Patche Di Rima

Patche Di Rima, a true ambassador of Guinean culture, will celebrate his 20 years of career as a professional artist.

“I am Guinean and it is in the traditional music of my country that I find myself, that I know myself, that I define myself. My role is to share and transmit Guinean culture throughout every corner of the world”, Patche Di Rima says proudly.

With three albums recorded; “Genial Amor” (2005), “Rendez-vous de Siko” (2011 — Golden Disc) and “Maratona de Amor” (2019) and many appearances in various collections in all parts of the world, Patche began his career in the year 2000 in Bissau. He started by venturing into Rap with some success, but he was hungry to do more and better. He integrated the bands Solo Crioulo and Mantambeza, where he gained experience and know-how, until he settled for his solo career.

Patche’s music cmixes traditional Guinea-Bissau rhythms, such as gumbé, tina or singa, with afro beat, zouk and kizomba. A unique and original style that he named “Sikó”. In his themes he uses traditional Guinean dialects, such as Creole, Pepel, Manjaco, Fula, Mandinga and Sussu, making him one of the currently greatest musical references in the country.

“It’s with a huge pride and sense of mission that I compose and sing typically African songs, since I feel like I have a huge responsibility as an artist: promoting African music around the world; to show that Africa is much more than what is said and written; to show that there is a continent that is very rich in cultural terms, ready to be explored”, Says Patche.

It was this passion that took him back to Guinea in 2017 (after a few years living in Portugal), eager to become a music entrepreneur in his own country, creating his own publisher and agency and producing and editing musical compilations that are true media outlets of Guinean music.

Patche Di Rima is also one of Guinea-Bissau’s Cultural Ambassadors for Tourism, and in 2018 the musician composed the theme “Paz pa Guinea-Bissau” (Peace to Guinea Bissau) presented at the UN headquarters regarding the International Day of Peace. There are many causes and actions of which he is ambassador. Patche is dedicated, in short, to the sustainable development of Guinea-Bissau and the defence of human rights (particularly women and children), fighting for active and effective citizenship, extermination of social exclusion, racism, injustice, and violence. He uses music as an instrument for spreading culture and peace.

It spreads the message of “a different Guinea-Bissau, a viable Guinea-Bissau, of the future and of hope.”