A young Mozambican rapper and songwriter who found peace and inspiration on the Morvern Peninsula has released a single celebrating the great potential of African people to create their own future. This is his story.
“My name is Eufragio Manguele, I was born in Mozambique, and I live in West Highland Scotland.
“I moved to Portugal to study when I was 17, and had hoped then to work in the USA, but when my father died, I was left in a place of spiritual pain and confusion. I decided instead to join my partner in the UK, and this move helped me regain balance and face my grief in a better way.
“We were fascinated by the landscape and history of the Highlands, so when we had the opportunity to move, we did all that we could to succeed in living in this wonderful place. We run a B&B which also serves food and we are so happy that we are known as the place to go and eat – it’s helped us make strong bonds in this rural community.
“I’ve been making music since I was a teenager in Mozambique, at first just for fun, but it became much more important to me when we moved to Portugal and I was living in a small village with not many friends. I’d spend most of my spare time at home alone, where I’d write music over American YouTube instrumentals.
“My music eventually began to attract attention, but I left it behind during my university studies, and it was only a couple of years ago that I started again, after my girlfriend started listening to my old songs. She asked me to make English versions of the Portuguese, and while I never did this, it encouraged me to start writing again.
“Growing up in a country with a history of decades of war, my parents brought us up to be socially aware. I was born in the last year of the Civil War, and grew up hearing frightening stories of that time.
“But I was lucky to enjoy a peaceful childhood, and my parents taught us the importance of caring for each other, even people we don’t know. My father also taught us the role of philosophy and its importance in building an enlightened society.
“This is at the heart of my inspiration for making music and it’s why I wrote ‘Rule the World’. I believe that I was taught precious values and I feel an obligation to pass these on to others. I also wanted to counter the aggressive nature of many rap songs, so I took a different path, without ceasing to be critical.
“‘Rule the World’ is not about selfish ambition, it’s my feelings for what I would like our world to be. I see the generations to come, and I want them to be proud of us, I believe that only we, who are alive now, can change our world.”
‘Rule the World’ was recorded in Mozambique with guest vocals from rock singer Michel Rui, and at Watercolour Music studios close to Eufragio’s Highland home, run by producer Nick Turner and music broadcaster and musician, Mary Ann Kennedy. Faith and philosophy continue to be at the heart of Eufragio’s life and music, citing Marcus Aurelius’s Meditations and King Solomon’s Ecclesiastes as two of his favourite books.