There's a growing trend towards ethnic pride, triggered somewhat by the fact that the world has become one big global village. Everything is starting to look homogenous?cities start to look the same, and it's not unusual to find a mini-United Nations crowded into a subway. It's all great to be part of one big world, but at some point, people start looking for their roots.

The trend can be seen in the popularity of cultural awareness clubs and classes in universities, as second-generation immigrants actively search for their sense of history. Others are taking tours of their ?homeland?, visiting ancestors? home towns and retracing family trees. Even the scrapbooking craze, the biggest hobby to sweep across Northern America, is a reflection of people's desire to capture and preserve something unique about their history.

National anthem ringtones is part of this worldwide trend towards going back to one's roots. It is a way of saying, ?This is who I am. This is where I'm from. This is what I stand for, and what I believe in.? For those whose countries are torn by civil war or political conflict, it is a way of reaffirming their hope that the values that their people stand for will somehow survive the war that is ravaging their land. Others like playing it when country pride is at its peak?during world sports events like the Olympics or World Cup.

While national anthem ringtones may not have the foot-tapping, booty-swayin? effect of the latest R&B hits, they do have their own unique and special effect on all who hear it. Those who recognize it?perhaps being from that country themselves?will smile. Those who don't will probably be prompted to ask what it is. Then it becomes an opportunity to share your pride, and talk about your country. Then it becomes a bridge towards understanding and respect, as well as a healthy curiosity for cultures outside of their own?and isn't that what a global village is really about?

Most of the national anthems have already been converted into ring tones. Some are available in polyphonic form, others are already available as true tones. While it's not the same as actually hearing it played on your own soil, it is a way of bringing a bit of your country with you every where you go.