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The Herald, May 22, 1981

THE search for a national anthem for Zimbabwe through a competition has been re-opened, a Government spokesman said yesterday.

The earlier competition had produced no acceptable entries, he said, and urged entrants to use words which “the mass of Zimbabwe’s population, particularly the children, can learn easily”.

LESSONS FOR TODAY

• A national anthem is a solemn and patriotic song officially adopted by a country as an expression of its national identity. It is particularly sung at national events or in other sectors such as schools during assemblies.
• The country’s first national anthem was “Ishe komborera Zimbabwe/Ishe komborera Afrika” (God Bless Zimbabwe), which was adopted in 1980. This anthem was in use until 1994 when the current anthem known by its incipit in Shona, “Simudzai mureza wedu weZimbabwe” (Raise our flag of Zimbabwe), was introduced in March of that year after a nationwide competition to replace “Ishe Komborera Zimbabwe” with a distinctly Zimbabwean song.
• “Simudzai mureza wedu weZimbabwe”, which was written by academic, novelist and poet Professor Solomon Mutswairo is a patriotic musical composition that evokes and eulogises the history, traditions and struggles of the people of Zimbabwe.
• The national anthem is a national song and as such it is supposed to be sung with respect and national pride by all patriotic Zimbabweans.