Nkosi Sikelel' iAfrika

The story of this hymn

Enoch Sontonga, a teacher at a Methodist mission school near Johannesburg, composed the opening verse and its melody in 1897; the poet S.E.K. Mqhayi later added further isiXhosa verses. What began as a school and church hymn became the anthem of the liberation struggle, sung through the apartheid years at countless funerals, and in 1997 it was woven into South Africa's national anthem. At a funeral it is prayer and blessing at once — 'Lord, bless Africa' — widened to cover the family at the grave.

Where it sits in the service

Almost always at the close — the congregation stands, and it is sung unaccompanied as the coffin is carried out or as the crowd disperses at the graveside. Most mourners know it by heart, so many families print only the title in the programme; if you do print words, choose one version (the full hymn or the anthem form) and stay with it, because congregations sing different verses.

In the programme, list it in the order of service as “Hymn — Nkosi Sikelel' iAfrika” with the leader or choir named beside it.

How it is actually sung

Sontonga’s hymn, and it carries a double weight at a funeral — a hymn and part of the national anthem. Congregations stand for it without being asked. It is often sung at the end of a service or at the graveside, and for a person who was politically or communally active it is close to expected.

Printing the words

Widely reproduced and in general use as both hymn and anthem, though published arrangements may carry their own rights. Print the first line and let the congregation carry it — there is no room in South Africa where these words need supplying. Ask the church if you want a full printed text.

This is practical guidance rather than legal advice. Reproduction rights vary by territory, by hymnal edition and by the licence your church holds — the church office is the right place to ask, and they answer this question often.