Sapeurs – Ladies and Gentlemen of the Congo
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© Tariq Zaidi
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London based British Pakistani photographer Tariq Zaidi has spent the last 10 years photographing people and cultures in over 30 countries across Africa.
The exhibition Sapeurs- Ladies and Gentelmen of the Congo is part of a larger body of work Zaidi started making in 2017. Made in the streets of the 2 capitals cities Congo Kinshasa & Congo Brazzaville, these vibrant photographs feature a fashion culture called: La Sape, Société des Ambianceurs et des Personnes Élégantes. Its followers are known as »Sapeurs« (»Sapeuses« for women). Brazzaville and Kinshasa are on opposite banks of the Congo River, almost directly across from one another, yet they have different styles. In Brazzaville, La Sape is mainly ‘French style’, but in Kinshasa anything goes, from Japanese Yamamoto coats to Scottish kilts. |
True Sapologie is about more than expensive labels: the true art lies in a Sapeur’s ability to put together an elegant look unique to their personality.
- Tariq Zaidi
Most have ordinary day jobs as taxi-drivers, tailors and gardeners, but as soon as they clock out they transform themselves into debonair dandies. Sashaying through the streets they are treated like rock stars – turning heads, bringing ‘joie de vivre’ to their communities and defying their circumstances.
Though the culture is traditionally passed down through the male line, many Congolese women have recently begun donning designer suits and becoming sapeuses. Sape is constantly evolving, as women and children have begun to participate too. New styles circulate and Sape appropriates ever newer and more cosmopolitan styles, but always under a strong sense of aesthetics, dandyism and fun.
As Papa Wemba (1949–2016, Congolese singer and fashion icon who popularized Sape) once said: “White people invented the clothes, but we (Africans) make an art of it.”
The book Sapeurs: Ladies and Gentlemen of the Congo was published in September 2020 by Kehrer Verlag, Germany.
It is available in the US on Amazon or directly from the Publisher: Kehrer Verlag
- Tariq Zaidi
Most have ordinary day jobs as taxi-drivers, tailors and gardeners, but as soon as they clock out they transform themselves into debonair dandies. Sashaying through the streets they are treated like rock stars – turning heads, bringing ‘joie de vivre’ to their communities and defying their circumstances.
Though the culture is traditionally passed down through the male line, many Congolese women have recently begun donning designer suits and becoming sapeuses. Sape is constantly evolving, as women and children have begun to participate too. New styles circulate and Sape appropriates ever newer and more cosmopolitan styles, but always under a strong sense of aesthetics, dandyism and fun.
As Papa Wemba (1949–2016, Congolese singer and fashion icon who popularized Sape) once said: “White people invented the clothes, but we (Africans) make an art of it.”
The book Sapeurs: Ladies and Gentlemen of the Congo was published in September 2020 by Kehrer Verlag, Germany.
It is available in the US on Amazon or directly from the Publisher: Kehrer Verlag
Number of Photographs: 17
Rental fee: Please inquire
Rental fee: Please inquire
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