Against a background of poverty, deprivation and devastation they parade down the streets as peacocks in their brightly colored suits and can be seen as modern dandies. Sapeurs are members of the SAPE, Société des Ambianceurs et des Personnes Élégantes (Society of Ambiance-makers and Elegant People). The SAPE is a sub-culture centered in the cities of Kinshasa and Brazzaville in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and the Republic of Congo respectively.

Origin

The SAPE can be traced back to the period of colonialism. By the end of the 19th century the so-called ‘houseboys’ were the first to embrace European modernity and started to dress to the style of their masters’ and made it their own. By dressing like the colonists they wanted to reverse the established social and political order. In the 1920’s Congolese soldiers, who spent time in France and fought for the French army, came back to Brazzaville and started to adopt the French (dandy) style and transformed it into a genuine Congolese expression.

The first icon or Grand Sapeur was André Matsoua. After the period of colonialism la SAPE style and social movement was revived by the 1960’s pop star Papa Wemba, also known as the pope of SAPE. Wemba made use of the SAPE’s culture of extravagant dress to challenge the strict dress codes which outlawed European and Western styles, imposed by the government.

The SAPE became a revolutionary and political movement, which defied political leaders, using appearance as a form of rebellion against the brutal aspects of Congolese life. Today the Sapeurs are well respected and form a positive inspiration in the community, often paid to attend weddings, anniversaries and public events. The SAPE has even moved to European cities like Paris, London and Brussels.