"" ( kg, italic=no, Telama besi Kongo; "Arise, Congolese") is the

national anthem A national anthem is a patriotic musical composition symbolizing and evoking eulogies of the history and traditions of a country or nation. The majority of national anthems are marches or hymns in style. American, Central Asian, and Europea ...

of the

Democratic Republic of the Congo The Democratic Republic of the Congo (french: République démocratique du Congo (RDC), colloquially "La RDC" ), informally Congo-Kinshasa, DR Congo, the DRC, the DROC, or the Congo, and formerly and also colloquially Zaire, is a country in ...

. It was originally adopted in 1960 upon independence from Belgium but was replaced by "

La Zaïroise "" (French for "The Zairian") was the national anthem of Zaire Zaire (, ), officially the Republic of Zaire (french: République du Zaïre, link=no, ), was a Congolese state from 1971 to 1997 in Central Africa that was previously and is n ...

" when the Congo changed its name to

Zaire Zaire (, ), officially the Republic of Zaire (french: République du Zaïre, link=no, ), was a Congolese state from 1971 to 1997 in Central Africa that was previously and is now again known as the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Zaire was, ...

in 1971. It was finally reinstated when the Congo was reorganised in 1997. The lyrics were written by historian and professor Joseph Lutumba, and the music was composed by Jesuit father , who also wrote and composed "La Zaïroise".

References

External links

Democratic Republic of the Congo: "Debout Congolais" - Audio of the national anthem of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, with information and lyrics
{{anthem-stub Democratic Republic of the Congo music African anthems National symbols of the Democratic Republic of the Congo National anthem compositions in C major