Pierre Orchard

Pierre Edouard Leopold Verger (Paris November 4th 1902 - El Salvador February 11th 1996) was a French photographer and ethnologist. It also bore the name of Fatumbi , of religious origin.

It was also babalawo (priest Yoruba) and decided to devote the essence of its life to the study of the African diaspora, of the trade of the slaves, the religions being related there in the new world, and of cultural and economic flows related to Africa.

At the 30 years age, after having lost its family, Pierre Verger started a career of journalistic photographer.

Its speciality was photography in black and white, the stereotypes was taken with an apparatus Rolleiflex, currently exposed in the museum of the Fondation Pierre Verger to Salvador de Bahia to the Brésil.

During nearly fifteen years, he traversed the four continents and interressa with many civilizations which will be the object of its reports. He went in particular in the following places:

Its photographs were published in store Paris-Evening, Daily Mirror (under the pseudonym of Mr. Lensman ), Life, and Paris-Match.

Impassioned by the city and people of Salvador de Bahia, it decides to settle there. Captivated by the culture and the local history, of wandering photographer he became ethnologist, student will diapora it African on the American continent. In 1949 with Ouidah it acquires an important testimony on the clandestine traffic of the slaves towards Bahia: commercial charts of Jose Francisco C Santos of the XIXéme century.

The following voyages enable him to study the subject: Western coast of Africa until Paramaribo (1948), Haiti (1949), and Cuba in (1957). After having studied the culture Yoruba and its influence on the Brazil, Verger was initiated with the religion of the Candomblé, and exerted its ritual.

Definition of Orchard on Candomblé: " Candomblé is for me very interesting like religion of the exhaltation of the personality. One can be there truly how one is, and not as the company claims that the citizen was. For the people who want to express themselves through their unconscious, fright is a possibility that the unconscious one has for montrer."

During a stay with Kétou with the Benign , it studied the Ifa, a traditional divinity Yoruba, and was allowed with the sacerdotal rank of babalawo , and was famous Fátúmbí (" that which reappears by Ifa").

The contributions of Orchard in ethnology comprise many documents and conferences, articles of books and newspapers, and was recognized by the Sorbonne which decreed to him the academic qualification of Doctor in 1966, a true exploit for him which had left the school at the 17 years age.

Orchard continued to study until its death at Salvador de Bahia at the 94 years age. He became also professor at the University of Bahia in 1973, and had the responsibility of constitute the Museum Brazilian Negro of El Salvador and was also professor invited to the University of Ifé to the Nigeria.

He continued his work in El Salvador within his foundation the Fondation Pierre Verger where he preserved more than 63.000 photographs and negative as well as many personal documents and his correspondence.

In Brazil, a homage was paid to him to the Carnival of Rio de Janeiro in 1998 by the school of Samba of the SANDSTONE União da Ilha C Governador , whose texts évocaient the trajectory of Pierre Verger Fatumbi.

Pierre Fatumbi Orchard: Mensageiro Entre Owe Mundos is a Brazilian film of 1998 telling its course.

Other publications

  • Pierre Orchard: Gods Of Africa . Paul Hartmann, Paris (1st edition, 1954; 2nde edition, 1995). 400pp, 160 photographs in black & white, ISBN 2-909571-13-0.
  • Notes on the worship of the orisha and vodou with Bahia of All the Saints in Brazil and the old Coast of the Slaves . IFAN Memory N. 51, Dakar, Senegal, 1951; Corrupio, Brazil, 1982.
  • Notes on the worship of the orisha and vodou . 624pp, photographs black & white. EDUSP 1999 ISBN 85-314-0475-4
  • Fluxo E Refluxo C tráfico of escravos between O golfo of Benign E has Bahia de Todos bone Santos . Corrupio, 1985.
  • Ewé, O uso of planted Na sociedade ioruba , Odebrecht and Companhia das Letras, 1995.

External bonds

  1. Foundation Pierre Orchard
  2. Pierre Fatumbi Orchard by Cida Nóbrega (in Portuguese)
  3. Museum Afro-Brasilien
  4. Gods Of Africa - forewords

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