Sapeur: Street models of Central Africa

In Paris, there is an exposes at the “ Palais de Tokyo a Paris”,  this house is known for hosting modern and contemporary art shows. This time, it is hosting from the 16 of February to the 16 of May 2015 an exposes on SAPE.

What is SAPE?

SAPE, this is an acronym which is well known in the francophone world. Some people hate it and others love it.  it stands for ( la Societe des Ambianceurs et Personnes Elegantes) which vaguely would mean the society of entertainers and elegant persons.

This community of people are known as sapeur, and their philosophy is the sapology.  They are united through their beliefs, rituals, and what they call “science”.  The purpose is to always dress well, by dressing well you are said to be respecting God, as God is the first fashion designer.

Here is peace of a typical prayer they would make on a day of their meeting; “Oh! God of S.A.P.E, forgive those who do not know how to dress up, those who are unable to distinguish the different colours”, these words are said by the movement which started In the 1960’s in Brazzaville (republic of Congo), then spread to the Democratic republic of Congo.