Lyrics Joseph Lutumba, 1960 | ||
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Music Simon-Pierre Boka di Mpasi Londi, 1960 Adopted 1960 (independence)
1997 (reinstated) | ||
"Debout Congolais" (Arise Congolese) is the national anthem of the Democratic Republic of the Congo. It was first adopted in 1960 upon independence from Belgium, but was replaced by La Zaïroise when Congo changed its name to Zaire in 1971. It was finally reinstated when Congo was reorganized in 1997. The words are by Joseph Lutumba and the music is by Simon-Pierre Boka di Mpasi Londi.
Note
The words in italics in the refrain are meant to be sung by a choir, while the other words in the refrain are meant to be sung by soloists.
References
Debout Congolais Wikipedia(Text) CC BY-SA