La Bachelor
Owner of Sape & Co, a Sapeur boutique in Paris, and creator of the Connivences clothing line. Brazzaville, ROC / Paris, France
“La Sape is a way to please yourself. You don't dress only to hide your genitals. You dress to please yourself and please others. La Sape is not only suits. We can look elegant in jeans.”
Norbat de Paris
Television personality. Brazzaville, ROC / Paris, France
“It will never finish because as long as there are [fashion] designers, there will always be Sapeurs.”
Jean Marc Zeita
Shoe business owner. Brazzaville, ROC / Paris, France
“There was a particular enthusiasm to find friends. We were partying. We were having fun. It was our joy. That’s what livened us, but an interest in clothes is what made our friendship. You will see that three Sapeurs out of five Sapeurs know all of their friends through the movement.”
Ben Mouckacha
Creator of Sapologie. Brazzaville, ROC / Paris, France
“There’s a [Sapeur] commandment that tells you to not be tribalist, nor nationalist, nor racist, nor discriminatory…We have this mentality of living together.”
Kapangala Patoe
Model. Kinshasa, DRC / Paris, France
“But as we [Sapeurs] have always loved clothes, every month I must buy a piece from Dolce & Gabbana, a piece from Gucci, and a piece from John Galliano to show that I am a great Sapeur.”
Elvis Guerite Makouezi
Author. Brazzaville, ROC / London, England
“The first Sapeurs were their own masters. When one is a master of oneself, one can also control anger. One can control passions. So a Sapeur’s object is to improve on this and be a man of peace and dialogue.”
Robby Gianfranco
Vintage fashion retailer. Le Raincy, France
“It is a revolt movement like punk, like the Rastas. The Black man, he has suffered all of his life. He suffered injustice, poverty. And through clothing, he proved to the White man that even in poor times, he could have a wealthy exterior.”
Chardel Natsanga Soaus
Office worker. Brazzaville, ROC / Paris, France
“I think that the Sape is destined to become a political party one day because I myself cannot leave the young people in this suffering.”
Anto Meta
Industrial painter, DJ. Kinshasa, DRC / Paris, France
“I have a different style than other Congolese girls. They called me ‘like the guys’ and ‘like the boys.’ I am first like a boy.”
Florent Pambani
Hairdresser. Kinshasa, DRC / Brussels, Belgium
“There were no jobs. There was nothing. So we were already visioning Europe because we were seeing people coming back from Europe, how they were in the Congo. And we saw that if we stayed there, it’s like a sacrificed generation… So it was really the first decision to get out of the country and see a little farther.”
Tigana Zuretta
Restaurant worker. Kinshasa, DRC / Brussels, Belgium
“We have to be together to protect our heritage…If we do not pay attention, la Sape will disappear. It is for that reason that I had the idea to do the museum.”
Jean Muzenga
Luxury textiles. Kinshasa, DRC / Flanders, Belgium
“In every community, in every organization, it demands a disciplinarian, and laws to be respected. That’s why I proclaimed myself as the disciplinarian of all Sapeurs. To be a Sapeur, that demands a lot. So it is necessary to be responsible. It is necessary to work. It is necessary to have an honorable income to buy clothes.”