Namibia's first national anthem, albeit unofficial, was "Das Südwesterlied" while under German colonization as German South-West Africa. After it became South-West Africa as a League of Nations mandate under the Union of South Africa, the national anthem was changed to "Die Stem van Suid-Afrika" to match South Africa's. Following independence, "Nkosi Sikelel' iAfrika" was provisionally adopted as a temporary national anthem pending the formal adoption of an official national anthem. It was later decided that Namibia needed a unique anthem, and a national competition was held to compose a new national anthem. The competition was won by Axali Doeseb with "Namibia, Land of the Brave". The anthem was first played in public in a ceremony on the first anniversary of Namibia's independence from South Africa in 1991. The similarity of the lyric's first-line phrase "Land of the Brave" to the end of "The Star-Spangled Banner", the national anthem of the United States, has been noted by commentators.
