Otis Selimane

BIO

Named one of the 100 most influential people in the Portuguese-speaking world by BANTUMEN, Otis Selimane is a Mozambican percussionist, drummer, singer, composer and educator. He began his musical career at the age of 7 and began playing the drums at the age of 10. At the age of 14, he began performing in shows as a professional musician, having played in several venues in Maputo and festivals inside and outside Mozambique, accompanying several Mozambican and international artists.

Since 2015 in Brazil, he has been developing several artistic and educational projects linked to African and Afro-Brazilian culture, with emphasis on Músicas de Mbira (show and project with Mbira), The Otis Project with the release of the album TUMBULUKUpresented at Sesc Jazz 2021 and his most recent show: Renascimento.

In 2018, Otis won the New Jazz Talents with The Otis Project, an award that gave him prominence and allowed him to participate in major jazz festivals in the country: TUM Sound Festival, Sampa Jazz Festival, Savassi Jazz Festival. He has already done two tours across Europe, including Sweden, France, Portugal, Germany and Norway, playing at important festivals such as the Sines Festival in Portugal and the Oslo Afro Arts Festival in Norway.

He was coordinator of the international exchange project, Tuko Pamoja Brasil, a partnership between Norway, Mozambique and Brazil that aims to develop youth leadership.

Graduated in Popular Music and Jazz from UNICAMP, he is currently studying for a master degree in Musicology as a student and researcher.
Otis, with his work as an educator, spreads the culture and rhythms of Mozambique across borders, giving people more knowledge about his country. He has been invited to speak at several public schools, universities and research groups talking about Mozambique and Africa in general. Author of courses such as Introduction to African Musicology and African Universalities, he has offered courses to the most diverse audiences in Brazil and abroad.

As a producer and cultural agent in Brazil, he has produced tours for African artists in Brazil. He is the founder of the "Sons dÁfrica, party aimed for Africans living in Brazil and creator of XIPHEFU Produções, which is an independent African collective that represents African artists in the diaspora in Brazil.

In addition to his original works, he collaborates with other artists in Brazil, such as Tássia Reis, Tiganá Santana, Nara Couto, Marissol Mwaba, François Muleka, Dandara Manoela, Curumin, Hodari, Iara Rennó, Sued Nunes, Anelis Assumpção, Luedji Luna, etc.