Nation branding is a term aims to measure the global perception and reputation of countries. If Poland were a brand, in foreigners’ eyes would be a very cheap and poorly made product, probably in shades of grey. That’s my assumption. Let’s face reality. Generally, British people don’t like Poles. And you know what, I’m not going to stand up for the typical Polish people living in the UK. (Yes, I’m Polish.)
I meet a lot of Poles on the underground or on the street, every day. The majority of them look like typical bullies, with tattoos, big muscles and bottles of beers in their plastic bags. Poland gets a bad press because of the holistic image of these kind of people. Obviously, there are exceptions but most of them are not really well-educated. They came here just to earn money working as electricians, builders, plumbers, roadmen and many others. Whether you believe me or not, an average Polish guy looks and behaves totally different.
What makes me furious is the constant image of Poland being poor communist country. If you don’t know, it’s been 25 years since communism collapsed. In that time, Poland has transformed itself unrecognisably. There are a lot of stereotypes about Poland which are either extremely exaggerated or sound for me like a joke.(“Polish people are riding horses instead of driving cars” – that’s my favourite one.)
I don’t want to write another article about typical stereotypes concentrating Poles. There are plenty of them. And the only one way to convince you that the truth is different from what you see on the streets in the UK, is to visit one of the major cities in Poland. Warsaw is the one that I strongly recommend.
I’m writing occasionally about successful people who you might don’t know or you recognise them but you are now aware they are Polish. I used to call them “Poland’s ambassadors” since they break all the stereotypical image about Poles. It’s time to introduce you the next one: Radzimir Dębski, known as Jimek, a Polish composer and producer.
In 2012, he won Beyoncé’s “End Of Time” Remix worldwide competition. If you are a Beyonce’s fan you must have heard this song. Jimek was the lucky winner selected among over 3,000 mixes by panel of judges, including Beyoncé, Isabella Summers and Oscar-winning composer Giorgio Moroder. Radzimir took home $8,000 USD and his remix appeared on the Beyoncé’s EP, 4: The Remix, released by Columbia Recordson on April 23, 2012.
Radzimir Dębski is 27 year-old. His parents are both well-known Polish musicians: Anna Jurksztynowicz is a singer and Krzesimir Dębski is a composer with impressive experience. Radzimir completed his Master’s degree at the Chopin Music Academy in Warsaw and studied film scoring and orchestration at the University of California, Los Angeles. He composes and produces music for film, television programmes and theater in the US and Poland. Presently, he is working on a debut solo album.
JIMEK’s symphonic piece entitled CRUX that was premiered at the Szczecin Philharmonic, Poland.
If you haven’t heard Beyoncé’s “End Of Time JIMEX Remix, here is the video: