"Pátria" was composed in 1975 and originally adopted when East Timor declared itself unilaterally independent from Portugal. However, the country was infamously invaded by Indonesia. The lyrics' writer, Francisco Borja da Costa, was killed at the time of the invasion; and the composer, , was killed four years later. "Pátria" was re-adopted when the independence of East Timor was finally restored in 2002 following a United Nations intervention.