Xiao He (composer)

He is most notable for composing the melody of the Guinea-Bissauan national anthem, "Esta É a Nossa Pátria Bem Amada".

Xiao He was born in February 1918 in the city of Shangrao in Jiangxi, a province in Southern China.

Anti-colonial political leader Amílcar Cabral asked Xiao to compose a piece that would inspire his people in their struggle for independence.

[3][4] Set to a 1963 poem by Cabral, the melody of his composition was adopted by the African Party for the Independence of Guinea and Cape Verde (PAIGC) as the national anthem of Guinea-Bissau and Cape Verde upon their joint independence from Portugal in 1974, titled "Esta É a Nossa Pátria Bem Amada" (This is Our Most Beloved Homeland).

In the 1990s, after the PAIGC allowed multi-party rule, it was decided that Cape Verde should adopt its own national symbols, including a flag and anthem.