Mozambique peace-accord signing featured Civilization IV’s theme song

Composer Christopher Tin’s “Baba Yetu” has served as the theme song for Civilization IV. It also won a Grammy. And now it has also served as the background theme for the signing of a peace accord in the Republic of Mozambique.

On August 6, the leaders of the two major political parties in Mozambique signed an agreement to end violent hostilities. The Peace and National Reconciliation Agreement could help the country get back to democratic politics after years of fighting. As The New York Times explains, the political factions have battled one another with military violence since the beginning of the nation’s democratic era in 1993. But the both peace accord and a separate cease-fire agreement call for both sides to disarm. It also enables rebels from the opposition Renamo faction to re-integrate into the country and the military.

The hope now is that those rebels will follow through with turning in their weapons. And president Filipe Nyusi and opposition leader Ossufo Momade have promised to turn their focus to free-and-fair elections.

And if this ends up as an important historical moment for Mozambique, it will come with Tin’s sweeping orchestral arrangement playing in the background. You can hear “Baba Yetu” playing in the background of this video:

I was cool enough to record a clipping for a friend I played with, so here is a part of the second rendition… pic.twitter.com/APYcCGkNPa

— Steven Glover (@stevenglover) August 6, 2019

“Baba Yetu” is one of the greatest tracks ever created for a video game. It features a fusion of different instrumental styles along with a choir. The lyrics are a Swahili translation of the Lord’s Prayer. Swahili is one of the major languages of Mozambique.