Snatched from the affections of the world of art and culture, 29 June 2012: Alphonse YEMADJE, 11 years already!

(The legend continues)

Died one Friday evening 29 June 2012, that makes eleven (11) years this Thursday 29 June 2023 that Alphonse YEMADJE, great Beninese visual artist has completed his mission on earth. The man's past provides good information on what he brought as added value to his country Benin., Africa and the world through the finesse and skill that characterize his works. Prayer sessions are planned for this anniversary of the death of the Prince of Abomey without forgetting that a mass will be said in his honor in Abomey-Calavi.

Tears no longer have their place. They are dried, absorbed. But like a dry wind like that of the harmattan, the personality remains present over time but not seasonal. She lives forever since her works have not disappeared, especially in the great museums of the world.. Like an indelible stain, the artist flourishes in the hearts of the Beninese, Africans and Westerners who knew him and who continue to recreate his history through his works. The chair gave way to a new entity, blade. The latter continues to keep Alphonse YEMADJE alive.. The artist has never known death except the first layer of life, the physical experience, otherwise, he still lives. Witness the many hangings of the illustrious artist which are currently found in several museums around the world., especially : the Quai Branly museum, the museum of man (Paris, France) and the Brasilia Museum (Brazil) and others, UNITED STATES, England, Overseas countries without forgetting major universities in the world. In the recent past, Alphonse YEMADJE revived the history of the Kpassè city(Ouidah) through remains taken from the land. Too discreet in his country Benin, Alphonse Yèmadjè is well known throughout the world for his paintings. Direct descendant of the royal craftsmen of Abomey, he invited himself into the sanctuary of Abomey paintings from a young age alongside his father Hêmadou Yèmadjè. Tapestries (appliqués) in general actually constitute, fundamental elements in the Fon culture. They commemorate major events and serve as a support for all those who, using oral tradition, are keen to keep the collective memory alive. So, after a few years in Abomey, the artist ends up settling in Cotonou in 1942.

Defender of France, holocaust for France

Before devoting himself definitively to plastic art, Alphonse Yèmadjè was enlisted in the French Army as a “Senegalese Tirailleur”. He participated in several war operations including that of 1946 in Indochina, today "Vietnam". The Veteran of the French Army took part in the bloody battle of Diên Biên Phu which saw the defeat of France in 1954. The surface of the camp having considerably decreased during the month of April, an increasingly large part of the parachuted supplies falls to the enemy. On the French side, the lack of ammunition becomes very worrying, especially for artillery, and the health situation is turning into a disaster, with hundreds of wounded crammed into the various aid stations. The final assault is launched on the evening of May 1, preceded by an extremely intense artillery preparation that lasts three hours. Divisions 312 and 316 attack the eastern side of the entrenched camp, the 308 the west face. The French artillery and infantry no longer have the means or the sufficient manpower to face this massive and generalized assault.. « Eliane 1 » falls on the night of the 1st and only a few elements of the II/1st RCP, the unit holding the position, manage to escape alive. « Dominique 3 » and « Huguette 5 fall in turn into the night of the 2. Between all these events, Alphonse Yèmadjè triumphs over death. Very good on the radio, he blew the mine on the battlefield. Several weeks in a coma, he takes over death. Well after, he also participated in peacekeeping operations in Algeria. Holder of the Commemorative Medal of the Indochina War, colonial medal, that of the volunteers and finally the commemorative medal of the Algerian war, he was a true defender of the French cause, only, France was not grateful. A derisory pension received for years to meet the vital needs of an entire family, regret digs the hole in the disease 2021. He had his life saved, but between 2010 and 2012, he struggled against a health ailment that ended up taking him the 29 June 2012 at the National Hospital and University Center (CNHU-HKM).

Return home, it's better but...

Very attached to its origins, Alphonse Yèmadjè had his hours of glory when, following the advice of Mr.. Chevalier, an official from the National Office for Crafts and Hotels (What you have), current Center for the Promotion of Crafts (CPA) during the revolutionary period. Returning to the source, he resumed the ancestral tradition of woven cottons, while imported fabrics (the “Boussacs”) had established themselves in the craftsmanship of "appliqués". The artist receives the honorary diploma from the Cotonou Independence Fair in 1974 under General Mathieu Kérékou.

The fables comfort Alphonse…

The qualities of his hangings and the singularity of his applications allowed him to be spotted by Dominique Mondoloni, Director of the Public Reading Operation in Benin in the years 1994 for a project dedicated to the illustration of La Fontaine's Fables. France should commemorate the tercentenary of the death of the fabulist Jean de la Fontaine in France by 1995. After a selection made on the whole African continent, the choice was made on two Beninese, from the same community, ‘’YEMADJE’’. They are Alphonse YEMADJE and Julien YEMADJE. The twenty paintings produced interpret a cultural dialogue between the work of the French fabulist and the imagination of the Beninese artist.. The masterpiece toured France and the world and garnered great success. But in his own country, the artist never benefited from any particular support from his leaders. Car, the artist and art were once considered less than nothing, wacky, in short crazy, destitute, Short, those who mix life negatively.

Soglo immortalizes Alphonse….

Several exhibitions have been carried out and have been very successful in universities, French schools and leisure centers. Alphonse Yémadjè's appliqués feature prominently in several museums around the world. The paintings of the worthy son of Benin are always inspired by the culture of his native land. This aroused the admiration of the various delegations present in Cotonou in 1995 during the 6th Francophonie Summit. The Heads of State and Government each left for their respective countries with the applied canvases of the fables.

In recognition of loyal service to the nation, Alphonse Yèmadjè was elevated to the rank of Knight of the Order of Merit of Benin by President Nicéphore Soglo in December 1995. A title of champion for life that the Republic offered to Alphonse Yèmadjè during his lifetime. By doing it like this, President Nicéphore Soglo made immortal the man who, the other side could brandish it as a trophy to express how much it has added value to humanity.

Patrice ADJAHO