Ode to unity in four languages

It’s not easy changing course in a country that values its history and autonomy as much as Switzerland does. If you think hammering out an agreement with the European Union is difficult, try convincing the Swiss people to adopt a new national anthem. For more than two years, the Zurich-based Swiss Society for the Common Good (SSCG) has been trying to do just that. After a contest in which 24,000 people voted on more than 200 entries submitted in the country’s four national languages, the winning text premiered at the August 1 Swiss National Day celebration on the Rütli meadow, where Switzerland was born 725 years ago. “The Rütli is a very special place, a mythical place,” said Annamarie Huber-Hotz, president of the Swiss Red Cross (SRC), speaking there on the occasion of the SRC’s 150th anniversary. “Here we reflect on all that unites us. Here we gather insight and strength from our history.” A fitting place for the introduction of a new text to ...