Congo's street models - 10th March 2023

The dandy dressers of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) are assembled in the capital Kinshasa to celebrate Sapper Day and to call upon the Congolese government to recognise their art.

Known as sapeurs, the dandy dressers are members of 'La Sape' or Society of Ambiance Makers and Elegant People. 'Sape' is also a colloquial French word meaning clothes or 'sapé' which means 'dressed up'.

The origins of La Sape can be found in the period of colonialism in Africa. West African colonial workers came to the Congo bringing with them a whole new style of dressing. First adopted by the affluent elite to express their identity, it soon spread to the young, where the style evolved.

Today, many of the sapeurs have low paid jobs or are unemployed but they won’t sacrifice their clothes. Here's sapeur Papa Kimwanga.

Papa Kimwanga: "I work as a master painter and I am also resourceful. I ask the government to give me a job. I have children and with what I earn, I buy clothes."

Against the odds, La Sape has survived the independence and division of the Congo into two separate states. Denis Sassou Nguesso, President of the Republic of the Congo raised it to a higher status of 'cultural heritage', allowing them to participate in public cultural events.

However, for the sapeurs in the DRC, this isn't the case. Six Lokoto's calling for the government to support sapeurs as they do other artists.

Six Lokoto: "We sappers are abandoned. You only support the players and musicians. Today, you have taken musicians on tour to Dubai and Turkey. Why not us sapeurs? We are artists, we are very efficient. We ask our government to support us 100%."