December, 10th, 2014

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POP CONGOPOLITANANISM

La #Sape, an abbreviation based on the phrase Société des Ambianceurs et des Personnes Élégantes (The Society of Ambiance-Makers and Elegant People), is a social movement centered in Brazzaville, the capital of the Republic of Congo. An adherent of La Sape is called a sapeur. The movement embodies the elegance in style and manners of colonial predecessor dandies as a means of resistance. They are in stark contrast with the environment they live in. The Sapeurs and their temporarily transcending poverty were the central theme of a worldwide 2014 @Guinness beer multimedia campaign.

Now this fantastic new LIMITED EDITION #photobook #GENTLEMEN OF #BACONGO popcolourful’s by #Italian #photographer @Daniele_Tamagni @TrolleyBooks

At the beginning of the 20th century, when the French arrived in Congo, the myth of the #Parisian elegance was born among the youth of the #Bakongo ethnic group. Fast forward to present-day Brazzaville, where today’s sapeurs drop big money on slick garb — a pair of #crocodile shoes can cost between 1,000 euros ($1,300) and 3,000 euros ($3,900) and cultivate an air of refined gentility amid their war-torn country’s severe poverty. According to the World Bank, 46.5 percent of Congolese live at or below the national poverty line. The country’s per capita gross national income is $3,240, according to the World Health Organization — enough for one pair of crocodile shoes. But it’s not all about the conspicuous consumerism. The #sapeurs aspirational style is part of a legacy of cultural imperialism, a post-colonial legacy. “White people invented the clothes, but we make an art of it.” Beyond the #poverty and the .. #dandy ..

#ALESSANDROBERGA | L’ÉDITOR

#BRAZZAVILLE #MODEDIPLOMATIQUE