Book Review: Sapeurs: Ladies and Gentlemen of The Congo by Tariq Zaidi
©Tariq Zaidi
By Shanel Thompson.
La Sape is an abbreviation based on the phrase Société des Ambianceurs et des Personnes Élégantes (French; literally "Society of Ambiance-Makers and Elegant People") and hinting to the French slang word sape which means "clothes" or sapé, which means "dressed up.”
Tariq Zaidi in his book, Sapeurs: Ladies and Gentlemen of The Congo, captures aspects of an extravagant society that has roots stemmed in rebellion against colonial oppression. La Sape is a subculture centered on the cities of Kinshasa and Brazzaville in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Republic of Congo respectively. An adherent of La Sape is known as a sapeur or, if female, as a sapeuse.
©Tariq Zaidi
“The movement can be traced back to the Congolese resistance of the 1920s, when young men sought to adopt and imitate French and Belgian clothes as a way of combating colonial superiority. Congolese houseboys spurned their masters’ second-hand clothes and became defiant consumers, spending their meagre monthly wages to acquire the latest extravagant fashions from Paris,” Zaidi writes.
The movement embodies the elegance in style and manners of colonial predecessor dandies. Zaidi’s striking photography captures men, women, and children dressed to the nines in outfits of such luxury and splendor befitting the streets of Milan or the runways of New York Fashion Week.
©Tariq Zaidi
Richly textured fabric, vibrant colours, and bold fashion statements of luxury, all at the forefront of stark poverty. The juxtaposition of such blatant elegance in the midst of garbage filled, dirt paved streets and shacks of zinc covered in layers of grit and grime and shared with goats strikes a harsh yet beautiful contrast.
“The Congo is one of the poorest regions of the world and so, at first glance, followers of the Société des Ambianceurs et des Personnes Élégantes (the Society of Ambiance-Makers and Elegant People) – La Sape – are an extraordinary sight,” Zaidi writes. “Dressed in flamboyant $2,000 outfits complete with bow ties, fedoras and umbrellas, they strut their stuff across dirt roads in 40-degree heat. The gross national income per capita in the DRC was $900 in 2018, which puts the purchase of $1,300 crocodile skin shoes into perspective.”
©Tariq Zaidi
La Sape is more than just fashion, it is a way of life. It is a means of self expression steeped in a torrid history filled with echoes of loss, poverty and the resilience of the people of The Congo to live above the struggles they face, La Sape is reflection of individuality and an expression of freedom using clothes.
“La Sape is a movement that is constantly evolving, as disenfranchised youths use fashion as a way of navigating their nations’ journeys from developing countries into a more hopeful cosmopolitan future,” Zaidi writes.
©Tariq Zaidi
©Tariq Zaidi
©Tariq Zaidi
©Tariq Zaidi
Sapeurs: Ladies and Gentlemen of The Congo is a salient collection of photographs that captures the fighting spirit, extravagance and joie de vivre of La Sape.
