Rise O Voices of Rhodesia was adopted as the national anthem of Rhodesia in 1974, following its Unilateral Declaration of Independence from Britain in 1965. The tune was that of Beethoven's Choral Symphony (see Ode to Joy), which was also used by the Council of Europe, and subsequently by the European Community. The words, written by Mary Bloom, a South African living in Gwelo (now Gweru), were chosen from a national competition.

Rise O voices of Rhodesia,

God may we thy bounty share,

Give us strength to face all danger,

And where challenge is, to dare.

Guide us, Lord, to wise decision,

Ever of thy grace aware.

Oh, let our hearts beat bravely always

For this land within thy care.

Rise O voices of Rhodesia,

Bringing her your proud acclaim,

Grandly echoing through the mountains

Rolling over far flung plain

Roaring in the mighty rivers

Joining in one grand refrain

Ascending to the sunlit heavens

Telling of her honoured name

The unoriginal choice of tune prompted ridicule among foreign observers.The British writer Richard West, who in his 1978 book White Tribes Revisited, remarked; "How can one not...squirm with embarrassment, when television ends at night with the Rhodesian national anthem, sung to the tune of Beethoven's Choral Symphony?" adding that "white Rhodesians are notoriously philistine". Despite the criticism, Rise O Voices of Rhodesia was well-received by the Rhodesian people.

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National anthems | Rhodesia