Land of the Free (anthem)
U.S. Navy Band instrumental version |
"Land of the Free" is the national anthem of Belize. The words were written by Samuel Alfred Haynes in 1929 based upon Haynes poem “Land of the Gods.” The musical arrangement for “Land of the Gods,” was composed with Selwyn Walford Young in 1930. “Land of the Gods” was changed to “Land of the Free” by the George Cadle Price administration, officially adopted as the National Anthem of Belize in 1981.
History and criticism
Samuel Haynes
Upon the outbreak of the
Exalting by the PUP
With the arrival of the nationalist movement led by the People's United Party, the search was on for new symbols of Belizean identity. The PUP had defied the colonial order by singing "God Bless America" instead of the royal anthem "God Save the King" (or Queen). At independence, the ruling PUP named "Land of the Free" Belize's official anthem and played it at emotional independence ceremonies on 21 September. Most Belizeans agreed with the choice but lamented that it had not been put to a vote of Belizean residents.
Common complaints since
The anthem has come under fire from critics who charge that its language is archaic and does not appeal to a new generation of Belizeans who are in any case too young to remember Samuel Haynes.
Some have argued that the anthem is too
Nationalist writers have argued that the anthem's references to the Baymen ignore the multi-cultural diversity of Belize today and have proposed a number of replacements. The most recent complaint of this nature was leveled by Maya-Mestizo-born correspondent Clinton Luna, who suggested that the phrase "sons of the Belizean soil" should replace "sons of the Baymen's clan" in the chorus in recent issues of the Amandala weekly newspaper.[citation needed] The newspaper itself has previously argued to the same effect. However, Amandala contributor Henry Gordon countered in a later issue that nothing in the anthem represents any sort of bias to any ethnic group in Belize.[citation needed]
Belizeans speak a wide range of languages including English, Spanish, three different
Other uses
- Late former Prime Minister George Price toured the nation sometime in the early 2000s to promote the singing of the national anthem. He visited schools in rural areas and led children in singing the anthem.
- National radio stations generally play a version of the national anthem at morning sign-on. Most feature a recording of Price singing the anthem at piano in a faster tempo than usual or an instrumental version.
- In author the title character and her friend Toycie Qualo sing the full version of the original song, "Land of the Gods" (of which the two opening and closing lines are mentioned in the story), while parodying the political meetings then being held by the PIP, a reference to the PUP, in Belize City. Edgell acknowledged permission to use the song at the front of the book.
- The anthem was prominently featured in demonstrations in Belize in 2005.
- Belizeans normally stand at attention facing forward, headgear off, while singing or facing someone singing the national anthem.
Lyrics
Only the first verse is considered to be official and is performed at official events.
I |
References
- ^ Burn, Naomi (August 24, 2006). "We need a new national anthem – for all Belizeans". Amandala. Retrieved May 2, 2016.
- ^ ISBN 9768111658. Archived from the original(PDF) on June 29, 2015. Retrieved May 2, 2016.
- ^ Bracken, Amy (21 September 2011). "Creole Anthem". Minneapolis, Minnesota: Public Radio International. Retrieved 20 July 2017.
- ^ Badillo, Gerry (4 November 2011). "The Belize National Anthem in Creole Leela Vernon Style". Ambergris Today. San Pedro Town, Belize. Archived from the original on 14 April 2016. Retrieved 20 July 2017.
- ^ "National Anthem & Prayer". Government of Belize Press Office. Retrieved 2022-04-16.