Michiel van Kempen (2002). "Een geschiedenis van de Surinaamse literatuur. Deel 3". Digital Library for Dutch Literature (in Dutch). Retrieved 7 September 2020.
- "Trefossa en het volkslied van Suriname". Star Nieuws (in Dutch). Retrieved 7 September 2020.