The administration of the West African nation claims that the action demonstrates its position as an independent state.
In an effort to purge the nation of the remnants of French colonization, Niger’s parliament adopted a new national song on Thursday, more than 60 years after the country gained its independence.
According to Anadolu, which cited a legislative radio station that broadcast the arguments, legislators overwhelmingly supported a bill to replace the French-composed “La Nigerienne” with “The Honor of the Fatherland” in the nation’s song.
In response to concerns that some of the lyrics appeared to indicate gratitude to its former colonizer, the country’s anthem was changed in 2019. The decision was initially made by the former president of Nigerien, Mahamadou Issoufou.
Nigerians took exception, in particular, with the verse’s first line, which reads, “Let us be proud and grateful for our newfound freedom.”
Corrections needed to be made, and a new anthem that reflected Niamey’s actual situation needed to be written, according to a committee.
The Honor of the Fatherland, a song composed in 1961 by French musicians Maurice Albert Thiriet, Robert Jacquet, and Nicolas Abel Francois Frionnet after the independence of the West African nation, will be replaced by the new Nigerien government’s announcement in 2022.
A group of national professionals wrote the words to the new anthem.
The government used the political development of Niger between World War II and its independence as justification for its choice, claiming that it closely paralleled the experiences of several French colonies in Africa, including the gradual acquisition of traits indicative of a country genuinely aspiring to sovereignty.
In the late 1890s, France started conquering Niger. In 1960, the Sahel region became independent as part of a larger decolonization process brought on by political changes and Paris’ decision to renounce its African colonies.
