national anthems give a definite advantage

Today is June 26th, Madagascar independence day. As you know, I have been zipping in with appreciation the nice coverage of the World Cup in the US. The tv coverage is a nice a surprise because most Americans stated that they could care less about soccer, a sport they did not excel in. Well, the tv ratings proved otherwise, which shows that globalization goes both ways: you may be able to export hollywwod to the world but the world will counter-attack with "Joga Bonita" ( the beautiful game). I digress again...
Patriotism aside, national anthems are a thing of beauty. For instance, I have no allegiance to England; if anything, I believe their team is overhyped. However, when it comes to their fan support and the national anthem, they are riveting. To hear a whole stadium sing in unisson "God save the Queen" is such a thrilling experience, it almost makes you want to root for the "bloody" english :). On the other hand, The Ecuadorian anthem was, hummmm not so inspiring....not one player sung along the jazzy like tune....so more credits to the Ecuadorians for providing a good fight :) .
Now about the malagasy anthem: I am probably biaised but the malagasy anthem is one of the best out there. It starts off strong: " Ry Tanidrazananay malala O....." and finishes even stronger. The amazing thing is that I don't even think it is the best choice of song for our anthem. You have a plethora of songs that could have been picked: "Madagasikara,...tany sarobidy, masina tokoa" to name one, and plenty of others that I can't remember right now. The sad part is that we rarely get to hear the chill-inducing "My beloved fatherland " on the international stage.
The other great sighting of the World Cup anthem part were the Swedish fans. They always had a good time, win or lose, cheered on their team till the end but most importantly, they stood up during other nations' anthems and cheered on as the anthems ended. How classy is that ?
However, one need to keep in mind the that " patriotism is a virtue of the wicked" (Oscar Wilde). So let's cheer on our team and our national anthem and our independence day but at the end, let's remember the spirit of the Swedes.
P.S: Here is a great link with all you need to know about national anthems from every countries with music, lyrics (also translated in english) and the history. Here is the full chorus/translated:

Tahionao ry Zanahary
'Ty No sindrazanay ity
Hiadana sy ho finaritra
He sambatra tokoa izahay.
english:(loose translation)
O, Lord Creator, do Thou bless
This Island of our Fathers,
That she may be happy and prosperous
For our own satisfaction.

It also gives the former national anthem of Madagascar here.

Tags: Madagascar independence day, Joga bonita, God save the queen, Ry tanidrazananay malala, Swedish fans

Tags: malagasy music