By Instituto Gilberto Gil
Text: Ricardo Schott, journalist and musical researcher
Gilberto Gil com Pierre Verger e Cristina Castro no Teatro Gregório de Mattos (1989)Instituto Gilberto Gil
Gilberto’s words
“Verger and I had a lot in common. One of our common things was the search of a broader and deeper knowledge of black culture.”
Gilberto Gil em cena do documentário Pierre Verger: Mensageiro entre Dois Mundos (1998)Instituto Gilberto Gil
This quote was professed by Gilberto Gil in an interview to O Globo newspaper on December 1st, 1997, the day the documentary Pierre Verger: A Messenger Between Two Worlds would be aired in a special session at GNT channel, for the first time.
Gilberto Gil com o entrevistado Adiro Abetutu Alaketu de Kêto em cena do documentário Pierre Verger: Mensageiro entre Dois Mundos (1998)Instituto Gilberto Gil
Between the modern and the exotic
The “two worlds” outlined in the title were the two lives lived by Verger in the middle of two distinct universes.
Gilberto Gil em cena do documentário Pierre Verger: Mensageiro entre Dois Mundos (1998)Instituto Gilberto Gil
Verger spent his life torn between the modern and European world of Paris, his hometown, and the exotic and African world of Bahia, the city that has become his home for over 50 years.
Gilberto Gil em cena do documentário Pierre Verger: Mensageiro entre Dois Mundos (1998)Instituto Gilberto Gil
The encounter of the white European and the black Bahia-native
The friendship between singer and songwriter Gilberto Gil and the French photographer and ethnologist Pierre Verger (1902–1996) has been properly crowned with the releasing of documentary Pierre Verger: A Messenger Between Two Worlds, directed by Lula Buarque de Holanda.
Gilberto Gil entrevista Jorge Amado em cena do documentário Pierre Verger: Mensageiro entre Dois Mundos (1998)Instituto Gilberto Gil
Released by the Conspiração Filmes movie company, the film had Gil as a narrator, following some of the photographer’s steps across France, Africa, and Brazil.
Gilberto Gil talks with photographer Pierre Verger for the documentary Pierre Fatumbi Verger: O Mensageiro Entre Dois Mundos (1998)Instituto Gilberto Gil
Gilberto Gil em Benin, durante filmagens do documentário Pierre Fatumbi Verger: Mensageiro Entre Dois Mundos (1997)Instituto Gilberto Gil
Throughout the journey, the Bahia-born musician interviewed partners, collaborators, and people close to Verger, and was surprised to discover little-known facts about the photographer’s life, also chatting a lot with his own friend for the movie.
Gilberto Gil e o fotógrafo francês Pierre Verger em cena do documentário Pierre Verger: Mensageiro entre Dois Mundos (1998)Instituto Gilberto Gil
Gilberto Gil also had a long interview with Verger for the feature film. The conversation turned out to be a farewell, for it had happened hours before Verger passed away, at the age of 93 years old, of heart failure.
Gilberto Gil no Axexé de Pierre Verger (1999)Instituto Gilberto Gil
The most Bahia-native out of the Frenches
Pierre was defined by Bahia-born writer Jorge Amado as the “the most Bahia-native out of the Frenches.” His relationship with photography first started in 1932, when he learned basic techniques from his friend Pierre Boucher. He also developed a liking for photographic expeditions across the world.
Gilberto Gil visita casa do fotógrafo Pierre Verger, em Salvador (1989)Instituto Gilberto Gil
A new home
From 1932 on, he went all around the world producing photographic coverage, always trying to explore more places. He would use Paris as a base and, from there, make contacts for new jobs. On August 1946, he arrived in Bahia, fell for the place and there he stayed.
The turn to a new reality
An article published in the Pierre Verger Foundation website states that Pierre landed in Salvador while Europe was going through the post-war tension. At the capital of Bahia, the photographer found a quieter atmosphere, in addition to a hospitable people.
Pierre Verger autografa livro assistido por Gilberto Gil e Adenor Gondim (1989)Instituto Gilberto Gil
He developed an interest in photographing the black population of the capital, a majority in Salvador, and took an interest in studying orixas when he got to know candomblé, in a city temple, in 1948.
He went off to Africa in order to study rituals on that same year, in addition to attempt to learn about the ancestors of the black peoples who had been sent off to Bahia.
Gilberto Gil com Pierre Verger e Carybé no Benim (Janeiro de 1987)Instituto Gilberto Gil
In the African continent, he went through a rebirth. In 1953, Pierre was ordered babalaô [priest] and baptized “Fatumbi”, which means “reborn thanks to Ifá (knowledge orixa).” In the picture, Pierre and Gil during a visit to Benin in 1987.
Gilberto Gil em visita a Ala Keto para a gravação do documentário Pierre Fatumbi Verger: Um Mensageiro Entre Dois Mundos (1999)Instituto Gilberto Gil
“I appreciate what this religion is capable of doing in favor of the African descents,” told Verger to Gilberto Gil in the movie.
Gilberto Gil e Mãe Stella de Oxóssi, no Terreiro Axé do Opó Afonjá (1996-02)Instituto Gilberto Gil
“The possession of the orixa is a manifestation of our true nature, the possibility to forget all things that have nothing to do with you, get back to the human essence, to the original being,” said the photographer.
Gilberto Gil em cena do documentário Pierre Verger: Mensageiro entre Dois Mundos (1998)Instituto Gilberto Gil
Scene of the documentary Pierre Verger: A Messenger Between Two Worlds
Gilberto Gil recebe homenagem do povo do Benim, ao lado de Pierre Verger, Carybé e Flora Gil (Janeiro de 1987)Instituto Gilberto Gil
Africa as common ground
As soon as they met, Gil and Verger became friends and identified a common curiosity towards the African legacy so latent in Bahia. The musician had already been to Africa, and so had the scholar, and they ended up going back to the continent together, in 1987.
Gilberto Gil, Flora Gil e Pierre Verger no Benim (Janeiro de 1987)Instituto Gilberto Gil
While presiding the Gregório de Mattos Foundation, in Salvador, a chair equivalent to city secretary of Culture, Gilberto Gil led an excursion to Benin.
Gilberto Gil é recebido por africanos ao lado de Carybé, Pierre Verger, Vivaldo da Costa Lima, Flora Gil e Mãe Stella, no Benim (Janeiro de 1987)Instituto Gilberto Gil
Besides Gil and Verger, were also travelling along the then-mayor of the city, Mário Kertész, the Argentinian–Brazilian naturalized and rooted in Bahia artist Carybé, ialorixá [priestess] Mãe Stella de Oxóssi, from the temple Ilê Axé Opô Afonjá, among other personalities.
Gilberto Gil e Pierre Verger com autoridades da República do Benim (Janeiro de 1987)Instituto Gilberto Gil
Once back from the trip, Gilberto Gil created the Benin House, at Pelourinho, where pieces donated by the government of the African country were exhibited, in addition to the collection comprised of nearly 200 pieces originally from Bight of Benin, collected by Verger through his trips to Africa, and donated by the photographer to the endeavor. The museum was sheltered in a colonial house, designed by architect Lina Bo Bardi.
Tap to explore
Salvador, Bahia
Back to Benin
Gilberto Gil, Paula Lavigne, Caetano Veloso e Pierre Verger na casa de Caetano (1990)Instituto Gilberto Gil
In the 1990s, the friendship went on alive and kicking. There are records of meetings even hosted at the house of singer and songwriter Caetano Veloso, with the presence of songwriter Dorival Caymmi.
Gilberto Gil, Pierre Fatumbi Verger, Dorival Caymmi e Caetano Veloso na casa de Caetano (1990)Instituto Gilberto Gil
In 1993, Gil, sided by Jorge Amado, was among the participants of the 1st Voodoo Festival, held in Benin from February 8th to 18th. Verger was one of the patrons of the event and headed a delegation of leaders of the biggest candomblé temples in Bahia. In an interview to O Globo newspaper at the time of the event, Gilberto Gil declared that Verged was “the person who have historically been most devoted to these relationships with Africa.”
Gilberto Gil e Pierre Verger conferem o arquivo iconográfico do francês em sua casa (1989)Instituto Gilberto Gil
Documentary pre-production
During the preparation of the documentary about the photographer, Gilberto Gil went back to the regions they had crossed together in 1987, so that he could transmit a little of the stories and words of Verger to those who have not known him.
Gilberto Gil e Dra. Dina no Benim (Janeiro de 1987)Instituto Gilberto Gil
In the continent, he even joined a ceremony organized by a babalorixá [priest] in honor of the photographer. Additionally, he had met, both in Africa and in Salvador, several crucial people for the discovery of Bahia and of the orixas universe for the photographer.
Gilberto Gil e Pierre Verger, em Salvador (1989)Instituto Gilberto Gil
Author of over forty books on African culture and religion, Verger remembered his knowledge and the discoveries he made about this universe, during his conversation with Gil.
Gilberto Gil e Pierre Fatumbi Verger na década de 1980 em Salvador (1989)Instituto Gilberto Gil
Cleverly, Gil kept from asking details about the candomblé rituals to the participants. Then he tried to just observe while the French would expose his knowledge.
Gilberto Gil, no quarto de Pierre Verger, na sua casa, em Salvador (1989)Instituto Gilberto Gil
“I am a rationalist idiot from France”, joked Verger in the documentary.
Film Pierre Fatumbi Verger: Messenger Between Two Worlds, narrated by Gilberto Gil (1999)Instituto Gilberto Gil
Exhibit credits
Text and research: Ricardo Schott
Editing and assembly: Chris Fuscaldo
Copyediting: Laura Zandonadi
General credits
Editing and curating: Chris Fuscaldo / Garota FM
Musical content research: Ceci Alves, Chris Fuscaldo, and Ricardo Schott
MinC content research: Carla Peixoto, Ceci Alves, and Laura Zandonadi
Photo subtitles: Anna Durão, Carla Peixoto, Ceci Alves, Chris Fuscaldo, Daniel Malafaia, Gilberto Porcidonio, Kamille Viola, Laura Zandonadi, Lucas Vieira, Luciana Azevedo, Patrícia Sá Rêgo, Pedro Felitte, Ricardo Schott, Roni Filgueiras, and Tito Guedes
Subtitle copyediting: Anna Durão, Carla Peixoto, Laura Zandonadi, and Patrícia Sá Rêgo
Data editing: Isabela Marinho
Acknowledgments: Gege Produções, Gilberto Gil, Flora Gil, Gilda Mattoso, Fafá Giordano, Maria Gil, Meny Lopes, Nelci Frangipani, Cristina Doria, Daniella Bartolini, and all photographers and characters in the stories
All media: Instituto Gilberto Gil
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