A self taught artist, Yves Apollinaire Pèdé, was born in 1959 in Abomey (Benin). His first project consisted of reproducing the low-reliefs in the Abomey Museum. He later created paintings using sand, representing celebrities such as Nelson Mandela, before becoming interested in textiles and tapestries inspired by traditional religious symbols and gods. Pèdé is artistically associated with Haitian and Cuban artists within the context of communication between Afro-American religions. He essentially works in Ouidah, currently one of the main centers of voodoo practice and also where the first world festival devoted to this religion was held in 1992. He also participated in the decoration of the city’s monument built in memory of the slave trade, and which faces the sea.