"Ninapenda kuimba wimbo wa Taifa wa Tanzania"

Translation: I like to sing the National Anthem of Tanzania

[juryrigging]

Wimbo wa Taifa wa Tanzania, Mungu ibariki Afrika

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3KalGDoCZuc

[Catriona28475]

Very nice - thanks!

[Ivoryblossum]

How many African countries use this tune? This makes 3 I know of (Tanzania, ZA and Zed)

[5vZSXEt5]

South Africa too.
But what are ZA and Zed?

[Ivoryblossum]

ZA is South Africa (Zuid-Afrika, why .za is the top level domain for the country). Zed = Zambia.

[5vZSXEt5]

I don't understand one thing:

Bendera.. ya... Taifa LA Tanzania:
The flag... of... the nation of Tanzania
(Taifa la tanzania is a unit that bendera relates to)

Vs

Wimbo... wa ... taifa... WA Tanzania:
The flag... of... the nation... of Tanzania
(Taifa..wa..tanzania is not a unit; rather, wimbo relates first to taifa, and then it relates to Tanzania)

[AGreatUserName]

The wa relates back to wimbo, not to Tanzania. It's not "song of the nation of Tanzania" but "Tanzanian national anthem" and "national anthem" is one unit.

[wimbo wa taifa] wa Tanzania = Tanzanian national anthem
wimbo wa [taifa la Tanzania] = song of the nation of Tanzania

The various forms of -a can, in some instances like this, indicate exactly which noun the possessive relationship refers back to.

[marijkstee]

My question exactly!!

[whsndstalb]

why is "i like to sing tanzania's anthem" not correct?

[machieng]

wimbo wa taifa - national anthem

[whsndstalb]

then can i say "wimbo wa tanzania" to say tanzania's anthem/song?

[machieng]

That's a bit more ambiguous, I would take that to mean 'Tanzania's song'

[Noah459171]

Why does this course seem so focused on Tanzania? What about the other countries where Swahili is spoken: Kenya, Uganda, Rwanda, Burundi, DRC, etc.