"" (; "God be with our Suriname"), or "" ("Rise, countrymen" in Sranan Tongo), is the national anthem of Suriname. It has two verses: the first in Dutch and the second in Sranan Tongo.
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 "Wilhelmus". The anthem did not have an official status. In 1959, the Government of Suriname appointed Surinamese writer Henri Frans de Ziel to add a stanza about the unity of the country to Hoekstra's anthem. 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. De Ziel originally used a melody by Surinamese composer Johannes Helstone, however the government preferred the original 1876 melody.
Lyrics Dutch verseIPA transcriptionEnglish translationGod be with our Suriname May He elevate our lovely land No matter how we came here together We are dedicated to its soil Working we keep in mind Justice and truth will set free All that is good to devote oneself to Will give value to our landSranan Tongo verseIPA transcriptionEnglish translationDutch translationRise countrymen, rise! The soil of Suriname is calling you. Wherever our ancestors came from We should take care of our country. There is a fight to fight, we shall not be afraid. God is our leader. Our whole life until death, We shall fight for Suriname.
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External links
MP3 version