In this text, Pierre Verger expresses his great admiration for the drawings of Argentine artist Héctor Julio Páride Bernabó (1911–97), alias Carybé, due chiefly to their iconographic value. Both the writer and the artist moved to the city of Salvador, capital of the state of Bahia, between the late forties and the early fifties. Fascinated by the Yoruba cultural tradition, they converted to the Afro-Brazilian Candomblé religion. The text evidences the strong friendship between the two foreigners—one French and the other Argentine—captivated by the rich culture of this enclave in northeastern Brazil. Indeed, their works are registers of different aspects of the culture of the state of Bahia and of its local religions. Verger studied the cultural ties between Africa and Brazil—particularly in relation to Afro-Brazilian religions—which date back to the 19th century. While based in Brazil, Verger spent thirty years traveling between Salvador, Nigeria, and Benin. Early in his life, in France, he worked as a photojournalist. In Benin, he was ordained a priest and changed his name to include Fátúmbí. Though he had no university degree, he was awarded a Doctor Honoris Causa from the Sorbonne in Paris. He was a guest professor at the University of Ifé in Nigeria and at the Universidade Federal da Bahia (UFBa).
[For further reading, see in the ICAA digital archive by Raul Lody “Coleção Arthur Ramos” (doc. no. 1110525); “Coleção culto afro-brasileiro: um documento do candomblé na cidade do Salvador” (doc. no. 1110527); “Coleção culto afro-brasileiro: um testemunho do Xangô pernambucano” (doc. no. 1110526); “Dezoito esculturas antropomorfas de orixás” (doc. no. 1110529); “Símbolo do mando” (doc. no. 1110531); and “Yorubá: um estudo etno-tecnológico de 50 peças da coleção arte africana do Museu Nacional de Belas-Artes” (doc. no. 1110532).