A few dozen sapeurs gathered at the tomb of Stervos Niarcos in Kinshasa, DRC. 31 years after his death, this "father of sape," known for his song "La religion Ya Kitendi," released in 1989, elevated sartorial research to the meaning of life.
Along a boulevard in the heart of the Congolese capital, many had dressed in their finest clothes in his honor.
“Normally, sape is an art and a culture, but our authorities neglect it and refuse to grant us any value, to give us a place worthy of the name, or even to talk about it. Sape is an art and a state of mind, and the way it is presented here is an art,” said Jérémie Mavula, a sapeur.
La Sape, the Society of Ambiance-Makers and Elegant People, is a clothing identity movement born in the colonial era in Brazzaville, then in Léopoldville (former name of Kinshasa), when young people began to adopt and subvert the clothes worn by the colonists.
“A sapeur is a creative and hardworking person. A sapeur can even sell flowers, earn money to buy clothes, send their children to school, etc. Today, Koko Lingwala, as an African sapeur, a modern sapeur, I live in a world of creation, invention, and making. Create your brand and wear it. That's what I did, and today, we wear it,” explained Koko Lingwala, a sapeur.
More than a fashion, La Sape is "an art" for Mathy Kass Adbe Chou, one of the few "sapeuse" women present on Tuesday, who came from Brazzaville, the twin capital on the other side of the Congo River.
“Many haven’t had the same opportunities as me. I thank God because, even though I haven’t been working in fashion for very long, I’ve already had a lot of success. I have modeling contracts and many other things that have brought me recognition that I might never have obtained otherwise. It has helped me a lot,” said Mathis Kas, a sapeuse.
In the Democratic Republic of Congo, 85% of the population lives on less than three dollars a day, so spending fortunes on designer clothes may seem extravagant. But some are fighting to make it a business.
