Singer, songwriter, entrepreneur, musician, founder of GuiGuy Records and AGI and creator of 245 WEAR… Who is Patche di Rima?

Patche di Rima is an enterprising Guinean artist who works in various cultural areas, such as; music, cinema, art and there is still time for work in the social area.
The greatest representative of Guinea-Bissau culture arrived in Brazil to fulfill several commitments, including participating in the biggest black music event in Brazil, the “AFROPUNK 2023” music festival, which takes place on Sunday, November 19th in Salvador, in which he will share the stage with the Brazilian group, “Baiana System”.

Patche di Rima spoke with journalist and producer William Lemos.

WL – I'm here next to Patche di Rima, he's going to participate in the Afropunk Festival in Salvador, let's talk a little about his work and his participation in the event. Dear, tell us a little about your participation in the event, how the invitation came about, what day you will be there, all that…

PR – Uh… This started through a partnership between Marimba and Baiana System, Marimba is a platform that won a competition to develop the creative industry between Guinea-Bissau, Angola, Mozambique and Timor, it is financed by the European Union and managed by Camões. They decided to open horizons at an international level, we understand that Brazil has a very large dimension in terms of industry and culture, so we partnered together with the “Baiana System” also bringing a little bit of Guinea-Bissau, a little bit of Africa, a Viable, immersive, welcoming Africa, all in all, a cultural and musical Africa.

WL – It’s the tenth time you’ve been here in Brazil. How long have you had a career and can you talk a little about this new work that you will present here?

PR – Well, what we are going to present at Afropunk is the combination of Guinean culture, mixing nturudu which is part of Baiana together with palondepente, bringing the culture of mandjuandadi, of convergence, it is solidarity, it is the sense of altruism , but in a way of converging, of sharing. It was only five years ago that I started to produce a concept, because mandjuandadi is a very old concept in Guinea-Bissau, through mandjuandadi all Guineans can interact, there is no religion, there is no age, there is no color, there is no anything. What matters in mandjuandadi is interaction and ultimately, solidarity. It is this solidarity that I will bring from Guinea-Bissau, take it to Bahia and show it in Afropunk, the “Baiana System” joined the concept and we are now recording a documentary about nturudu, we also make nturudu in Guinea-Bissau because after Brazil's carnival the second largest is ours, so we have the privilege of this, of bringing a minimum of the country, why it is important to bring this essence, to show that in Africa there are also beautiful things to show.

WL – You had commented to me about this issue of the difference between the regions of Guinea-Bissau, we want to know which part of there you are talking about and whether all of Guinea-Bissau does the work you mentioned now.

PATI – That's how it is, in colonial times Creole was prohibited, however what happens, mandjuandadi is part of cultural resistance, a way of demonstrating what is ours, it was a constant struggle as it has been for black people here. This fight has been going on for centuries, it is not new, it is important to show people that our identity, our culture, our way of being, our daily life, is our essence, our base, our everything. However... Guinea-Bissau is located on the western coast of Africa, specifically in the Atlantic part, we border with Senegal in the north and with Guinea Conakry in the south, Guinea-Bissau is a small country, but full of diversity, we have practically 34 or 35 ethnic languages, but deep down we have a language that unites us, which is Creole, it is the strength of our union, the point of our meeting, it is a characteristic of our essence. IN Creole we managed to unite and so also in Mandjuandadi we managed to find the Guinean being within it.
I want to take advantage of this moment, because I am an ambassador for tourism in Guinea-Bissau and I work directly with the government, on investment issues, but I have also worked with the United Nations for twenty years, I have been a musician who works with Unicef, with PBF and others, my contract as a consultant only ended a year ago and now I have a contract with the European Union together with the Marimba project as ambassador for Guinea-Bissau. Regardless of being in music, I am involved in an entrepreneurial vision, I have a communications company which is Bissau Mega Group, I own my label, my publisher is called Gigi Records, I own an image agency. When I understood that in the music industry I don't have to give in, because I want to bring my soul, my essence, so I have to have my things without depending on anyone, that's why I created my structure and I was lucky to walk alone. My music, in 2015, was the object of study in Belo Horizonte, at the federal university in postgraduate and doctoral studies, so I was invited to go and do music therapy, explain my trajectory, talk about my country, try to bring Africanity into the university. At the moment I am working in the financial market, I was part of the African, Asian and European Economic Biennial, I am also part of the Global Africa B&B, I recently participated in the Opportunities in Africa Summit, I coordinated the media part, taking all Portuguese-speaking media to NY and try to take all the investment and potential that Africa has in terms of resources and catalyze all this strength, show the continent that I represent and has a future.

WL – So you are a 1001 businessman.

PR – I learned this because I came from nothing, that when you want something you have to go find it, no one gives you anything for free, everything needs work. What I learned in show business is that whoever occupies the space is the one who is persistent, resilient, visionary, the one who works day to day, the one who knows how to wait for his moment, you don't have to cross anyone, you have to wait for the your moment, but that doesn't stop you from interacting, from converging, from sharing, we have to be more altruistic in our actions and, deep down, be ourselves, this is very important in art. It's finding a heart with the desire to make it happen.