"Meda Dau Doka" (Fijian pronunciation: [me.ⁿda ⁿdɔu̯ ⁿdo.ka]), or "God Bless Fiji", is the national anthem of Fiji. The lyrics were written by Michael Francis Alexander Prescott (1928–2006) to the tune of the hymn "Dwelling in Beulah Land" by Charles Austin Miles (1911),[1][2] and the music was adapted by Viliame Bale,[2] Superintendent and Director of Music in the Royal Fiji Police Band.[2][3] The anthem was adopted upon independence from the United Kingdom in 1970.[2]
English: God Bless Fiji | |
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National anthem of Fiji | |
Lyrics | Michael Francis Alexander Prescott |
Music | Charles Austin Miles (original), 1911 Viliame Bale (band arrangement) |
Adopted | 1970 |
Audio sample | |
U.S. Navy Band instrumental version (one verse and chorus)
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The anthem's English version is usually sung. The English and Fijian lyrics are not translations of each other and have very little in common.[1]
In August 2008, the draft version of the People's Charter for Change, Peace and Progress, a government document intended to supplement the Constitution and reconcile ethnic and linguistic divides, suggested that the national anthem should be in the country's three main languages: Fijian, Hindi and English.[4] The Charter later served as the basis for the 2013 Constitution of Fiji.
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Fijian original[10][11] | IPA transcription[c] | English translation |
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Fiji Hindi lyrics[11] |
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