It all started during an editorial point, where Benoît said to me: “Onur, a file on sapology , what would you like? » . I answer him "yes" in a second, and then ask him what he expects from me: "that you retrace a little the origins and the movement of sapology, the art of living of sappers, that you be captivating on the subject. » . Be captivating on a subject about which we know nothing? Challenge accepted !
At first glance, the sappers are men - mainly Congolese - elegantly dressed in bright colors, and who know how to attract attention. But SAPE is not only a way of dressing specific to a community, it is also a complex art of living.
What are the origins of SAPE ? Who are the sappers? What are their codes? How have the Congolese appropriated European codes to deliver their conception of elegance through an art of living? These are the questions that this file will modestly attempt to answer. Are you ready ?
Follow the leader...
SAPE, a definition applied as an art of living
Origins of SAPE difficult to determine
It is complicated to precisely define what SAPE is. Is it a science of clothing? The art of life ? A religion of fabric? A Congolese heritage? Or a little of all of this at once? Each sapper actually has his own conception, and it is precisely this personal interpretation that contributes to the expansion of the movement.
However, if we had to choose a general definition, we would have to choose that of Elvis Guérité Makouezi , author of the Dictionnaire de la SAPE :
“The SAPE is known as the Society of Ambiancers and Elegant People. It is an initiatory society which has its habits and customs, but which is also an art [...], a way of being, of dressing, of behaving, while integrating non-violence ".
SAPE is practiced on both sides of the Congo River. And even if the Congolese of Brazzaville take credit for it, this interest in elegance comes in part from colonization. The sapper would thus have appropriated the colonists' clothing by reinterpreting them according to his influences and colors.
Beautiful colors, which not everyone can wear with such harmony.
Others attribute the origin of SAPE to the 1950s, at the time when Congolese students from Paris returned to Congo-Brazzaville. The latter held existentialist clubs there, and were dressed in high-end brands brought from Paris.
It is also said that the SAPE, as we know it today, appeared in the 1970s in the Bacongo district of Brazzaville. But in all cases, its origins remain unclear...
SAPE as a symbol of freedom
After the independence of the Belgian Congo, Mobutu announced in 1971 a so-called “authenticity” policy; strong measures are taken to free ourselves from colonial culture. Among other things, Mobutu advocated the banning of Western costumes , necessarily assimilated to the colonists.
It was then that he promoted the abacost - a contraction of "down with the costume" - a masculine suit made from Congolese fabric, with long or short sleeves, without collar, worn without a shirt or tie (the latter being also considered a mark of submission to colonial culture).
This clothing ban was not lifted until 1990, leaving Kinshasa residents to dress as they wanted, imitating their neighbors in Brazzaville. SAPE is both a reappropriation of Western codes and a rejection of the authoritarian structures of Congolese society.
Mobutu: “If I read BonneGueule correctly, you must unbutton the second button of your Caspar jacket.”
Born in the brutality of colonization, the SAPE was able to reconcile the different Congolese ethnic groups divided by years of deadly civil war. Beautiful clothing has established itself as a vector of cohabitation in a clan society : the SAPE brings together and groups Congolese around common values, working to improve their style and gestures, with the aim of achieving originality and distinction.
This would explain why the sapper is often driven by a form of protest, which he can sometimes only express through his body and clothing, as mentioned by the Congolese writer Alain Mabanckou:
"Since we have been denied economic power and political power, we are going to take it back through the power of the exhibition of the body. The body becomes the fundamental element for putting up resistance against political power, which cannot take the destiny of young people in hand ."
Try to keep a pair of Westons clean in terrain like this.
The SAPE then stands as a manifesto of marginal life. According to African sociologist Axelle Arnaut-Kabout:
“This tool of distinction and social domination has become, today, a tool of social subversion . People of whom we do not know how they earn their money, take care of their appearance to be seen, and escape poverty, but society expects them to take care of their family, for example .
Remain in control of yourself despite difficulties.
We could totally support this subversive vision when we learn that the Congo is affected by illiteracy, unemployment, or that poverty affects nearly 46% of households. To this assertion, the engineers say that they have the right to dream and to offer dreams to their audience!
Strangely, at this precise moment, I think of a phrase that Benoît often says: “we all have the right to our part of our dreams” and we must know how to respect that.
By choosing this way of life, sappers free themselves from gloom by displaying bright colors. They propose a fanciful emancipation through clothing, to mask the difficult reality of the country.
The sappers or gladiators of clothing
Any self-respecting sapper must not only be beautiful, he must be the most beautiful. This is why SAPE is a combat sport, because to hold the top spot, its followers engage in merciless duels whose only weapons are good taste and audacity.
In addition to choosing clothes with beautiful materials, and respecting the trilogy of colors, the sapper must know how to impress . Colorful clothes, dance steps, eccentricity, bowing... all means are good to ensure that the audience captures the desired intention, look and expression of taste.
It is not uncommon to see sappers challenge each other to a duel.
There is also a whole term specific to sappers to designate certain techniques or attitudes to adopt to impress others. For example, “diatance” refers to the action of walking with pride; the “déka” , that of walking with elegance; a “start” consists of the sapper improvising the start of a fashion show.
Or even “the eye of the suspended eagle” , which defines the sapper's observation of someone he considers elegant: capturing the entire expression of taste presented by the person observed, thus reinterpreting this influence. These flamboyant jousts are fertile material for comedians:
The international emergence of SAPE
I admit that the title of my article is a bit garish. (simple professional distortion of journalist) , but it probably captured your attention, just as the culture of SAPE is gradually becoming (re)known internationally.
Thomas Gilou's 1986 film Black Mic Mac contributed profoundly to this expansion. It arouses surprise, revolt or admiration, but it is also a source of inspiration.
Thus, Paul Smith , himself an icon of SAPE, was inspired by it for his Spring-Summer 2010 collection .
The movement also inspires artists, like Solange Knowles - Beyoncé's little sister - who discovered it thanks to reading the beautiful book Gentleman of Bacongo by Daniele Tamagni. She came away totally fascinated, to the point of declaring in an interview that the SAPE was among “one of the most interesting, complex and original things I have had to see in recent times” .
Not stopping at this declaration, Solange Knowles uses her notoriety to pay homage to it. This is how she brought in sappers for the music video for her hit.
A little more special in the world exhibition, let's mention Guinness (yes, we're talking about the Irish beer brand!) which gave carte blanche to Héctor Mediavilla - author of the very beautiful SAPE photo book - to produce a short film on the sappers.
We discover that it is not only a question of elegance, it is also a way of showing confidence . Through this video, Mediavilla declares that the life of sappers is “a certain form of combat against the difficult circumstances of life”.
It also defines their philosophy as a positive source of inspiration, through their attitudes and behaviors. They must be respectful, advocate non-violence, and be well mannered. Daily appearance is an issue that goes far beyond frivolity: he who imposes his style is the only master of himself.
The introductory sentence of the short film also takes up these notions of surpassing oneself: “ Sometimes in life, you cannot always choose what you do, but you can always choose who you are ”.
The video has been viewed more than 3.5 million times!
In France, Canal+ dedicated a documentary to the subject of African elegance, and the Palais de Tokyo presented a space dedicated to SAPE on the occasion of the major exhibition “Bord des Mondes”.
Some public figures have shown their support for the SAPE, such as Stromae in the company of sappers in Congo-Brazzaville , or Gael Monfils, who celebrates a point scored by resuming a typical posture. And it's not about to stop...
Gaël Monfils: "It's a nod to Dycosh's sapology. Check it out on YouTube... There's been a lot of talk about my outfit. Well, it's the balance of colors." Try to reproduce this posture at home, it's not as simple as you might think.
Interview with Norbat from Paris, one of the most famous sappers
SAPE is not only an art of living, “it has several historical, philosophical, spiritual and even artistic dimensions” . That's what Norbat de Paris , one of the best-known sappers of his generation, thinks in any case.
Welcomed like a prince in Congo-Brazzaville, he recently won the title of King of Shopping in France in the eponymous show on M6!
Recently, he appeared on Skyrock during the preview of the song “Sapés comme Jam” by a certain Maître Gims, accompanied by Niska. Then on Mouv'avec Dycosh, to talk about the SAPE, announce the continuation of the "most anticipated sketch in France", and talk about other projects in progress.
Given his recent emergence in France - he is followed by more than 17,000 people on Norbat Nimerode's Facebook page - I felt that Norbat was among one of the most relevant ambassadors to talk about SAPE . I contacted him by telephone and discovered a very friendly person.
Norbat from Paris, that’s him. As usual among sappers, they use and abuse colors and patterns.
What is SAPE to you?
SAPE is the main root which gave birth to several branches (dandyism, sapology, etc.). In this, there are also three dimensions to integrate: the spiritual, the material and the artistic. These three elements constitute, in my opinion, the true ideology of the SAPE. And few sappers understood that.
Many will come and say that they are dressed in Kenzo suits and show off the labels of big brands, without really thinking about what is behind them. And yet, all these companies are organized to make people insatiable. This insatiability leads to over-dependence, until people ruin their lives and plans because of it.
Now, emerging youth, those that I partly represent, have entered entrepreneurship. The SAPE is we who created it; rhetoric is us too. As a result, we are forced to create and launch brands, even if it means dressing for €100 to present something truly representative.
In a way, we are doing politics. We do not have to have an electoral card or join a party to mean that we are in politics. Through SAPE, we broadcast a message.
What is this message?
I created a concept, that of being “norbatized”.
What does that mean ?
It's about the fact that everyone is a sapper in their own way, whatever their level. We need to unwind: my goal is to break this insatiability that I mentioned earlier. I want to make it clear that it is not because we are dressed in clothes worth the equivalent of €10,000 that we can claim to be the greatest sapper.
What is a great sapper then?
In my opinion, the greatest sappers are those who know how to think carefully to show their colors well. They effortlessly manage to create the trilogy of colors with a certain harmony.
Someone can very well go to a store, a thrift store, but from the moment that person has taste, they will try to bring out an outfit that seems pleasant to people. That's SAPE in general.
As it was defined by my elders, it was rather excessive bling-bling. This means that the SAPE was represented by someone who could afford expensive, rich clothes. But when you look deep down, that's not the case, everyone dresses and does it within their means!
We say everything and its opposite about the origin of the SAPE. How do you think this story started?
The SAPE dates back to the colonial era, when the French arrived to colonize the Congo. At that time, they were dressed in pith helmets, Bermuda shorts, military jackets and ties, etc.
At first, it was shocking because my ancestors were covered with pieces of loincloths, and sometimes even natural leaves. The SAPE started from this confrontation and this discovery.
There was André Grenard Matswa , a great man who promoted this SAPE through matswanism ( defense movement for the emancipation of the black man in the colonial era, editor's note ) and then, the people of Kinshasa took over the SAPE their way.
There was also "Mecca", that was the name given to define the Maison des Étudiants Congolais in France, rue Béranger. It was a place where many sappers gathered to exchange ideas, have fun and challenge each other in the expression of their SAPE. For a time, Papa Wemba greatly contributed to exporting SAPE, particularly to France.
Where does this duality come from between the Congolese sappers of Brazzaville and the Congolese sappers of Kinshasa?
The people of Kinshasa have monopolized the SAPE without really learning or understanding the real ideology; they rushed to the stores to buy the most expensive clothes. This is why they have this lack of mastery of colors, they put everything and anything.
When Steeve Niarcos ( editor's note : a Kinshasa artist) arrived, he managed to buy extremely expensive clothes, very often from Versace, without having the lifestyle and charisma that goes with it. He was in this insatiability of big brands.
The Congolese of Brazzaville have learned this charisma because we have the eye to know how to choose colors and ensure that the trilogy is respected. And once you have acquired this eye, you put your wealth to use in other ways. The Congolese from Brazzaville is someone with few means, but who is constantly researching.
Looking for what?
The search to be different from others, the search for aristocracy. To be classy is to strive towards this. Someone who sees himself as responsible.
Responsible for what? Of himself ?
A sapper identifies with someone who has a lot of resources, and he wants to do better than that person. Today, when you see Karl Lagarfeld dressing, he does so within his means. The guy uses good materials, real materials. Someone who doesn't have the means, when they go to a Karl Lagarfeld boutique, won't even be able to buy a shirt.
However, this person, constrained by their limited means, may be able to find a shirt, pants, jacket, tie at their level. And when a sapper gets dressed, he calls his name, he bluffs, while a person who has a lot of means is incapable of doing this research because he didn't have to do it.
Who are you trying to surpass by having this research?
I am not in research because I am in collusion with the ancestral spirit of SAPE. It's very difficult to explain. Everyone has their own philosophy. When asking me, we are talking about the SAPE according to Norbat, we must be careful to specify this. Others thought of SAPE before me and did this research work. It is unique to everyone and that is what makes a good person.
Do you think you are a good person?
Yes, because I have a clean criminal record (laughs).
La Sape, a Congolese soft power ?
Norbat's testimony is enriching because it confirms that SAPE is much more than an isolated fashion phenomenon, it is the expression of a state of mind, a lifestyle, an aesthetic towards which the engineer wants to strive for in his search for perfection and sophistication .
What's good about the SAPE is that everyone can invent their own history - even that of the country - just as we invent a style or create a look. It's also a way of inventing a new life, far from the worries of everyday life. In fact, it cannot be vulgarly summed up as the manifestation of sartorial exuberance without scope or reflection. It is more complex to understand.
For many Congolese, this culture is perceived as art, a religion, a science, the whole of which creates a common heritage which unifies the different ethnic groups of the country, and even beyond.
Whatever one may say, SAPE questions the reappropriation of dominant culture and demonstrates the complexity of post-colonial identities.
It must be recognized that Congolese creativity has managed, in a certain way, to reinterpret the canonical principles of European elegance, as if to deliver a different vision of clothing by defining an art of living.
As some SAPE popes say: “ if the habit made the monk, in this case, let the clothes speak” . And it is better than letting the weapons speak in total indifference. Clothing as a means of competition and pacifist expression, what could be more beautiful, don't you think?
If you want to go further, I invite you to watch this short documentary (5 minutes) which takes a beautiful look at the sappers.
